From autumn 2015 a new scheme for providing tax-free childcare to parents was set to be introduced. However, due to a legal challenge by some of the existing childcare voucher providers, this has now been put back until 2017.
This will be disappointing news for some, particularly employees whose employer does not offer access to the existing childcare vouchers scheme and for the self employed who are not eligible to join the current scheme.
Aside from tax, the government has also announced that during 2017, and maybe as early as 2016 in some cases, it will double free access to childcare for working parents. Currently, all children aged 3 or 4 are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week. The announcement will effectively double this entitlement to 30 hours per week, but only if both parents are working.