Money saving expert: Ask politely for childcare vouchers

Parents whose employers do not currently offer childcare vouchers should politely suggest that they start doing so.

This is the view of TV presenter and financial journalist Martin Lewis, who outlined the benefits of childcare vouchers in his regular column for the News of the World.

The self-styled money saving expert said that these lifestyle benefits are a great way to cut monthly outgoings, as they are deducted from wages before tax.

Someone who opts to earn £1,000 less to receive childcare vouchers to the same value will be £300 better off, as a grand of salary only comes out at £700 for many taxpayers, he explained.

Should employers be reluctant to introduce childcare vouchers, Mr Lewis urged his readers to tell them: "It''ll make me feel like I''m being paid more without you actually having to do it -and you will save on employers'' national insurance costs too."

However, charity the Daycare Trust recently claimed there is a postcode lottery in the UK with regard to where childcare vouchers can be spent.

Its research found that only one-fifth of councils'' Family Information Services are confident they can cope with demand for this service.
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