CHILDCARE, IN REAL TERMS
Childcare support, in real £
Funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare are two of the biggest things families in England can get help with — here's what they might mean for you, in money terms. Information and eligibility, with official GOV.UK links.
Funded hours (England)
Every 3–4 year-old in England can get 15 funded hours a week of early education over term time — no income test. Working parents may get 30 funded hours, from 9 months old up to school age, if each parent meets a minimum-earnings rule and neither expects to earn over £100,000.
Tax-Free Childcare
For every £8 you pay into a Tax-Free Childcare account, the government adds £2 — a 20% top-up. It's capped at £500 a quarter (£1,000 for a disabled child), up to £2,000 a year per child (£4,000 if disabled), for children 11 or younger (up to 16 if disabled). It runs across the whole UK.
The catches worth knowing
If either parent expects to earn over £100,000, the household loses the 30 funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare — though the universal 15 hours for 3–4s stay. You usually can't use Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as the Universal Credit childcare element or employer childcare vouchers. Funded hours are an England scheme.
See it in real terms
Answer a few quick questions and we'll picture what funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare could be worth on your own numbers. Nothing is saved — it clears when you leave the page.
How old is your child?
Where do you live?
How many childcare hours a week?
Roughly is fine.
What's your monthly childcare cost?
Leave blank if you're not sure — we'll picture the hours instead.
Does each working parent expect to meet the minimum-earnings rule?
Does either parent expect to earn over £100,000 a year?
Adjusted net income — no need to enter a figure.
Do you use the Universal Credit childcare element or childcare vouchers?
Pick your child's age above to see what funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare could be worth.
The catches, in full
- The £100,000 line is per parent, and it's based on adjusted net income — your taxable income after things like pension contributions and Gift Aid. That's a fact about how the threshold is measured, not a suggestion about what to do.
- You generally can't combine Tax-Free Childcare with the Universal Credit childcare element or employer childcare vouchers. GOV.UK is the place to check which fits your situation — we don't rank them for you.
- Funded early-education hours are an England scheme. Different schemes apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- The minimum-earnings rule uses the National Minimum/Living Wage, which changes every April — so we ask you rather than quote a £ figure that would go stale.
Check on GOV.UK
Every link here goes to GOV.UK — the official government service. Blooom earns nothing from these links, and checking exactly what you can get is always worth doing on GOV.UK for your own situation.