National Childcare Scheme

peteb2 · 27-11-2019 4:36pm #1

or whatever its called! The yellow yolk with the bee!!

I haven't a clue which application to fill, the universal or the income assesment. The universal seems to mentioned "child" where the income assessment is "children".

I have two kids. One is 3 in January so no ECCE until September. And the other is 6. 7 in February.
The 2 year old is 3 days in creche from next month, and the 6 year old 3 days in before-and-afterschool care.

Anyone know what I should be doing??? I just cant get my head around it. Never made sense to me from day one in the budget!!

Neyite · 27-11-2019 6:28pm

It's such a pain in the hoop.

So...in order to get on the NSC, which replaces the ECCE, you need to have a myGovID. To get that you need a PSC which requires a PPSN. To get that you need to go into the SW office with a utility bill showing your address, and a photo ID. To do that you likely need to take time off work, like I did. You'll answer a load of questions and then they send you the PSC card in the post.

Then you can go back to the website with your new PSC card, remember your MyGovID and fill out the rest of the questions. I think. I'm at the point where I'm still awaiting the psc card. If you are lucky and do all that, then they give you a CHICK code which you give to your childcare provider to get this fabled subsidy.

Not confusing at all for parents right? :rolleyes:

I'll eat my own hat if childcare providers don't just absorb this subsidy into their overheads /profits and the cash reduction in what we pay turns out to be actually significant.

You can tell I'm not a fan of the process

jaja321 · 27-11-2019 9:26pm

To be eligible for the income assessed one you have to have a reckonable household income of less than 60k. There's a calculator on the site which helps you calculate. You need to input take home salary info, multiple child discount, any state benefits that qualify (there's a list somewhere on the site) and contributions to private pension. If it calculates less than 60k then you are eligible for the income assessed scheme..You may need to provide proof .. if not you apply for the universal. It's a nightmare!

shesty · 28-11-2019 1:11pm

Note (I have said it here before) that my OH was told if he had a new drivers licence, the info from that could be used to create a new public services card for you. It worked fine for him, the PSC card arrived in the post with no visit needed to their offices.
As to the rest of it, it sounds overly bureaucratic.Personally I am assuming I won't be eligible (because I never am for anything, regardless of the fact that I am not exactly minted) so I am not bothering.(also your childcare provider has to be registered with tusla, right?)

peteb2 · 28-11-2019 1:37pm

My wife has the PSC card, and i sent her in to get her phone number verified.....which i personally think is ridiculous.

Neyite · 28-11-2019 1:46pm

peteb2 wrote: »

My wife has the PSC card, and i sent her in to get her phone number verified.....which i personally think is ridiculous.

It is. It's a stealth way of forcing people to get the PSC card which the Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon has said has no basis in law. The PSC card should not be used for anything other than welfare services. Obtaining a driver licence or applying for a childcare subsidy are not social welfare services.

It's a way of steering us towards that national id card they tried to bring in some years ago.

WhestCork2018 · 28-11-2019 2:24pm

And Ta Dah, back in September our Creche fees magically increased to the exact amount we had worked out we would receive off the fees, so in hindsight we will receive nothing (the universal amount)! They done the same thing the last time we were to receive some help a year or possible two ago! Can we do anything about this or just grin and bare it?

Anne_cordelia · 28-11-2019 5:01pm

Neyite wrote: »

It's such a pain in the hoop.

