Parents whose children are looked after by nannies, relatives or friends could be able to use tax credits to help meet childcare costs if Government plans to increase the range of accredited childcarers get the green light.
The Chancellor last week announced plans for a consultation on a "light-touch" voluntary accreditation scheme that will extend the range of childcare eligible for financial support.
Sources say the plans will almost certainly mean nannies will be able to register as childcarers. It could also extend to relatives, friends and other informal carers, such as breakfast clubs.
The consultation, to begin this summer, follows plans announced in the Chancellor's pre-Budget report, unveiled last December, for new tax exemptions on employer-supported childcare, which come into effect from April 2005.
