Childcare

Currently, depending on your circumstances, you can get two elements of help towards childcare – free childcare for children aged between 9 months and 4 years, and help with childcare costs (Tax-Free Childcare) if your child is under 16 (or under 17 and disabled).

Gov.uk have a fantastic step-by-step guide to help you work out exactly what elements of childcare you can claim for.

Free education and childcare for 9 month to to four year olds

If your child is aged 9 months to 4 years old, you can get 30 hours per week of free childcare, for 38 weeks of the year.

The amount of free childcare you can get depends on:

your child’s age and circumstances
whether you’re working
your income (and partners income if you have one)
your immigration status

You will not be eligible if:

your child doesn’t usually live with you
you or your partner have an adjusted net income of over £100,000

Please note, the early education and childcare must be with an approved childcare provider to claim the free hours.

Tax-free childcare

It’s possible to get up to £500 every 3 months (to a total of £2,000 a year) for each of your children, in order to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if your child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year). If you get Tax-Free Childcare, the government will contribute £2 for every £8 you pay your approved childcare provider via an online account. You can get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as 30 hours free childcare if you’re eligible for both. You can review the eligibility criteria and apply here.

If you get tax credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers

You can’t get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as claiming Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers. Which scheme you’re better off with depends on your situation. The government have a useful childcare calculator to help you work out which type of support is best for you.

Employer

If you are employed, your employer may be able to help you with childcare costs using vouchers or other schemes such as an employee nursery. Have a chat with them to see what they can offer.

Studying

If you’re under 20 at the start of a publicly-funded course, such as school or sixth form college, you could get weekly childcare payments through Care to Learn.

If you’re over 20 and in further education, you could apply for Discretionary Learner Support.

And if you are in full-time higher education, you can apply for a Childcare Grant if your child is under 15 (or under 17 if they have special needs).