So...in order to get on the NSC, which replaces the ECCE,s out to

You can tell I'm not a fan of the process

The NCS does not replace the ECCE scheme. It replaces the other childcare subsidies but does not affect ECCE.

neris · 28-11-2019 6:29pm

Most creches are private businesses and they have the same overheads as any other business. There are costs that the govt & its agencies control that they could slash or cut for early years providers but they dont and they dont incentivise landlords to offer reduced rents to providers or create more space. The NCS is going to add to further to the work load of providers. In this day & age providers arent increasing fees to fleece parents their doing it to try and stay open and keep good staff in jobs

WhestCork2018 wrote: »

And Ta Dah, back in September our Creche fees magically increased to the exact amount we had worked out we would receive off the fees, so in hindsight we will receive nothing (the universal amount)! They done the same thing the last time we were to receive some help a year or possible two ago! Can we do anything about this or just grin and bare it?

fits · 28-11-2019 6:37pm

Anne_cordelia wrote: »

The NCS does not replace the ECCE scheme. It replaces the other childcare subsidies but does not affect ECCE.

I had a shock I read that. Thanks!

John Mason · 29-11-2019 4:16pm

Very few childcare facilities have signed up to this scheme, so if you are entitled to receive a grant - you will be hard pushed to find a facility who will accept it.

Its a farce

OrlaFS2017 · 29-11-2019 8:33pm

Do you still need to go through the scheme for the universal? We don’t qualify for any subsidy under the new scheme.

jaja321 wrote: »

To be eligible for the income assessed one you have to have a reckonable household income of less than 60k. There's a calculator on the site which helps you calculate. You need to input take home salary info, multiple child discount, any state benefits that qualify (there's a list somewhere on the site) and contributions to private pension. If it calculates less than 60k then you are eligible for the income assessed scheme..You may need to provide proof .. if not you apply for the universal. It's a nightmare!

peteb2 · 01-12-2019 9:22am

So the calculator says we should be entitled to 177 a week. On that logic it covers my entire crÃ¨che bill for one child for the month?? How is that right ??

naturalgems18 · 02-12-2019 9:37am

peteb2 wrote: »

So the calculator says we should be entitled to 177 a week. On that logic it covers my entire crèche bill for one child for the month?? How is that right ??

Are you using your annual net income when calculating?

peteb2 · 02-12-2019 10:19am

naturalgems18 wrote: »

Are you using your annual net income when calculating?

**** **** ****. no i used monthly for some reason!! that explains it!!

jaja321 · 02-12-2019 10:51am

OrlaFS2017 wrote: »

Do you still need to go through the scheme for the universal? We don’t qualify for any subsidy under the new scheme.

Yep. Our creche used to apply on our behalf under the old scheme, but now parents must apply.

naturalgems18 · 02-12-2019 10:53am

peteb2 wrote: »

**** **** ****. no i used monthly for some reason!! that explains it!!

Easily done, I did the same thing!! So it sounded familiar

Iamhere · 04-12-2019 8:29pm

Has anyone managed to get an income accessed award yet?

John Mason · 05-12-2019 4:14pm

peteb2 wrote: »

**** **** ****. no i used monthly for some reason!! that explains it!!

I done the same thing. Thought i was quids in but nope when I put the net figures in - i am entitled to a big fat zero

There's a surprise :rolleyes:

Neyite · 05-12-2019 4:58pm

John Mason wrote: »

I done the same thing. Thought i was quids in but nope when I put the net figures in - i am entitled to a big fat zero

There's a surprise :rolleyes:

I suspect we will be too. Not that we earn loads, far from it. But it will be very interesting to see who actually does get something out of this scheme and if it actually does benefit working parents at all.

peteb2 · 05-12-2019 5:15pm

Well it told me i was entitled to €100 or so a month as opposed to the €177 a week i had earlier thought!!

frash · 06-12-2019 11:28am

My childcare provider told us there's no point in applying as we're getting the same amount in the CCSP (Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Programme)

Anyone know anything about this?

jaja321 · 06-12-2019 11:42am

frash wrote: »

My childcare provider told us there's no point in applying as we're getting the same amount in the CCSP (Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Programme)

Anyone know anything about this?

