The latest figures revealed by HMRC showed £41.5 million in government top-up payments were made to working families across the UK in December 2022 and an increase of more than 77,500 families using the scheme compared to December 2021. Each family saved up to £2,000 a year per child or £4,000 if their child is disabled.
Tax-Free Childcare is a financial support for working families with children up to the age of 11 or 16 if their child has a disability. The government top-up can be used to pay for any approved childcare including holiday clubs, breakfast and after-school clubs, childminders, and nurseries.
Opening a Tax-Free Childcare account is quick and easy and can be done at any time of the year.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s director general for customer services, said: “We want to help families get the most out of their finances and Tax-Free Childcare can help pay towards their childcare costs. Search ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ on GOV.UK to get started.”
For every £8 paid into the Tax-Free Childcare account, families automatically receive an additional £2. Families can save up to £500 every three months (£2,000 a year) for each child or £1,000 (£4,000 a year) if their child is disabled.
More than 1 million families in the UK are entitled to some form of government childcare support and the government is encouraging those eligible not to miss out on their entitlements. Families can find out more about Tax-Free Childcare via the Childcare Choices website.
