Child Care Vouchers during COVID-19
24 April 2020
**Please note this information is only for those Trainees who are currently members of Edenred Child Care Voucher scheme. It is not possible to join the scheme**
We have received queries about the Child Care Vouchers and hope the following information is of use to you:
It is not possible to “pause” the Childcare Voucher scheme, but you do have a couple of options.
The most important thing for you to do if you do not have any childcare costs currently, is delete any standing orders (the automatic payments) you have set up. You can do this by logging into your Childcare Voucher account, selecting standing orders, and then clicking “delete”. You can set up a new standing order when you have childcare costs again, and can always make one-off payments if required using the “payment” button as well.
With regards to the money coming out of your salary to your childcare account, if you do not have a standing order set up, this will just accrue in your account for future use. Childcare Vouchers do not have an expiry date. However, if you do not want to have as much deducted from your salary and going into your voucher account, you can amend your voucher value, or leave the scheme.
If you want to leave the scheme, to find out how to do this, please click the tab in your online account which says “Join/Amend/Leave” and select the leave button. This will either take you through to an online form to fill out to leave the scheme, or tell you how to leave (this may be through your HR directly, or through a benefits and savings account with us).
It is important to note that you can rejoin the scheme once you have left, but you must rejoin within twelve months of leaving.
We are currently advising people to amend their voucher values to a smaller amount (unless you know you will have no further need of childcare vouchers), as this does not put a deadline on you, and you can always revisit the option of leaving later on. If you want to amend your voucher value, please click onto “Join/Amend/Leave” and then select the amend button. Again, this will either take you through to an online form to fill out to leave the scheme, or tell you how to leave (this may be through your HR directly, or through a benefits and savings account with us).
Please note the minimum required by HMRC to sacrifice into the scheme is only £1 a month.
Some other important things for you to note:
1) When accessing www.mychildcarevouchers.co.uk, please ensure you use the desktop version of the site, not the mobile version. 2) Your employer will probably work a month in advance – so changes made will be effective from your April (or even May) pay. If you have any queries about making changes earlier than the website shows, please speak to your employer/your HR team. 3) You should be able to amend your childcare voucher salary sacrifice every month, so any changes you make can be reverted/changed again if required. 4) Whether any vouchers in your account can be paid back to you in your salary will depend on your employer’s policies – you should speak to them regarding this.