Childcare tax credits - help please!

[Bid]

Bit of a confusing one - when I started back at work in January I was working 9am-12.30pm Monday to Friday, so LO just did morning sessions at nursery. It was a bit of a rush trying to get to/from work to drop him off and pick him up in time, but I managed it (just!). Then a full time space opened up at nursery so I decided to put him in for full days and change my working hours to 10am-2pm (half an hour over lunchtime was unpaid so I was still doing the same number of hours as before). I have been claiming tax credits towards my childcare costs so when he went full time I just called them and told them my costs had increased. They asked if my working hours or salary had increased and I explained that they were exactly the same but LO was having to do extra sessions because my times of work had changed. They didn't question this. But my friend says I should only be claiming tax credits for the amount of childcare I use while I'm actually at work - i.e as I only work four hours a day I should only be claiming for four hours childcare. Surely this can't be right? For a start the nursery don't charge on an hourly basis - you have to pay for a full morning and/or afternoon session, regardless of whether LO is there for the entire session or not. So if my working hours straddle both sessions I have to pay for both sessions. And ok I have chosen to change my hours to the middle of the day instead of mornings, but most people don't have this luxury and would need to work whatever hours they were told. So would they be expected just to somehow pro-rata their costs so they were only claiming for the hours they worked and stump up the extra for the rest of the day? I can't find anything on the tax credits site to say there's a limit to the hours you can claim for - it just says to tell them your weekly childcare costs. But she's now got me worried. I could change my working hours back to mornings and cut his nursery hours back to morning sessions, but he's in a routine now and then we'd have the nightmare of commuting again. Anyone have any idea about this?! Thanks!

 

[AbbynChloe]

no thats not correct. i work 9-5 but claim for chloe being in daycare from 8-6. it doesnt make a difference. what tax credits want to know is how many hours of daycare YOU are paying for and they will give you UP TO 70% (i think its that now?) as long as you are working 16hr or more - this is from a single parent perspective, not sure if it differs if there is 2 of you

 

[Bid]

Thanks that's what I thought. I know they limit it to £175 per week per child, but I couldn't see any other limits on it. To be honest it's been great having a few hours after work every day to clean, iron and shop without a screaming toddler in tow, so hoping we won't need to change things!