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DSG Childcare Voucher Scheme

You could save over £900 on your

childcare costs each year!DSG Childcare Voucher SchemeDSG Childcare Voucher Scheme

Childcare vouchers are a government initiative designed to help working parents pay for childcare. You can convert part of your salary into vouchers saving the tax and National Insurance you would normally pay on that amount.

The vouchers are part of your pay so you will receive your childcare vouchers in line with your monthly pay. You can choose to receive paper vouchers at your correspondence address, or e-vouchers, which are by far the most popular choice and allow you to go online and make direct payments into your chilcare provider’s bank account.

for very little effort”parent, Lincolnshire

You can join the scheme if:

● You are a parent or legal guardian responsible for and paying towards the upkeep of a child.

● Your child is under the age of 16 (1st September following their 15th birthday, or 1st September following their 16th birthday if they are registered disabled).

● You are planning to enrol your child at or your child is attending any form of registered childcare, which can include nannies, childminders, nurseries, play schemes, out-of hours school clubs, holiday camps and certain elements of Independent school fees.

Childcare vouchers cannot be used towards the compulsory education element of school fees. They can however be used for afterschool clubs, breakfast clubs held outside school hours and on school premises, or on premises where school activity is inspected by Ofsted, or the equivalent body for Independent schools. They can also be used for payment of overnight care fees e.g. boarding fees, providing they are separately itemised on the school bill.

● Your salary remains above the national minimum wage AND the lower earnings limit AFTER you have taken childcare vouchers. This is to

ensure you always pay the minimum amount of National Insurance on which are a number of state

Pay, are dependent.

We have also developed a ‘family account’ into which more than one adult (each with parental responsibility for the child) can receive their vouchers, simplifying payments and minimising administration. Contact us for more details.

Who can join the scheme?

How much will I save?The amount you save depends on the value of the vouchers you choose to take and your total earnings. Most pension providers accept childcare vouchers as notional pay i.e. base their calculations on the pre- total with no negative effect on pension contributions.

This applies to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS). For further information visit www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk. Members of other schemes should seek additional advice.

How do I join?To join the Sodexo childcare voucherscheme all you need to do is fill in a Salary Sacrifice Agreement online. The online form simply gives the MOD permission to pay part of your salary as childcare vouchers.

If you’re interested, please call us on 0800 085 2875. We will then send you an invitation, by email, to join the scheme. If you would prefer to sign up using a paper form you can download this from www.MODchildcare.co.uk.

All paperwork and online forms should be with Sodexo by the last day of the calendar month in order to be able to start the salary sacrifice in the following month.This means that Sodexo can issue you with childcare vouchers within 5 working days of payday.

It is important that you provide the correct Staff Number, and tick whether you are a Land or Air employee. If this is incorrect we will not be able to send you your vouchers.

We will need the details of your childcare provider before you can pay them with your childcare vouchers. If they’re already registered with Sodexo they will have a 6-digit childcare provider ID number – you can use this to link them to your account online.

If your childcare provider is not yet registered with Sodexo please give them a copy of our Childcare Provider Brochure. They will need to complete the Childcare Provider Agreement form and post it back to us, with a copy of their Registration Certificate.

Is the scheme right for me?

there are some circumstances that you need to take into consideration before you decide. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) govern all childcare voucher schemes, and offer a Childcare Indicator for you to assess your personal family circumstances prior to applying for childcare vouchers. Please visit http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/calcs/ccin.htm

What about my childcare provider?Most childcare providers are happy to accept childcare vouchers as long as you adhere to their own payment terms. Your childcare provider does not need to have a computer or internet access to receive e-voucher payments. They will receive your payment directly into their bank account (by bank transfer) with an attached reference, which you choose. Remittance advice can be provided in paper or email format – whichever they prefer. Childcare providers can be added to your childcare voucher account at any time – all you need to do is let us know. You do not need to have childcare in place in order to receive childcare vouchers. However when you wish to spend your vouchers, you will need to provide us with details of your childcare provider.

How do I know how much to take?The amount you can take per month depends on your earnings.

“Being able to claim childcare vouchers has made a real difference - the financial savings are fantastic”civil servant, Scotland

Earnings Amount

Up to but not exceeding £41,450 (basic)

Between £30 & £243

Greater than £41,450 but less than £150,000 (higher)

Between £30 & £124

Over £150,000 (additional) Between £30 & £110

The childcare vouchers you receive are valid for 18 months and can be spent whenever you want, so it doesn’t matter if your childcare costs vary – you can still take vouchers each month and keep them for when you need them.

Still not sure?

If you have any further questions our friendly Customer Services Team is just a Freephone call away:

Customer services team: 0800 085 2875 Freepost: Sodexo Motivation Solutions UK Ltd,

FREEPOST, NAT 7103, CAMBERLEY GU16 7BR, UK Email: DSGchildcare.motivation.uk@sodexo.com

Website: www.modchildcare.co.uk

Please quote ‘DSG’ when contacting Sodexo.

Useful contacts: Your childcare voucher helpline: 0800 085 2875

HMRC Childcare Indicator: www.hmrc.gov.uk/calcs/ccin.htm Working Tax Credits (WTC): 0845 300 3900

Freephone numbers are free of charge for most relevant national land lines, but there may be a charge for calls made to these numbers in some circumstances (for example when using a mobile phone).

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Childcare Voucher Scheme

Delivered by

Still not sure?

Sodexo Motivation Solutions UK Ltd.Unit 5 Albany Court, Albany

Business Park, Frimley Road,Camberley, GU16 7QR

www.sodexo.com