shortish time no questions to ponder fellow benefit advisers but...our money adviser has a client who receives 32 hours worth of childcare costs per week but only actually works for 18 hours. can a client receive childcare costs for when they are not actually in work,answer on a postcard to the usual address and as ever all responses gratefully appreciated.

thanx !

It amazes me the money adviser could see the client was getting 32 hours worth of child care costs a week as you only get a percentage of the costs not the full amount. I've just had an inspirational thought. Perhaps the person has more than one child being minded.

my mistake ... oooops ! client only gets 70% of childcare costs and is definitely only receiving childcare costs for one child. we doubt very much that a person can receive childcare costs for hours that she doesn't work but it would appear that's what's happening...

laters

My understanding of this is that if a person is working for 16 hours or more and has childcare costs the weekly childcare costs are taken into account subject to usual limits and being authorised etc but there is no matching of childcare hours with working hours. In some cases people will have no choice eg the provision may insist that a full-time place is paid for even if the parent only wants to use it for some of the time. This is different to JC+ assistance with childcare costs where people are on training in which case they do pro rata what they will pay against number of days childcare is needed.

cheers. got the answer but your reply confirms what we had thought.
bonkers man !