Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to get Parents'
Learning Allowance, Childcare Grant or Tax Credits. Please read the
following guide carefully.
This information is for academic year 2012/13 - courses
which start before 1 September 2013.
2013/14 Childcare information
Summary
- Parents' Learning Allowance - help towards
learning costs. Apply on the main student finance application form.
If you missed this, complete a Dependants grant form.
- Childcare Grant - help with childcare costs
if you use an OFSTED-approved provider. Apply using a CCG1 form.
After 21 October 2012, you need to send in a CCG2 form as
well.
- Confirm your childcare costs - we issue
a CCG2 for you to confirm your costs.
- Working Tax Credit and Child Tax
Credit - money from the government to support people with
children.
- Evidence you need to send when you
apply for Childcare Grant or Parents' Learning Allowance.
- Paying back Childcare Grant and Parents'
Learning Allowance - in most cases, grants and allowances don't
need to be paid back but there are some exceptions.
1. Parents'
Learning Allowance
Parents' Learning Allowance helps towards your course costs,
such as books, materials and travel. If eligible, you could get
between £50 and £1,508 for 2012/13 depending on your household
income.
You can apply for Parents' Learning Allowance when you reapply
for student finance.
2. Childcare Grant
Childcare Grant could cover as much as 85 per cent of your
childcare costs during term time and holidays. If you're eligible,
the amount you may get will depend on:
- your household income
- the cost of your childcare
- the number of children you have
This could be up to £148.75 per week if you have one child or up
to £255 per week if you have two or more children.
2.1 Types of childcare that qualify
If you're living and studying in England, you can apply for
Childcare Grant if you use childcare that is registered or approved
with OFSTED.
2.2 CCG1 form - for your estimated childcare cost
You can apply for Childcare Grant by completing a Childcare
Grant application form (CCG1).You send in a CCG1 every year.
If you state on your student finance application that you want
to apply for Childcare Grant we'll send you a copy of the form. You
can also download the copy below.
Fill in the CCG1 form with details about your:
- children
- childcare providers and
- estimated costs
- for academic year 2012/13.
Childcare Grant form (CCG1)
You must include:
- evidence of your child dependants
- if you apply after your course start date you may need to send
us a CCG2 form as well - see 3.1 below
3. Confirm your childcare
costs - CCG2 form
3.1 When you need a CCG2
We ask for evidence of your childcare costs in three periods
during the academic year.
Usually we'll send you a CCG2 through the post to complete and
return.
3.2 Applying for Childcare Grant after your course has
started
See the table below for the Childcare Grant periods, based on
when your course starts.
If you send us your CCG1 form after a period has ended you also
need to complete and return the CCG2 form with your actual
childcare costs covering the last period(s).
If we don't receive the CCG2 completed with actual costs we
won't be able to pay you your childcare entitlement.
Childcare grant periods
|
Course start
|
September (1 Sep 2012 - 31 Dec 2012)
|
January (1 Jan 2013 - 31 Mar 2013)
|
|
Period 1
|
1 Sep 2012 - 21 Oct 2012
|
1 Jan 2013 - 3 Mar 2013
|
|
Period 2
|
22 Oct 2012 - 20 Jan 2013
|
4 Mar 2013 - 2 Jun 2013
|
|
Period 3
|
21 Jan 2013 - 31 Aug 2013
|
3 Jun 2013 - 31 Dec 2013
|
Example
If you started on 30 September 2012 but you didn't send in your
CCG1 until after 21 October 2012, you would need to include a
CCG2.
3.3 If your course doesn't start in September or
January
If your course doesn't start in September or January, please
complete any actual costs on the form up until the date you are
making your application for Childcare Grant.
3.4 Download a CCG2 form
We need accurate weekly values for what you
paid for childcare.
Please make sure that your forms are signed and dated by your
childcare provider(s).
If you didn't complete the 'Your family' section of the online
application, you also need to complete and send in an Application for dependants
grant form (PDF).
4.
Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit
You can claim Child Tax Credit if you have children. Working
students can also claim Working Tax Credit.
If you claim the childcare element of Working Tax Credit you
can't also claim the Childcare Grant, however you can choose to
change if required.
We'll ask you to send us evidence you've stopped claiming the
childcare element of working tax credits.
5. Evidence - if you're
claiming for a new child or applying for the first time
If you applied for Childcare Grant and Parents' Learning
Allowance last year we don't need evidence again.
Send us the following evidence if:
- you're applying for the first time; or
- you have a new child and will be paying for OFTSED-registered
childcare while you study
5.1 Evidence of your child dependants
Send in one of the following:
- Original Birth Certificate for each child
- Original Certificate of Naturalisation for each child
- Original Home Office Documentation confirming your children's
names and date of births
5.2 Proof your children are dependant on you
Send in one of the following:
- Copy of your most recent Tax Credits Award Notice naming ALL
your children
- Copy of all pages of your most recent Child Benefit Letter
naming ALL children
5.3 Financial commitments - if these have changed since last
year
If you're a returning student you will only need to send us
evidence of new financial commitments that we
havn't previously used in your assessment for dependants' grants.
The evidence must show that you were paying this financial
commitment prior to the start of your course.
Financial commitments include:
- mortgage
- rent
- home insurance
- medical insurance
- council tax
- life insurance
- mortgage endowments
- any other financial commitment you would like us to
consider
You need to send in evidence of these clearly showingyou were
paying them prior to the start of your course.
This may include the following:
- annual statements
- bank statements
- receipts
- credit agreement documentation
If you submit bank statements, you may need to write on the
statement making clear what the payment is for
For example - if the only printed details of a rent payment are
the person's name, you should write on the bank statement that this
was for rent.
6. Paying back
Childcare Grant and Parents' Learning Allowance
Childcare Grant
Usually this form of financial help doesn't have to be paid
back.
However, if your actual child care costs are lower than the
money we paid out, we will usually reduce the amount you get in the
next academic year. We recommend you keep us informed of any
changes in your child care costs.
Confirmation
of income for dependants grants
Parents' Learning Allowance
If you're a single parent you won't normally have to pay this
back.
If you're over 25 and living with a partner or married we'll
write to you to confirm your childcare costs at the end of your
academic year.
Confirmation
of income for dependants grants
If there's a difference in what you originally estimated to what
we paid out, we may pay less out for the next year of your course.
If you've finished your course we may ask you to pay the difference
back.