Hi,

I (and my wife) applied for the 30 hours free childcare through the gov.uk website last year. I have been renewing/reconfirming the application details on the website every 3 months, as required. Last reconfirmation was in mid-January, but a couple of days ago, the HMRC have written to me saying the following:

"Unfortunately, our checks have shown that you're no longer eligible for 30 hours free childcare for xxxxx because:

• from the evidence we hold we have decided that you didn't have a reasonable expectation of your partner earning at least é ú1555.72 (no idea what the symbols mean!) between 15 January 2018 and 16 April 2018

However, you may still be able to access 30 hours free childcare for a short period, known as a grace period. You can check what your grace period arrangements are with your childcare provider.

You can still access the 15 hour universal early education entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds.

For information on eligibility, go to http://www.childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk.

What happens next

Your childcare provider and local authority will be told that you no longer meet the requirements for 30 hours free childcare for xxxxx.

If you don't agree with our decision

Check the details you entered on your application are correct, you can do this in your childcare service account. If you entered the wrong information, and still want to apply for 30 hours free childcare, you can make a new application.

However, if the information on your application was correct, and you've checked you meet the eligibility criteria, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again by requesting a Mandatory Review.

You'll need to do this in writing within 30 days, and include:

• your name, address and child's full name

• reasons why you think our decision is wrong

• the words 'Mandatory Review' in the title of your letter

Send your letter to: The childcare service, HMRC, BX9 1GR

We may ask you to supply original copies of evidence to support your Mandatory Review. If your Mandatory Review is rejected, you have the right of appeal to a tribunal.

If your circumstances change

Go to http://www.childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk to reapply for 30 hours free childcare.

Yours sincerely

Childcare service team"

I do not understand what has happened suddenly for them to reject it. My wife started working a contract job (by setting up her limited company) in November 2017. In the reconfirmation form on gov.uk, I have given her job as "Director of Own company", which if I remember correctly was from a drop-down list.

Does anyone have an idea why this could be happening? Oh, and she earns more than £120 per week in her job and less than £100,000 per year.

I’m having the exact same problem! Husband company director of newly formed ltd company in 18/19 tax year, self assessment not yet done, but they are still basing earnings on that of him being a sole trader and his return for 17/18.

Hello and welcome to CAG.

You need to start a new thread of your own please, this one is for advising bitemarx.

Best,

HB

Government website Childcare Choices will help you with information about options and eligibility.

If you receive any Government letter which says you are not eligible, which seems to be based on wrong or incomplete information, then you need to respond as the letter tells you to do.  

From what I have seen, so many issues are caused by Government not having received the employment earnings information needed to assess ongoing entitlement. Where this is the issue, they have no choice but to say you are not eligible, until you prove that you are eligible.

Hi, we are in a similar situation and Mandatory Review has been rejected as well.

What was the outcome and did you manage to sort it?

Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

On 09/03/2019 at 05:51, Abia said:

I’m having the exact same problem! Husband company director of newly formed ltd company in 18/19 tax year, self assessment not yet done, but they are still basing earnings on that of him being a sole trader and his return for 17/18.

Any luck?

We’ve now done payroll and p60 for 18/19 tax year based on basic salary to NI threshold. This has now been accepted and funding reinstated once I had reapplied, they have said they will need to see evidence each quarter of earnings, so have agreed with Accountant that payroll will be run once a quarter, which will provide HMRC with the evidence they need on a quarterly basis.

Hope  this helps