By Shaurya Shaurya

Copyright walesonline

Parents in Wales are being reminded not to miss out on childcare support worth thousands of pounds after a county found up to 1,000 children may be missing out on crucial support. It becomes especially important as childcare costs in Wales have soared to be the highest across the UK. The latest warning to avail the support available comes after childcare providers in Wales said they would have to close under the funding model imposed by the Welsh Government. Money guru Martin Lewis also revealed that 800,000 parents might be eligible for tax-free childcare and many might be unaware of the potential savings. As it stands parents in Wales stand to benefit from a list of Welsh Government and UK Government schemes that might help them get some relief amidst rising costs. We’ve detailed these below. Parents might be eligible for £500 payment every three months or up to £2,000 annually for each of their children as support towards childcare costs. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here. This payment can increase up to £1,000 every three months or up to £4,000 annually if your child is disabled. You can receive tax free childcare along with the 30 hours of free childcare via Free Childcare for Working Parents if you qualify for both. If you receive tax-free childcare you will need to set up an online childcare account for your ward and for every £8 you pay into the account, the government will pay in £2 for paying your provider. Tax-free childcare can be used for paying approved childcare including childminders, nurseries, nannies, after- school clubs, and play schemes. Eligibility for tax-free childcare depends on: If you are working you can get tax-free childcare if you and your partner (if you have one) are: If you are out of work you might still be eligible for tax-free childcare if your partner is working and you are a recipient of any of the following: You can apply for tax-free childcare if you are starting or re-starting work within one month of the start of the term. Terms begin at the first day of September, January, and April, which means you need to go back to work by the end of September, January, or April. Additionally, over the next three months, you or your partner (if you have one) must each expect to earn: To be eligible your child must be 11 or under and usually live with you. A child stops being eligible on the September 1 after their 11th birthday. More details on eligibility can be found on the GOV.UK website here. You will be able to apply for tax-free childcare online by following the instructions on the GOV.UK website here . The process takes around 20 minutes to complete. Parents or guardians of children aged three and four are able to apply for childcare and early education hours up to 30 hours a week. These 30 hours consist of: The amount a parent can receive will depend on the early education hours their local authority offers and these will need to be applied for separately. You can find out how many early education hours you can apply for here. However parents and guardians must note that they cannot swap early education hours for childcare hours and vice versa. The funded childcare hours can be used at any time during holiday weeks, night or day, including at weekends and a parent will be able to choose how much of the 30 hours they can use for up to 48 weeks of the year. However if parents do not use all of the 30 hours in a week they won’t be able to use them in another week. More details are available on the Welsh Government website here. To be eligible for the Childcare Offer Wales you must reside in Wales and each parent’s gross income cannot be larger than £100,000 annually. Your gross income is the total income before any deductions including but limited to pension contributions, health insurance, salary sacrifice schemes, annual bonuses, or dividends are made. Additionally you must be one of the following: For your child to be eligible during term time and school holidays they must be one of the following: If your child is aged three or four, and is eligible for full-time education, you will not receive the childcare offer during term time but might still be eligible for the childcare offer during school holidays. You can check if your child is eligible for the Childcare Offer for Wales by clicking here . To apply for the scheme you will need proof of: You can apply for the scheme online by clicking here but you will need to know the following before applying: More details are available on the Welsh Government website here. The Flying Start programme supports families with children aged four or less in disadvantaged areas of Wales. The help that is available includes: You will need to get in touch with your local Family Information Service to find out if you live in a Flying Start area and what support is available. Parents are typically informed about their eligibility for all four core elements of the Flying Start programme during their antenatal care. Health visitors and local Flying Start teams also reach out to families to provide information. The approach to communicating the phased expansion of Flying Start childcare varies across each local authority so it’s recommended that you get in touch with your local authority for assistance. Families who become eligible for the Flying Start childcare element during the expansion will need to adhere to their local authority’s registration procedure. To check your eligibility for both the Flying Start programme and Flying Start childcare contact details for your local authority team can be found at the Family Information Service. You can find your local Family Information Service by clicking here.