Sign in to your childcare provider account for Tax-Free Childcare
Sign in, manage and use your online account to receive payments from parents.
There’s a different way to sign in to Tax-Free childcare if you’re a parent.
You must sign up to Tax-Free Childcare before you can receive payments from parents using Tax-Free Childcare.
Sign in to your account
You’ll need your 11-digit user ID and password. You can find the user ID on your sign up to Tax-Free Childcare registration letter.
If you did not receive a letter or have lost your user ID contact the Childcare Service helpline.
Online services may be slow during busy times. Check if there are any problems with this service.
Receiving payments from parents
Parents can find your details through their childcare account by searching for either your:
- name
- address
- postcode
- regulator reference
If your details are held by your regulator, you ‘ll need to let parents know they can search for you by using both your regulator reference and postcode.
Once the parent makes a payment to you from their childcare account for an amount:
- up to and including £2000, it should show in your bank account within 24 hours, depending on your bank
- £2001 or more, it may take 3 to 5 working days to show in your bank
Matching payments to a child
On your bank statement, each payment will include a unique child reference made up of:
- 4 letters — the first letter of the child’s name and the first 3 letters of the child’s surname
- 5 numbers, followed by ‘TFC’
For example, ‘AJON12345TFC’.
You’ll need to ask the parent for this reference before they pay you.
Refunding payments
If you need to refund a payment back to a parent, you must pay the money:
- from the bank account that received the original payment
- back to the childcare account that the original payment came from
You’ll need to ask the parent for their unique 13-digit childcare account number beginning with ‘1100’. You must include their childcare account number when making a refund.
If you cannot get this information from the parent, contact the Childcare Service helpline.
How to make a refund
You’ll need to refund the parent through your childcare business bank account using the:
- account name — Tax Free Childcare
- account number — 10027165
- sort code — 60 89 71
- reference — parents unique 13-digit childcare account number
You must select ‘business account’ during the refund process.
How long will a refund take
If you make a refund by:
- Bacs (Bankers Automated Clearing System) this will take up to 3 to 5 working days
- Faster Payment this will take up to 24 hours
You cannot give a refund to parents using CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System) or by cheque.
Managing your account
Keeping your details up to date
You should keep your bank account details up to date in your childcare provider account, as this is where all payments from parents will be sent.
If you want to change your address, email address or main contact on your account, you must tell your regulator. Once the changes have been made, your childcare account will update automatically with the new details.
Nominating a delegate
You can ask someone else to manage your childcare provider account for you. This is known as nominating a delegate.
When you’re signed into your childcare provider account you can use the ‘delegate’ option to add another person to manage your account for you.
Your nominated delegate must be someone who works with you or in your local office. They must have access to your childcare provider account.
To give this person access, you’ll need their:
- name
- address
- email address
We will send them a delegate letter explaining their responsibilities.
Updates to this page
Last updated 21 October 2024 + show all updates
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Welsh translation added.
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Information on where to find your user ID has been added. We have updated information about receiving payments from parent, refunding a payments, and nominating a delegate.
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First published.