Don’t miss out on Wraparound Childcare in the new autumn term. Are you eligible to claim WAC funding?
Join more than 5000 Service families who are currently benefitting from claiming up to £3,400, per child per year, of before and after school childcare costs.
What is Wraparound Childcare (WAC)?
The WAC scheme provides funding for up to 20 hours per week, per child, during term time, to eligible Service families with children aged 4 to 11 years old (4-16 years old if in receipt of disability allowances), who are in full time education in school or being home educated in the UK. Over 7000 Service children's before and after school childcare is currently being funded by WAC.
Wraparound childcare is also known as ‘Out of School care’ in Wales and ‘School Age Childcare’ in Scotland.
What is new for Autumn term 2024?
The WAC capped hourly rates, which are set by region and provider type, have been updated for the 2024/25 academic year. The capped hourly rates may have gone up or down and may affect the amount of funding you can claim.
To find out if this affects your claims, check the updated rates in DIN2022DIN01-079 - Wraparound Childcare from the start of the autumn term. The DIN is available on Defnet and Defence Connect
How do I register for the new academic year?
- Complete the WAC registration within JPA. This can be done once the child has turned 4-years-old, started full time education (including home education) and has an active Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) account (active means that you receive the 20% top up from HMRC when you deposit funds into the account). Please note, all WAC claims submitted must have first been paid via an active TFC account.
- If you have already registered your child(ren) for WAC within JPA, you do not need to re-register in autumn term, however any changes in your JPA record may result in a WAC de-registration. If this happens, so long as eligibility criteria is still met, you will need to update your WAC record to continue to claim the funding.
Service personnel: Please note that JPA will be down 18th Oct – 4th Nov 2024. No JPA functions will be available, including WAC registrations and claims.
Further information, guidance and support...
Visit the Defence Childcare Information Page on Defnet and Defence Connect where you can find the DIN, FAQs, Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) information and links to Step-by-Step Guides on registering and claiming WAC.
Families can visit Discover my Benefits Army, RAF, Navy or Marines for more information.
If you have any questions, contact the WAC team at PEOPLE-AFFS-WAC-FRO-mailbox@mod.gov.uk