Our provider gave us a choice - as what we will get is the same i.e the universal payment of Euro80. We applied anyway, but essentially there is zero difference as we were getting Euro80 a month under the other scheme. Its really only advantageous to those who will get something under the income assessed scheme.

frash · 06-12-2019 11:48am

jaja321 wrote: »

Our provider gave us a choice - as what we will get is the same i.e the universal payment of Euro80. We applied anyway, but essentially there is zero difference as we were getting Euro80 a month under the other scheme. Its really only advantageous to those who will get something under the income assessed scheme.

Thanks for confirming

LCARDEN · 06-12-2019 3:53pm

Has anyone had any luck with their income assessed application yet? I must have been one of the first applicants and not a word yet

Neyite · 06-12-2019 5:15pm

I completed mine online today. when did you put yours in?

Iamhere · 06-12-2019 6:41pm

LCARDEN wrote: »

Has anyone had any luck with their income assessed application yet? I must have been one of the first applicants and not a word yet

No word, I submitted on November 19! Cannot get any sort of update. I say we are being left til last

LCARDEN · 07-12-2019 1:16am

Iamhere wrote: »

No word, I submitted on November 19! Cannot get any sort of update. I say we are being left til last

I got mine in on the 19th too. Very frustrating seeing as we were led to think it would be a matter of days

Iamhere · 07-12-2019 7:42am

LCARDEN wrote: »

I got mine in on the 19th too. Very frustrating seeing as we were led to think it would be a matter of days

From what I have seen, it's universal only applications first, then income based working off last tax year next.

My wife went part time this year so we went for assessment based on this tax year, I thought it would be first come first served assessment, but no!

Rang the helpline spoke to a helpful supervisor but their hand's are tied!

pc7 · 07-12-2019 7:49am

It’s an absolutely ridiculous scheme, no need for it to be so convoluted. They should have just done a tax credit system that people can get when doing a tax return based on what they paid for the year. Scale it based on earnings, eg under 20k 20%, 40k 15%, 60k 10% etc. revenue are good at what they do, have the systems and earnings would have saved a massive overhead to Creche’s who will just increase fees and may have actually helped working families.

Forthebuzz · 08-12-2019 12:05am

LCARDEN wrote: »

Has anyone had any luck with their income assessed application yet? I must have been one of the first applicants and not a word yet

My income assessed application was approved on the 27th. I applied the first day applications open

LCARDEN · 09-12-2019 12:57am

Forthebuzz wrote: »

My income assessed application was approved on the 27th. I applied the first day applications open

Hey thanks for replying. I got mine in the day before it was officially opened. Fast tracked it too. Self employed husband might be the reason for the go slow.

LCARDEN · 11-12-2019 4:03pm

My application was completed today. Took 3 weeks...updating for people that might be searching the topic

Dravokivich · 11-12-2019 5:28pm

pardon my ignorance, but the only information I can find on this is marketing speil, with nothing stating what it actually is. I'm trying to understand if I can apply for it, but can't get onto their website! What exactly is this? Would I be able to use it, with a kid in school, who goes to creche for after school?

pc7 · 11-12-2019 6:40pm

Dravokivich wrote: »

pardon my ignorance, but the only information I can find on this is marketing speil, with nothing stating what it actually is. I'm trying to understand if I can apply for it, but can't get onto their website! What exactly is this? Would I be able to use it, with a kid in school, who goes to creche for after school?

Yes that’s considered wrap around care

This might help https://ncs.gov.ie/en/faqs/

Neyite · 12-12-2019 12:35am

Yes, my understanding is that there's two schemes. Universal and income assessed. I -think- that if you are already on social welfare you potentially qualify for universal. If you earn under 60k net as a household then you can apply for income assessed.
We both work so we've gone for income assessed but it remains to be seen what kind of discount, if any, we get.

Iamhere · 13-12-2019 7:11pm

Still no update on mine, it sounds like they don't know what is wrong with it, like it's stuck in the system!

