Accessibility statement for Tax-free childcare service

This accessibility statement explains how accessible this service is, what to do if you have difficulty using it, and how to report accessibility problems with the service.

This service is part of the wider GOV.UK website. There is a separate accessibility statement for the main GOV.UK website.

This page only contains information about the Tax-Free Childcare service, available at https://childcare.tax.service.gov.uk.

Using this service

You can use this service to find out if you're eligible for Tax-Free Childcare and apply for a childcare account. If you've registered for Tax-Free Childcare you can also use the service to pay money into your account, pay your childcare provider and apply for a new child.

This service is run by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). We want as many people as possible to be able to use this service. This means you should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • get from the start of the service to the end using just a keyboard
  • get from the start of the service to the end using speech recognition software
  • listen to the service using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver)

How accessible this service is

This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard

Some people may find parts of this service difficult to use:

  • The old focus styles are present, these older styles aren't as accessible as the current styles for users with vision issues.
  • The link "Rhestr o Wasanaethau Cymraeg” in the footer does not contain the required language attribute which may result in some screen readers being unable to pronounce the words correctly.
  • Screen reader users won’t be advised to “Select all that apply” on some of the adding user screens.
  • Links that appear as links, are buttons.

What to do if you have difficulty using this service

You can contact HMRC for extra support if you need help with filling in forms or getting a different format, like large print, audio recording or Braille.

Reporting accessibility problems with this service

If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact us (opens in a new window or tab).

Enforcement procedure

If you contact us with a complaint and you’re not happy with our response contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS)

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations').

Technical information about this service’s accessibility

HMRC is committed to making this service accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This service is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard due to the non-compliances listed below.

Non‐accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non‐compliance with the accessibility regulations

The old focus styles are present, these older styles aren't as accessible as the current styles for users with vision issues. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast)

The link "Rhestr o Wasanaethau Cymraeg” in the footer does not contain the required language attribute which may result in some screen readers being unable to pronounce the words correctly. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.2 (Language)

On the add child screens the <legend> does not include the “select all that apply” text. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions.

There is a “button” that should have the role of “link”. This doesn’t meet WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

How we tested this service

The service was last tested on 7 October 2024 and was checked for compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA.

What we’re doing to improve accessibility

Departments and agencies are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard. We will update this page when issues are fixed.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This page was published on 7 October 2024. It was last updated on 7 October 2024

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