Tax-Free Childcare and Childcare Vouchers

For users in the UK, Pembee supports taking payments via Tax-Free Childcare and Childcare Vouchers.

Tax-Free Childcare

Pembee allows you to accept Tax-Free Childcare payments either online or offline, depending on how you configure your settings.

When online Tax-Free Childcare payments are enabled:

• Users can select Tax-Free Childcare as a payment method during checkout.
• If necessary, they are securely redirected to HMRC’s online services to log in and authorise the payment.
• Payments are securely processed and automatically recorded against the booking, with no manual reconciliation required.

When offline Tax-Free Childcare payments are enabled:

• Users are asked to provide their payment reference during checkout.
• The provider manually reconciles the payment after it is received in the organisation’s bank account.

How to enable Tax-Free Childcare payments:

1. Go to the Admin area and navigate to Settings > Payment Methods > Tax-Free Childcare.
2. Choose to enable either Online or Offline payments.
3. Add the Childcare Provider account details for your organisation (multiple accounts can be added if needed).
4. (Optional but recommended) Enable Partial payments, which allow users to pay any outstanding balance using another payment method if the Tax-Free Childcare account balance does not cover the full booking cost.
5. Save your changes.

When parents choose to pay via Tax-Free Childcare during checkout, they will see a simple interface where they can select the amount they want to debit from their account.

Childcare Vouchers

Childcare Vouchers are supported as an offline payment method in Pembee.

When Childcare Vouchers are enabled:

• Parents select Childcare Voucher as their payment method during checkout.
• After placing a booking, parents follow the instructions you provide to complete their payment through their Childcare Voucher provider’s platform.

How to set up Childcare Vouchers:

1. Go to the Admin area and navigate to Settings > Payment Methods > Childcare Voucher.

   Add the Childcare Voucher schemes you support.

   Enter payment instructions for parents, such as:

   • How quickly they should make the payment (e.g., within 2 days of booking).
   • What reference information they should use (e.g., booking number or child’s name).
2. For each Childcare Voucher provider, add specific instructions if they assign different organisation reference codes.
3. Click Enabled and then Save.

Once a parent selects Childcare Vouchers at checkout, the system records the booking and marks the payment as pending until you manually confirm receipt.

You can view and manage pending voucher payments in the booking’s Payment transactions section.