Parents on JSS or SEISS to remain eligible for childcare support

27 October: Parents whose salaries are being partially paid by the new coronavirus support schemes will continue to be eligible for 30 hours free and tax-free childcare support even if their income falls below the minimum threshold requirement.

The UK government has further extended eligibility for its existing childcare schemes which provide 30 hours of free childcare and tax-free childcare.

The minimum income threshold to access these schemes is usually equal to 16 hours per week at the national minimum wage. In May 2020, in response to the challenges faced by working parents during the pandemic, the government announced that those who were previously eligible, but whose income dropped temporarily as a direct result of the pandemic, could continue to access the support.

The government has now confirmed that from 1 November, eligible working parents who receive support through the new Job Support Scheme (JSS) and extended Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue to receive their childcare entitlements  even if their income levels fall below the threshold temporarily while on these schemes.

The JSS and extension to SEISS have been launched to replace the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which ends on 31 October.