Childcare??

**Minnie mouse** · 23-02-2009, 02:24 PM

Hi, i was just wondering.... When a parent works they can claim childcare costs?? Does that mean as a childminder i can claim childcare costs for my son? Surely as his taking up one of my places i should be able to claim childcare costs lol? Or am i being mad ?

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 23-02-2009, 02:25 PM

You have to be employed to claim child care costs if you are talking about Tax credits.

**Ripeberry** · 23-02-2009, 02:26 PM

You are mad

**Alibali** · 23-02-2009, 02:46 PM

Oh, if only!!!

**SimplyLucy** · 23-02-2009, 02:50 PM

I used a childminder in the summer holidays last year for my own 4 children, just 1 day a week. It gave them a break from the children I mind, plus my daughter was always nagging me because she wanted to go to a childminder!

I claimed the money back though tax credits, 80% of the cost.

I think I might do the same again this summer!

**elainerut** · 23-02-2009, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Minnie mouse

Hi, i was just wondering.... When a parent works they can claim childcare costs?? Does that mean as a childminder i can claim childcare costs for my son? Surely as his taking up one of my places i should be able to claim childcare costs lol? Or am i being mad ?

unforunately not

i asked that one b4 i stared minding sorry.

**tulip0803** · 23-02-2009, 03:54 PM

As Lucy says, unfortunately only if your child is going to another childcare setting that you are paying for. You cannot claim for your own child taking up one of your spaces.

**Minnie mouse** · 23-02-2009, 04:44 PM

so i could still claim if i put him in nursery or with another minder?

**karenandsmile** · 23-02-2009, 04:48 PM

as long as you send your child to another childcare setting you can claim, i do like the idea of sending your own kids off to another child minder in the summer holidays so they get a break from it all

**FizzysFriends** · 23-02-2009, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by Minnie mouse

so i could still claim if i put him in nursery or with another minder?

Yes you can do that.

**singlewiththree** · 23-02-2009, 07:29 PM

I claim for my DD who is at preschool (she gets the 5 free sessions but stays for lunch so I claim the lunch hour). My DD3 is starting playgroup on Weds and I'm claiming that with tax credits so yes you can

Love idea of putting your own children with another minder or holiday club! Still have to find the 20% to pay out of my pocket though for 3 children.

**Minnie mouse** · 25-02-2009, 02:48 PM

how many hours do you have to work per week before tax credits will pay 80% of childcare costs?

**loocyloo** · 25-02-2009, 03:10 PM

doh!

just realised that i could have been claiming for DD nursery fees since september! she gets the grant, but stays for longer! does anyone know if i can claim it in retrospect?

a friend and i considered looking after each others children and claiming, but they still count in your numbers !!!

my ds has done a few days of holiday clubs before too, never thought of claiming for them either!!! must do them again!

in that apart from filling out the form each summer to check its all correct, do i just phone them to say things have changed for a couple of weeks?

xxx

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 25-02-2009, 04:24 PM

Not wanting to burst your bubble ladies but I thought you had to be EMPLOYED for 16 hours and not self employed. Might be work checking before you have to pay back your tax credits.

Sorry

**SimplyLucy** · 25-02-2009, 04:43 PM

It's definatly self empolyed or empolyed, so long as you are working.

You need to be working over 16 hours and you can even claim some childcare if you aren't getting working tax credits, it's always worth asking.

I've claimed childcare cost (80%) whilst being a self empolyed childminder with no problems, last year.

Don't forget to claim the 16 hours working time you don't actually need to have mindeed children for the full 16 hours, add hours on for planning, observations, accounts all the paperwork we have etc etc, I'm sure you'll soon be way over 16 or even 30 hours.

**SimplyLucy** · 25-02-2009, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by loocyloo

doh!

just realised that i could have been claiming for DD nursery fees since september! she gets the grant, but stays for longer! does anyone know if i can claim it in retrospect?

a friend and i considered looking after each others children and claiming, but they still count in your numbers !!!

my ds has done a few days of holiday clubs before too, never thought of claiming for them either!!! must do them again!

in that apart from filling out the form each summer to check its all correct, do i just phone them to say things have changed for a couple of weeks?

xxx

Always worth ringing and telling them, they might back date it a little.

I forgot to mention I was working over 30 hours, didn't know there was a bonus for that, they back dated it 90 days.

**loocyloo** · 25-02-2009, 04:50 PM

[QUOTE=SimplyLucy;347853]Always worth ringing and telling them, they might back date it a little.

thabks, i will do that!

xxx

**Mollymop** · 25-02-2009, 05:35 PM

You can't claim tax credits for yourself being the childminder if your own child! I wish we could. What hours would we tell them? 24 hours a day at £3 an hour?

Lady Haha · 25-02-2009, 07:42 PM

yep, I've claimed too last summer! I put my son in an educational tutor type place to help him catch up on his maths and they were registered for the tax credits people, I think it's just as long as they are Ofsted registered really! I only did it for a month as I did feel like I was cheating as I didn't really need the space he uses in my numbers for any one else, but he really did needthe extra tuition and I couldnt afford the fees, so I only did it for August before he went back to school. But in answer to the original question, yes, you can claim childcare tax credits as long as YOU aren't his childcarer! They have to be with some one else!

The thing that worried me was if the tax credits people asked me to prove I needed the childcare,I wouldn't be able to! But if your genuinely had your maximum number of children for the hols for example and then some one asked you to be their minder, you could get a different childminder for your own child so as to free up that space! And you would have you attendance register to prove it too. Oh, and yes, you do have to be employed or self employed for for 16 hours or more. As I'm full time, I can claim working tax credits too!

Phew! Glad I could finally offer advice that I actually am positive about!

**Minstrel** · 25-02-2009, 07:46 PM

hmmmm not sure about sending your own child to a CM so you could free up an extra space. Arent you own children already included in numbers regardless of where they are? ie we cant have extra whilst they are at school or nursery.