FAQS

Participation may impact upon your entitlement to certain state benefits, for example, you may be worse off joining the scheme if you receive the childcare element of Working Tax Credits.

If you have signed up for care-4 you will see your revised salary and details of the care-4 benefit as a separate non-payable amount on your payslip. If you have joined the scheme as part of a flexible benefits scheme package, your payslip will show the total amount of salary reduction for your flexible benefits.

Your employer will undertake a Basic Earnings Assessment (BEA) when you join, and annually at the start of each tax year to determine the minimum level at which you save tax and NI on this benefit. The value assessed will be valid until the new tax year.

Yes, subject to your company scheme rules, as long as you can be sure that you’ll be using a Registered or Approved carer.

Membership into the scheme is normally for 12 months, so check your employer's scheme rules. You can cancel at the end of the minimum period or subject to a specific lifestyle event, as detailed above.

You need to tell your employer and care-4 immediately if you decide to leave. Payments to your care-4 account will stop, and you can use remaining funds to authorise payments to your pre-registered carers.

Yes, providing they are Registered or Approved with the appropriate body. The Family and Childcare Trust offers a search facility for Ofsted-approved childcare across local authority boundaries.

No, unless the relative is a Registered Childminder and also cares for other children as well as your own. Spouses / partners or parents of the child for cannot be paid via care-4, even if they look after other children as well as their own.

Registered childcare includes:

• registered childminders, nurseries and play schemes
• out-of-hours clubs on school premises run by a school or local authority
• childcare schemes run by school governing bodies under the extended schools scheme
• childcare schemes run by approved providers, for example, an out of school hours scheme or a provider approved under a Ministry of Defence accreditation scheme

A Registered childminder, nursery or childcare scheme is one that is registered:

• in England, by Ofsted or the National Care Standards Commission
• in Wales, by the National Assembly for Wales (through the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales)
• in Scotland, with the Scottish Care Commission, and in Northern Ireland, by a Health and Social Services Trust

Approved childcare includes:

• Nannies or au pairs
• Carers who are not legally required to register in order to care for children

Yes, you can register a new carer at any time – please allow time for us to contact them to confirm eligibility and bank account details and get them set up with care-4 before you can arrange payment.

• In England, all Approved carers must be certified to confirm that they’ve completed the Home Approval Scheme or are on the Voluntary Ofsted Register: www.ofsted.gov.uk
• In Wales, all Approved carers must be registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate
• In Northern Ireland, all Approved carers must be registered with the Health and Social Services Trust.
• In Scotland, there is no approval scheme – nannies provided through nanny agencies registered with the Scottish Care Commission are eligible.