| answer text |
<p>The Government is committed to supporting parents with moving into work, and as
part of this we have increased the level of support for childcare costs from 70% in
legacy benefits to up to 85% in Universal Credit. This means that working families
claiming Universal Credit can reclaim up to 85% of their eligible childcare costs
each month up to £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children. The
Universal Credit childcare policy aligns with the wider government childcare offer,
which includes free childcare hours and tax free childcare. This offer means that
reasonable childcare costs should not form a barrier to work.</p><p> </p><p>Where
upfront childcare costs or deposits may prevent a claimant from starting work, jobcentres
have been instructed to use the Flexible Support Fund to support the transition into
work. When parents have good reason for late reporting of their childcare costs, the
Department is piloting a more flexible approach to enable parents to be reimbursed
at a later point.</p>
|
|
