Childcare vouchers: important update for parents

Wednesday, 01 August 2018

Further to previous communications, the Government has confirmed that childcare voucher schemes will close to new applicants from Friday 5 October 2018.

If you’re a parent and haven’t already joined the University’s Childcare Voucher scheme, you must register and receive a childcare voucher before the closing date. This means that you will have to register by Saturday 1 September 2018 in order to receive your first voucher with your September pay.

After the closure date, the Government’s Tax Free Childcare (TFC) scheme will be the only scheme open to new applicants. So, if you're a parent, it's important to find out which scheme works best for you.   For more information please take a look at giveyourselfachoice.com and the Government’s childcare information page. You can use the childcare calculator to work out which type of support is best for you. 

Parents who are already using childcare vouchers can continue to do so up until their child’s 15th birthday as long as they remain with the University, and for as long as the University continues to offer the scheme.

Parents can switch to TFC at any time, but please note that you cannot be in both TFC and the University childcare voucher scheme at the same time. Once you have joined TFC, you cannot switch back to the childcare voucher scheme. If you successfully register for TFC you must inform Human Resources within 90 days and then your childcare vouchers will stop.

How to register for the University childcare voucher scheme

Our current scheme is provided by Computershare Voucher Services. If you have children under 15 years of age, you can register online at computersharevoucherservices.com. You can also contact Computershare Customer Services on 0345 002 1111.

You will need to provide the University's Scheme ID number (0019233939), your employee number and National Insurance number to register.

Under the scheme, you could save up to £933 a year on the costs of childcare:

Childcare vouchers can be used for all types of registered childcare, such as:  

For more information please contact Human Resources.