The Government launched a website earlier this year for parents to sign up for 30 hours of free childcare and other money-saving options but some say website glitches have made it difficult for them to register.

Some parents told that they had trouble logging on or accessing parts of the website.

The Government is offering eligible parents and carers the opportunity to apply for a tax-free childcare scheme and a separate scheme that offers 30 hours of free childcare each week.

Parents could receive up to £2,000 per year toward the cost of childcare with these schemes, the government website said.

For every £8 a parent pays into the childcare account, the government will chip in an extra £2.

Eligible parents can apply for both schemes through the childcare service website, but some parents are frustrated over how long it took them to sign up.

Parents reported these technical problems to MoneySavingExpert:

  • The website reported technical difficulties and told the user to try again later
  • Difficulty logging in even though the parents had success setting up a username and password
  • Parents seeking the tax-free scheme informed they had signed up for the free childcare instead

What to do if you’re having technical issues

Gather up your patience because you’ll have to just keep trying on the website. HMRC told MoneySavingExpert that because the scheme is a digital service, parents must apply online instead of by phone or post.

You can call the helpline on 0300 123 4097 to ask any questions about the site.

A spokesman for HMRC told MoneySavingExpert that they are working to fix the technical issues and apologise for the inconvenience.

He said: "While the vast majority of customers successfully apply without any issues, we are aware that some parents and childcare providers have been experiencing technical difficulties with the childcare service and we apologise to them.

"We investigate and act on these issues as soon as they're brought to our attention."

Call centre told one mum there had been 'so many problems'

Ester Knibbs told MoneySavingExpert that she tried for four days to log in to the website to apply for the 30 free hours scheme. At the end of that trial, the website told her she had set up a tax free childcare account, which was not the scheme she wanted.

Ms Knibbs said: "I rang the new call centre set up for this service and spoke to lady who admitted that there have been so many problems and she couldn't help me, as she didn't know what to do. She passed me through to someone else but this person couldn't help either.

"[I've been] left with no [application for] 30 hours free childcare... and a [Tax Free] childcare account that I won't use."

A working mums group called MancMamas posted on Instagram two days ago (June 27) asking if other parents had ‘major problems’ signing up for the tax-free childcare scheme.

One of the group's co-ordinators wrote: “I've been on the phone to them multiple times and apparently it's a teething problem with the website and I should "keep trying" SRSLY!?! If I see 'sign in to your government gateway account' one more time.”

User catpatfox posted in response: “This is the worst site ever...I pay mine through it each month and it's a joke! I have to get new gateway IDs constantly and the amount of special numbers I have texted to me in a session just to log on due to the thing crashing is ridiculous. As someone who works in IT implementing systems I gave them some feedback...simple things like testing, user testing, changes overnight and not during the day etc. Etc. It takes me approximately 3 weeks so far to pay my bills due to the number of times it crashes and my patience is wearing thin!”