Help paying for childcare

Working parents of two year olds will be able to access 15 hours of funded childcare from April 2024. 

15 hours of funded childcare will be extended to all children from the age of nine months from September 2024.

Working parents of children under the age of five will be entitled to 30 hours funded childcare per week from September 2025.

Your child will be entitled to funding the term after their birthday.

If you child’s birthday falls between:

• 1 January to 31 March entitlement will be from the 1 April (spring term)
• 1 April to 31 August entitlement will be from the 1 September (summer term)
• 1 September to 31 December entitlement will be from the 1 January (autumn term)

For a childcare provider to claim funding for your child you will need to provide:

• birth certificate
• passport
• parent declaration form (the childcare provider will give this to you)

You will require a code for two year olds of working parents and for 30 hours of funding for three and four year olds parents.

If you are on a low income or your child has additional needs, please apply through our webpage Are you eligible for funded early learning childcare for your two-year old?

Tax free childcare

You may be entitled to receive £500 every three months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every three months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year). You must use an approved childcare provider. Check with your chosen childcare provider to see if they have signed up.

Disability Access Fund (DAF)

If your child has additional needs, then your childcare provider may be able to claim DAF.  Your childcare provider may also be able to claim top-up funding for your child.

Early years pupil premium

If you are on a low income or claiming certain benefits then your childcare provider may be able to claim early years pupil premium. Ask your childcare provider to check for you.

Working tax credit

You may be able to get help paying for childcare whilst you're working. This is the childcare element of working tax credit. 

Eligibility for tax free childcare for those who don't meet the minimum requirements has been extended to 31 October 2020.

You can apply on GOV.UK.

Childcare vouchers

Your employer may be able to help you with childcare costs through:

• childcare vouchers
• childcare your employer arranges, also known as directly contracted childcare
• workplace nurseries

You should talk to your employer to find out what schemes they run.

If you use tax free childcare or childcare vouchers it will affect the amount of tax credits you get. GOV.UK has a better off calculator to help you decide if you would be better off taking childcare vouchers or not.

Support while you study

You may be entitled to:

• weekly payments from Care to Learn if you are at school or sixth form college
• help through your college if you are in further education
• a weekly grant if you are in full-time higher education

You can check to see if you are eligible on the childcare choices website.