I’ve heard I can save money with Childcare Vouchers, what are they exactly? 
The Childcare Voucher scheme (which is different to Child Tax Credits) is run through your employer and can save you a significant amount on your registered childcare costs. You simply exchange part of your salary each month for the same value in Childcare Vouchers. The value of the Vouchers is deducted before you pay tax and National Insurance on your wages, saving you money. This is called a ‘salary sacrifice’ arrangement.

How much money would I be saving by joining?
Childcare Vouchers are £243 per month. As this is taken on your pre-tax income, you save money. In simple terms, for a basic rate taxpayer, for every £100 you exchange from your salary, you get around £130 worth of Childcare Vouchers. If you requested the full £243 each month, you would make a saving of £904 per year. Higher rate taxpayers can benefit from even greater savings – up to £1,196 per year. Both working parents or legal guardians can request Childcare Vouchers too, so in a lot of cases the savings can be even more. Use the savings calculator at www.busybeesvouchers.com to see how much you could save.

Sounds great, what do I do next then?
Find out if your employer runs a Childcare Voucher scheme. If they do, it will be a case of registering with the Childcare Voucher provider and letting them know how many vouchers you want to request per month. If your employer doesn’t run a Childcare Voucher scheme, it is always worth approaching them to ask them to consider it. Busy Bees Childcare Vouchers is the UK’s largest dedicated provider of Childcare Vouchers – they’d be able to provide you with information to give to your employer, or they could even get in touch with them to discuss the benefits on your behalf.