DaisysB · 20-12-2019 11:31am

Hi, curious if anyone is still waiting on income assessed application? Mine is in for three weeks and no sign of it being processed. The helpdesk cant offer any timelines.
I've been told the payment only starts from the date the creche inputs the CHICK number. So it will be another couple of weeks at this stage. Anyone else frustrated with the wait?

Iamhere · 21-12-2019 8:46am

Submitted my application on 19/11 finally got an update and decision yesterday.

The lack of updates is very frustrating, the staff at the help desk try their best but don't seem to get any information in terms of timelines

The IT system is not fit for purpose, and emailing the NCS is a waste of time.

LegacyUser · 27-12-2019 6:30pm

Mine was finally awarded from the 23rd December even though I applied the 19th November. I queried why it wasn't backdated (we chose fast track, two PAYE incomes, nothing additional to declare) and was told that it is applied from the Monday after it's approved. Seems very unfair. I know people who were approved 3 weeks before me despite applying after me.

DaisysB · 29-12-2019 2:33pm

Thanks for the replies, mine was income assessed & took 3 weeks to be processed,plus additional week to start. Thanks for the explanation, saves me a pointless call to the NCS helpsesk.
I had become afraid that it would be a lot longer. Least it’s done now.
It’s a shame to lose so many weeks payment after it was delayed from October to November too. Adding the extra week to the approval date is just outright annoying.
Still, I am glad of the payment, i won’t be turning it down!

TheValeyard · 31-12-2019 3:55pm

Holy fcuk, dealing with this crowd has been an absolute nightmare.

The amount of time you spend on hold because the computers are trying to load a page of details is shocking.
The fact they wont let both parents deal with the issue is crazy, even if you authorise it.
While some of the team are very helpful, others seem to be completely clueless on whats you are actually asking them.

edit: so frustrating and have many more issues with a phone call just now, i need to walk away and get a coffee.

ApolloDance · 05-01-2020 2:52pm

I applied for income accessed on the 29th of Nov and still waiting, coming up into the 6th week now. They can’t give me a timeline and meanwhile I’m paying for creche every week. Frustratingly my income is low enough that I’m entitled to the full award so really can’t afford to be paying out while they take their time. Keep being told ‘you should have fast tracked ‘ which I can’t do as I only returned from living abroad midway through last year so there isn’t tax records for me. Very frustrating.

youandme13 · 05-01-2020 11:10pm

ApolloDance wrote: »

I applied for income accessed on the 29th of Nov and still waiting, coming up into the 6th week now. They can’t give me a timeline and meanwhile I’m paying for creche every week. Frustratingly my income is low enough that I’m entitled to the full award so really can’t afford to be paying out while they take their time. Keep being told ‘you should have fast tracked ‘ which I can’t do as I only returned from living abroad midway through last year so there isn’t tax records for me. Very frustrating.

I'm the same applied on the day it opened and still haven't got an answer. I'm on 22,5k full time so an eligible for it and still paying full fees while waiting

LegacyUser · 06-01-2020 4:31pm

Does anyone else feel their income based award is incorrect??
The award I got was much lower that what the assessment calculator indicated (note..I definitely inputted the correct info)
I am demented from calling them and trying to get an answer or explanation from them. They were due to call me back after I called them before xmas but they never called me. Have called them twice today and their systems are down and no one is able to assist me at all.

Neyite · 10-01-2020 1:07pm

After all the hoops, we don't qualify for a penny. I had a feeling about that, and mainly wanted the small locally run creche to get any funding they were entitled to even if I saw no difference in my monthly bill but it's very unclear on the website how it's calculated.

I think it's a way of foisting the PSC card (which is essentially the National ID card by any other name) onto people. With Revenue now rolling out an online service I can see them pushing you to get the PSC card in order to access your tax services. So they have cornered everyone in receipt of social welfare benefits by making their income dependent on having one. They are now targeting parents who work to get one, and if Revenue make having a PSC ID a requirement to access your tax services then they'll catch the working non-parents too.

peteb2 · 10-01-2020 1:13pm

Neyite wrote: »

After all the hoops, we don't qualify for a penny. I had a feeling about that, and mainly wanted the small locally run creche to get any funding they were entitled to even if I saw no difference in my monthly bill but it's very unclear on the website how it's calculated.

