This article is divided into 3 sections:
If your Mentor accepts HMRC Tax-Free Childcare or Childcare Vouchers for a particular listing, you will see this clearly labelled on the listing page.
This means you can book and pay in full or part with HMRC Tax-Free Childcare or any of the Childcare Voucher schemes accepted by the Mentor.
1. How to pay for your booking using HMRC Tax-Free Childcare
Simply click BOOK, then select your dates and attendees as normal.
In the next step, select your ticket as normal and tick "Pay with a childcare scheme' and select HMRC Tax-Free childcare scheme.
Next, enter the child’s reference number. Before proceeding to the next step, make sure this provider setting has been added to your Tax-Free Childcare account.
In the next step, once you press 'Login with HMRC' button, you’ll be redirected to the GOV.UK website, where you’ll be asked to give permission to connect your HMRC account with Eequ.
Select 'Give permission'. Your account will be securely linked, and you’ll be automatically redirected back to Eequ.
If your details are correct, your child’s Tax-Free Childcare account will be successfully linked to your booking.
Once your Tax-Free Childcare account is successfully linked, select Next. On the next page, choose how much of your booking you’d like to pay using Tax-Free Childcare.
You can either pay in full with Tax-Free Childcare or split the payment between Tax-Free Childcare and a card payment or bank transfer (if available).
Enter the amount you’d like to pay using Tax-Free Childcare. The remaining balance can then be paid by card or bank transfer, if available.
Once you have selected your payment method and answered any checkout questions, you’ll see your Booking Summary. Check that all the details are correct and click Confirm & Pay to complete your booking.
After you click Confirm & Pay, you’ll be taken to the Payment Status page.
Your payment has been successfully completed 🎉 Because Eequ is securely connected to HMRC, the payment will be taken from your Tax-Free Childcare account and sent directly to the provider’s bank account.
There’s nothing else you need to do 🙌
How to book when you can’t pay the full amount upfront with Tax-Free Childcare?
If you don’t have enough funds in your Tax-Free Childcare account to pay for your full booking upfront, you can contact your Mentor to ask them to create a booking on your behalf and send you an invoice.
This allows you to secure your child’s place and pay later, once you have enough funds available in your Tax-Free Childcare account.
How it works
Contact your Mentor. Send them a message explaining that you don’t currently have enough funds in your Tax-Free Childcare account to pay for the full booking.
Your mentor creates a booking with an invoice. They’ll create the booking on your behalf and provide an invoice.
Your child’s place is reserved. The booking will appear in your account, and the invoice will remain unpaid until you make the payment.
Pay when your funds are available. Once you have enough funds in your Tax-Free Childcare account, pay for the invoice on Eequ using childcare payment option.
If your invoice remains unpaid, your club mentor may send you a payment reminder.
2. How to pay for your booking using childcare vouchers?
When paying with childcare vouchers on Eequ, you’ll need to:
Finalise your booking on Eequ.
Leave Eequ and make the payment on your childcare voucher provider’s website.
Return to Eequ and confirm that you’ve paid.
To complete your childcare voucher booking, follow these steps:
Follow the same steps outlined above to select your dates and attendees. When you reach the Select a ticket page, tick "Pay with a childcare scheme' and select the childcare voucher scheme you want to use.
Enter your childcare payment reference number if you have one. If you don’t have it, you can leave this field blank and click Next.
After entering your childcare payment reference, continue through the checkout by clicking 'Next':
Select your payment option – pay in full with childcare vouchers or split the payment with a card/bank transfer (if available).
Complete the checkout questions and review your Booking Summary.
Click Confirm & Pay to finalise your booking.
You’ll then reach the Payment Status page. Click Pay manually to view the payment instructions, reference details and a link to your selected childcare voucher provider’s payment page.
Make the payment on the provider’s website, then return to Eequ and click Pay to confirm that you’ve paid.
3. How to confirm a childcare voucher payment made outside Eequ
If you promised to pay for your booking using childcare vouchers outside Eequ, you can return to your booking later and confirm the payment.
Navigation
Go to Menu → Bookings
Find the relevant booking and click View Details. In the booking drawer, find the Childcare payment section and click Confirm Payment button.
In the confirmation modal:
Enter your child/payment reference number, if you haven’t entered it before.
Tick I confirm I have made the payment.