Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

Get advice from other Mumsnetters to find the best nursery for your child on our Preschool forum.

1 2

Get advice from other Mumsnetters to find the best nursery for your child on our Preschool forum.

Preschool education

using tax credits to pay for child to go to pre prep aged 3

29 replies

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 22:31

is it allowed? I mean the childcare element.

OP posts:

Report

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 22:33

Depends on your income. Go to the tax credits website. Click "do I qualify" and put in your figures with and without your childcare payments and see what the difference is.

If you get LEA funding towards preschool education you can declare it as a childcare cost for tax credits pruposes.

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 22:34

And I think they have to be OfSted registered.

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 22:35

tax credits - do I qualify?

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 22:36

thanks but its not me, I just found it wierd that effectively you could kind of pay for your child to 'go private' using the childcare element of tax credits.

OP posts:

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 22:40

What do you mean. Private pre-school as opposed to private nursery? I don't see that there is a major difference between them TBH.

I guess I would assume that some that can afford a "private prep school" probably wouldn't be eligible on hte basis of income.

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 22:45

no private prep school

OP posts:

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 22:47

It is still optional childcare.

I would still assume that their income would probably exceed the limits to benefit for the childcare element TBH.

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 22:49

well person has said she is going to take her dd out of nursery and put her in pre prep as tax credits pay 85% of her childcare. seems odd to me. her personal circs don't disqualify her from this elemtn.

OP posts:

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 22:51

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 22:54

And I thought the mximum contribution to childcare was 80% (although I could be wrong).

Maybe her tax credits have gone down at nursery because she is getting LEA funding. Maybe (I assume) there is no LEA funding at prep so she can declare the full cost.

I don't think she will actually be better off financially though - maybe using the fact that tax credits help her to afford something she wouldn't otherwise be able to afford?

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 22:56

that makes sense, she s a friend but it irks me that she gets so much help from tax credits when she isn't even poor and can consequently use them for such benefits as sending her child to a pre prep. I hate it that it irks me, its none of my business, but i hate the way some people can just fiddle their way round the system.

OP posts:

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 23:03

I don't think it is fiddling the system really. I don't think she actually has a greater income as a result of sending her children to prep or nursery. After all she has to pay for that childcare - wherever it is.

Maybe the fact that it is more expensive makes her feel that she is getting more money out of the government - but those benefits are at a fincancial cost to her as she won't get all of the cost back.

You have to have a really low combined income (less than approx £15-18K per year off the top of my sleepy head) to get teh full 80% BTW.

It would irk me though if she was flaunting the fact that her child goes to expensive prep cos she gets a "lot of tax credits"

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 23:05

she is fiddling the system just not in this instance, I see your point she won't be better off, but she is entitled to it anyway hence my irkedness.

OP posts:

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 23:05

sorry isn't entitled

OP posts:

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 23:07

In fact looking at teh guidlines

It is definately 80% of costs
If it is an expensive prep she will loose out - as they will only consider the first £175 per week (for 1 child) - and pay up to 80% of that. So if she is paying £250 per week she will only get help on the first £175 of that and she will get zero help on the remaining £75.

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 23:08

Why isn't she entitled to it (I think I have missed that). I thought you said she is entitled.

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 23:10

hmmmm interesting, don't know why i'm bothered really. she has blatantly told me she gets loads more than she is entitled to, and then when she declares something like this it winds me up. I guess it becasue we really struggle and get little help and are honest with our declerations and she flaunts the system. Really must try hard not to let it bother me.

OP posts:

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 23:14

I know she is a freind, and I know you probably don't want to, and I am not saying you should - but you could report her anonymously.

As far as I can see she is not really flaunting the system moving her child from nursery to prep if the tax credit position helps her to fund it. But you are implying that there is more to this than just moving her child to a better prep.

SueW · 21/08/2007 23:15

When DD first started in private school (nursery and first part of reception) we had to pay our fees but at the end of each term/half term, got a refund because every child was entitled to 'free childcare' at that age (or something like that.

Sadly, even though every child is entitled to state education, we haven't had any further refunds on fees since.

Honestly, honestly not being inflammatory. I just don't see why we should have been given a refund in the first place, but then I have failed to understand anything to do with the tax/benefits system since about mid-90s which I think was when they started needing about 100 pages of information from you so you could some minute amount of money back from the govt.

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 23:15

Oh and don't forget the pinch/bucket of salt which may need to be swalowed with what she is telling you .

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 23:16

I could never report her, but really wish she had never told me , there is a huge chunk of household income she doesn't declare and consequently gets big benefits. I wish i didn't know and then i wouldn't give a feck if her child went to pre prep or not.

OP posts:

SlightlyMadStar · 21/08/2007 23:17

SueW - the free childcare places is totally independant to tax credits

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Email address

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

quadrophenia · 21/08/2007 23:17

Night SMS

OP posts:

alycat · 21/08/2007 23:21

I know nothing about the Tax Credits system (never claimed them), BUT I use my early years education fund vouchers (or whatever their proper name is)to pay towards my pre-prep fees. So if her DC is 3yrs+ (most pre-preps don't start until 2.5-3) she would be getting this.

My DS' pre-prep (nursery/kindergarten years) are similarly priced to local private nurseries.

It only becomes more expensive if you do lunches or full days (as would the local nursery) or as the child moves through school.

But yes, fundamentally, to me it seems a little odd to be getting a means tested benefit and sending your DCs to private education.

TheodoresMummy · 26/08/2007 23:15

She is deliberately not declaring income.

She is boasting about it !!??

She is daft.

I would definately report her. I know you said you won't and it's your call, but I couldn't not.

Flip

1 2

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.