I think it's a way of foisting the PSC card (which is essentially the National ID card by any other name) onto people. With Revenue now rolling out an online service I can see them pushing you to get the PSC card in order to access your tax services. So they have cornered everyone in receipt of social welfare benefits by making their income dependent on having one. They are now targeting parents who work to get one, and if Revenue make having a PSC ID a requirement to access your tax services then they'll catch the working non-parents too.

I don't disagree on some points but its a bit tin foil hattish isn't it?
The PSC card has effectively been outlawed. Data Protection Commissioner came out against it and it can't be enforced for anything beyond Dept of Social Protection.
you dont need it to access Revenue services. And they can't make it compulsory for anything beyond its initial need at this point. They tried to make it mandatory for drivers licences and passports and that's all gone by the wayside now.

wiggle16 · 12-01-2020 1:27am

Neyite wrote: »

After all the hoops, we don't qualify for a penny. I had a feeling about that, and mainly wanted the small locally run creche to get any funding they were entitled to even if I saw no difference in my monthly bill but it's very unclear on the website how it's calculated.

I think it's a way of foisting the PSC card (which is essentially the National ID card by any other name) onto people. With Revenue now rolling out an online service I can see them pushing you to get the PSC card in order to access your tax services. So they have cornered everyone in receipt of social welfare benefits by making their income dependent on having one. They are now targeting parents who work to get one, and if Revenue make having a PSC ID a requirement to access your tax services then they'll catch the working non-parents too.

FWIW I would put my life on it that Revenue will not make it a requirement for people to have the PSC - they won't do anything that will make it harder for people to engage with them or make them less approachable, as they have a hard enough time getting people to review their own taxes without mandating the PSC to do it.

You're right, the card is transparently an identity card in all but name and I can see it being required for more and more things, but I'd say Revenue will resist anything that makes it harder for them to get people to approach them rather than the other way around.

peteb2 wrote: »

I don't disagree on some points but its a bit tin foil hattish isn't it?
The PSC card has effectively been outlawed. Data Protection Commissioner came out against it and it can't be enforced for anything beyond Dept of Social Protection.
you dont need it to access Revenue services. And they can't make it compulsory for anything beyond its initial need at this point. They tried to make it mandatory for drivers licences and passports and that's all gone by the wayside now.

I can see them legislating for it in order to make it more... digestible... to data protection law. I don't think it's tinfoil-hattish though to believe they will try to use it again for all the things they were trying to make it do. They'll wait a couple of years until any residual furore has died down, and probably until a couple of people in key places have retired, at which point they will start moving the goalposts again to make the card a requirement again. It's too valuable to the government not to try to exploit it for as many things as possible.

But I think for the reasons above, Revenue will not be included in that. Revenue is probably the most independent government agency and in practise it decides its own policies. If the card doesn't confer it any advantage it won't mandate it.

ApolloDance · 13-01-2020 11:36pm

Now coming into my 7th week since applying for income assessed with no outcome, no timeline for a potential outcome and according to the multiple people I’ve spoken to on the phone nothing at all wrong or incomplete with the application I’ve submitted. Beyond frustrating now, and I’ve actually had to hand in my notice at work, I took a job with a salary that was just about workable if I got the NCS awarded but as it hasn’t happened I’m actually coming out with less a week then on social welfare at home with my child.

Steviewinger · 15-01-2020 11:03pm

I was awarded 3.50 per hour per child. For 20 hours a week.

pc7 · 16-01-2020 9:45am

Steviewinger wrote: »

I was awarded 3.50 per hour per child. For 20 hours a week.

Jeez that's €70, that's a good saving for you.

National Childcare Scheme

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