Childcare support available

• Up to 15 hours of early education over 38 weeks of the year for children aged 9 months to 2 years old (from September 2025 this will increase to 30 hours)
• Up to 30 hours of early education over 38 weeks of the year for 3-4 year olds.
• Can be used flexibly with one or more childcare providers.
• Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week.

Find out more about similar schemes in Wales / Cymru.

• 15 hours of early education for 38 weeks (up to 570 hours per year), that you can use flexibly with one or more providers.
• Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over up to 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week.

Am I eligible?

To be able to take up 15 hours of early education for your two-year-old you must meet the eligibility criteria. 

Where can I use it?

It's available at participating:

• Full day care (e.g nurseries)
• Schools
• Childminders
• Sessional providers (e.g. playgroups)
• Sure Start Children's Centres

From 1 January, 1 April or 1 September following your child’s 2nd birthday.

Find out more about similar schemes in Scotland, Wales / Cymru, and Northern Ireland.

• 15 hours of childcare or early education for 38 weeks (up to 570 hours per year), that you can use flexibly with one or more providers.
• Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over up to 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week.

Who can benefit from it?

15 hours of childcare is available for all families in England.

Where can I use it?

It's available at participating:

• Full day care (e.g nurseries)
• Schools
• Childminders
• Sessional providers (e.g. playgroups)
• Sure Start Children's Centres
• After school clubs

From 1 January, 1 April or 1 September following your child's 3rd birthday.

Find out more about similar schemes in Scotland, Wales / Cymru, and Northern Ireland.

You can use it to pay for childcare including: 
•    childminders, nurseries and nannies 
•    before and after school clubs
•    holiday clubs
•    specialist equipment for the childcare provider to use for your child, such as mobility aids
 

With children under 17. Paid up to the end of August following the child's 16th birthday.

Up to 85% of eligible childcare costs

Who aren't receiving Tax-Free Childcare 

How can I benefit?

Eligible working parents on Universal Credit are now able to receive even more financial help with their childcare costs for children under 17. This can be to up to the maximum amount of £1,015 per month for 1 child or up to £1,739 per month for 2 or more children.

Use an independent benefits calculator to find out what you could get.

Where can I use it?

• Registered childminders, nurseries, and nannies
• Registered after-school clubs and playschemes
• Registered schools
• Home care workers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Furthermore, eligible parents claiming Universal Credit are also able to get additional help paying their upfront childcare costs when moving into paid work or increasing their working hours. Parents who need this help should speak to their Universal Credit work coach who can provide more information.

You can't claim Universal Credit Childcare at the same time as:

• Tax credits
• Tax-Free Childcare

Northern Ireland

For residents in Northern Ireland, please visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/universal-credit for more information.

Tax credits are closed to new applications for the majority of people from 1 February 2019.

Who can benefit from it?

• For working families, in the UK
• With children under 16 (or under 17 if disabled)
• 70% of childcare costs, up to a cap
• If you cannot make a new claim for Tax Credits, you may be able to apply for Universal Credit instead.

What's happening to Tax credits?

Universal Credit is replacing a number of existing benefits, including tax credits. If you are already receiving tax credits, you don't need to do anything now. 

If you cannot make a new claim for tax credits, you may be able to apply for Universal Credit instead.

You can’t claim tax credits at the same time as:

• Universal Credit
• Tax-Free Childcare 

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

You can apply for Discretionary Learner Support to pay for childcare if you're 19 or over and in further education, for example, if you're studying for an NVQ, BTEC or PGCE.

You can apply for a Childcare Grant if you're in full-time higher education to pay for childcare costs for children under 15 (or under 17 if they have special needs).

Childcare Offer for Wales

The Childcare Offer for Wales supports working parents and carers with the cost of childcare. The Offer provides 30 hours of government-funded early education and childcare. This includes a minimum of 10 hours per week of nursery education (previously referred to as Foundation Phase Nursery), topped up with Welsh Government funded childcare hours to a total of 30 hours per week.

• Children aged three and four are eligible for the offer.
• When children, aged three, are eligible to take up their place will depend on the date of their birthday.
• Childcare is available until children enter full time education usually the September after their fourth birthday.
• To take up the offer both parents or carers (or the lone parent or carer in a single-parent family) will need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the applicable minimum wage, depending on age, and earn no more than £100,000 per person each year. Or be a parent that is in education or training, enrolled on a course at a registered Higher Education (HE) of Further Education (FE) institute that is at least 10 weeks in length.
• You can find more information here.

Nursery Education in Wales

Access to nursery education for 3- and 4-year-olds in Wales is universally free.

• Your child is entitled to a minimum of 10 hours per week of funded nursery education (also referred to as early education).
• This could be in a school or setting (which can be a nursery, childcare setting, funded playgroup or childminder) approved by your local authority.
• Your child would start nursery following their third birthday. When they take up that place will depend on when their birthday is.
• You can find more information on your local authority website or here.

If you are not in work, education or training and are looking for work, you might be eligible for help with childcare costs while undertaking work-related training through the Welsh Government’s Communities for Work Plus Programme.

If you are not in work, education or training, there could be help available through the Communities for Work service.

Flying Start Wales

The Flying Start programme is part of a phased expansion of early years provision to all two-year-olds in Wales.

Flying Start helps families with children under 4 years old in disadvantaged areas of Wales.

Help available includes:

• Funded high quality, part-time (12.5 hours a week) childcare for 2–3-year-olds.
• An enhanced Health Visiting service.
• Access to parenting support.
• Support for Speech, Language and Communication development.
• Contact your Local Family Information Service to find out if you live in a Flying Start area and what help may be available.

Funded pre-school education in Scotland

Funded early learning and childcare is free to parents but funded by the Scottish Government.

You can get up to 600 hours of funded early learning and childcare a year (around 16 hours a week in term time) if your child is 3 or 4 years old. You may be able to get more funded hours in your area, or access them earlier as the Scottish Government is adding more funded hours.

Visit your local council's website to find out what is available in your area.

Funded early learning and childcare is available if your child is 2 or over and is:

• looked after by a local council
• the subject of a kinship care or guardianship order

Your child can also get funded early learning and childcare if they have turned 2 and you get one of these benefits:

• Income Support
• Job Seeker's Allowance (income based)
• any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance
• Incapacity or Severe Disablement Allowance
• State Pension Credit
• support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

If you receive tax credits or Universal Credit, then you can earn a certain amount of money and still be eligible:

If you are on Child Tax Credit:

• but not Working Tax Credit, then your earnings can be £16,105 or less
• and Working Tax Credit, then your earnings can be £7,320 a year or less

If you are on Universal Credit, then your household take-home pay can be £610 a month or less.

Support while you study in Scotland

If you are a student, you may be able to get help through your college or university. Or, if you're an undergraduate student and bringing up a child on your own, you may qualify for a Lone Parents' Grant through the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). Find out how to apply in the SAAS funding guide.

Northern Ireland offers funded pre-school education for children in the year before they start primary school.

You may also be eligible for the Advisor Discretion Fund (ADF) for upfront childcare costs to help you move into work.