A SINGLE mum has revealed how the changes to universal credit in today’s Budget will be a “game-changer”.
In his Spring Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced that parents claiming Universal Credit will have their childcare costs paid for upfront.
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Mr Hunt said parents on Universal Credit receiving help with childcare costs will receive payments up front rather than having to owe the money in arrears.
This is also a win for The Sun which has been campaigning for the government to do this since December 2018.
The Sun’s Make Universal Credit Work campaign has been calling for childcare support to be paid upfront and remove barriers stopping parents from getting back to work.
Currently, parents on the benefit can claim back 85% of their childcare costs, but they have to pay upfront first.
It means mums are forced out of work as its not financially viable to stay in employment and have to fork out for childcare.
But from Summer 2023, that’ll no longer be the case, and it’s a win for struggling parents.
Single mum Destiny Walton, age 23, said that getting Universal Credit childcare payments upfront will be a “game-changer” and allow her to get back to work.
The mum to three-year-old Ceejay says she’s had to turn down several jobs in recent months because she wouldn’t be able to pay for childcare over the period before receiving her first pay cheque.
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Destiny, from Bournemouth, is eager to start earning again and get her career back on track but has been held back by childcare costs.
The former care worker is keen to find a job that will help her to become a nurse, but said it has been impossible because she would have to find £800 to cover nursery fees for her son Ceejay a month in advance.
She said: “This is going to be life-changing for me and my son – it’s the difference that will finally let me get back to work.
“I can’t wait to get my career back on track – I’ve missed doing a job that makes a difference and being able to set an example for my son.
“It’s overwhelming – I want to start working as soon as possible.”
Destiny currently gets 15 hours of free nursery hours for Ceejay, which she takes as five hours three days a week.
She hasn’t been able to find a job that fits around those hours taking into account the time it would take to travel between Ceejay’s nursery and work.
Getting £800 upfront would allow her to pay for a full-time childcare until her new salary kicks in and she can start paying for the extra hours.
Spring Budget at a glance
I’m “totally gutted” about the change
However, mum-of-two Jordan Eley is “totally gutted” that the free childcare hours for two-year-olds won’t come in until April 2024.
Mr Hunt announced some parents with children aged nine months to two-years-old will receive free childcare.
The help will only be offered to households where all adults are working at least 16 hours and won’t come in until well into next year.
It means that Jordan, 38, and her husband, Richard, 41, face another year of struggling to pay their £750-a-month childcare bill for their two sons, which is higher than their mortgage.
She said: “I felt really upset when I heard the news that we wouldn’t get more help for another year.
“It’s a massive anxiety covering the costs and we’ve already made all the cutbacks that we can”
The couple, who run a dog training centre together, have two sons, James, four, and Alfie, 20 months, in childcare four days per week.
Jordan and Richard both work six days a week for their business Houndshooves.com in Dorset, taking it in turns to juggle childcare and running the centre on alternate days at the weekend.
Although James qualifies for 30 free hours, this doesn’t cover all his costs as it’s only in term-time and Alfie doesn’t get any free hours yet.
If the changes came in straight away Jordan and Richard would save £3,135 a year on childcare costs for Alfie.
But because the 15 hours free care won’t be extended to two-year olds until April 2024, the family will still have to fork out these costs for the next year.
From next April they’ll be £261 a month better off than they are under the current rules.
But as Alfie would be due to get that help from September 2024 anyway, the family will only benefit from the changes for five months.
Overall they’ll save £1,305 over this time, but will have to struggle on for the next year trying to cover their costs and juggle work schedules.
“We’ve made all the swaps that we can at the supermarket but the price of food keeps going up.
She added: “We’ve got no disposable income and we barely ever have time off together as a family, because we’re trying to keep the business running round the clock.”
What else did the Chancellor announce for parents?
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt revealed seven changes today as part of his Spring Budget.
- the number of kids per staff member in nurseries will rise from four to five, but the changes will be optional
- nurseries will receive more funding
- parents on Universal Credit will have childcare costs paid by the government up front
- the maximum amount families on Universal Credit can claim for childcare will be increased by hundreds of pounds
- people who take a childminder job will receive £600 while agency workers who take a childminder job will receive £1,200 as part of a pilot scheme
- schools will receive more funding to provide wraparound childcare
- 30 hours free childcare will be extended to parents with children aged between nine months and two years old
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