Thousands struggle to access childcare due to HMRC website glitch
HMRC's Childcare Services website has been riddled with problems since it launched in April 2017
THOUSANDS of parents are struggling to get help for childcare costs because of ongoing problems with the official website.
The Government's has been riddled with technical problems since it launched in April last year.
The problems meant that in November, the Government delayed the full roll-out of the scheme, which aims to make childcare more affordable to parents.
Now pre-school and nursery organisations say thousands of parents have experienced major problems using the website, with some parents having money stuck in accounts, and other struggling to even apply for help.
Purnima Tanky, chief exec of the National Day Nurseries Association, : "It is causing ongoing problems.
"Too many nurseries are saying they have parents who are struggling both to register and reconfirm their eligibility, something they must do every three months."
Neil Leitch, chief exec of the Pre-school Learning Allliance added: "It's incredibly disappointing that the long-running problems with the government's Childcare Service still haven't been resolved.
"This is an IT system meant to support a flagship government policy and yet, more than eight months after its launch, we are still hearing reports of parents who cannot do the simplest things.
"This is understandably causing much anger and frustration, something not helped by the government's insistence that all is fine with the website despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary.
"The government must get a grip on this problem once and for all, and ensure that the system it is asking parents to use is actually fit for purpose."
WHAT TO DO IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH THE WEBSITE
The Government say that less than two per cent of 320,000 parents who have opened their accounts have experienced problems. But what if you have?
Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do if the website isn't letting you register your details or apply for the schemes.
Your best bet is to call the helpline number - 0300 12 4097 - which has been set up for mums and dads who aren't getting the right service from the website.
At the beginning of January, some mums and dads were told they weren't able to claim for the 30 hours of free childcare due to problems with the website.
MP's have launched an investigation into the website as part of wider look at chidlcare costs in the UK.
Chair Nicky Morgan said: "There had been reports of problems with the HMRC-run Childcare Service website, which has been a cause for concern.
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"We’ll examine the impact of these failures on the take-up of Government initiatives that aim to make childcare affordable."
A spokesman for HMRC said that more than 250,000 parents have successfully reconfirmed their eligibility on the website.
"Almost all parents receive a response within five working days, and most get their decision instantly," the spokesman added.
What help is available for parents?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help.
- 30 hours free childcare - Parents of 3 and 4 year olds have been able to apply for 30 hours free childcare a week since the summer with its introduction in September.
To qualify you must work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. - Tax credits - For children under 16, some working families can get up to £122.50 a week depending on their income to help with childcare costs.
- Childcare vouchers - If your employer offers childcare vouchers you can get up to £933 a yeaar in tax and national insurance savings.
You pay for your childcare before your tax contributions are taken out.
This will remain open to new joiners until April 2018, when it is planned tax-free childcare will replace the vouchers. - Tax-free childcare - Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.
- The full roll-out has been pushed back to March 2018.
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