NI Civil Service and Childcare VouchersNOTICE FOR STAFF SALARY SACRIFICE CHILDCARE VOUCHERS As you may be aware, the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) plans to introduce a new scheme to help staff with the costs of registered childcare. Under the proposed NICS Salary Sacrifice Childcare Voucher scheme, you will be able to give up, or “sacrifice”, part of your salary each month or each week and this amount will be used to buy childcare vouchers on your behalf. The amount of your salary that is given up in this way is not liable for income tax or National Insurance contributions. This means you could make savings of between £75 and £99 per month (or between £17 and £22 a week if you are paid weekly) in the costs of registered childcare. The new scheme will be operated through the payroll. Therefore its introduction has been linked to the implementation of the new payroll system as part of HRConnect. Work on the new payroll is now well advanced and, subject to final testing, plans are in place for the new payroll to operate from the end of October. We hope therefore that application forms to join the childcare voucher scheme can be made available soon.
The scheme will obviously not suit everyone and it is important that you understand how it will work before you decide to join. For example, you can only join the scheme if you use registered childcare. If you receive tax credits, receiving the childcare vouchers may affect your entitlement to these. We therefore want to provide as much information as possible to help you decide what to do before applications to join the scheme are invited.
The NICS has appointed an organisation called Employers for Childcare to deliver this scheme on its behalf. They have helped us to produce an Employee Guide which explains how the scheme will operate. You can access this guide in the following ways: - on the NICS intranet under NICS staff;
- the Employers for Childcare website and go to the NICS part of the site;
- By calling Employers for Childcare on 0800 028 3008;
- From your line manager, if you do not have access to a PC.
Employers for Childcare may also be able to help you with other queries such as the effect of the vouchers on tax credits. The forms referred to in the guide are not available at present as the scheme is not yet open for applications. When the scheme is ready to operate, further information will be provided to all staff, and all the necessary forms will be made available. 
DEREK BAKER Director of Personnel Central Personnel Group Find out more about childcare vouchers
|
