Advice for Parents/Carers

Check that your provider is registered for the scheme

Ask your childcare provider if they are registered for the scheme as only registered and eligible providers can apply the NICSS subsidy.

Gather all the information required for registration

Please have the following information ready before starting the registration process:

• A. Tax Free Childcare Payment Reference for your child/children.
  This number can be found on correspondence from HMRC and is typically a combination of:
  (Initial letter of their first name)(First three letters of their second name)(number characters)
  e.g. for Adam Smith this could be ASMI#####.

We understand that some parents and carers don’t use the online TFC system and therefore will not have been allocated a Tax-Free Childcare Payment Reference. If so please contact us at nicssparent@early-years.org and we will allocate you a unique reference number that you can use to register your child.

• B. Copy of the TFC quarterly confirmation letter/notice for your child/children.
  Please take a screenshot or screen grab of this communication from HMRC which clearly shows:
  • 1. Name of your child
  • 2. The quarterly expiration date
  You will be required to upload this document as part of the registration process.
  (If you are waiting on HMRC to approve your current eligibility and don’t have a current approval document, please use the most recent one.)

Register your Child / Children

You need to access the NICSS portal to register your child on the scheme, using the link below:

Register Your Child

Watch this short video to guide you through the child registration process for parents.

Please note, if you have more than one eligible child, or your child attends more than one provider, you will need to complete the process separately for each child and/or provider.