This page will outline the additional avenue of support when it comes to your childcare costs. If you are not eligible for some of the Early Years funding streams, you may be able to access support through the following avenues. Some of the following can be used in conjunction with the funding streams.
Tax-free childcare
You can set up an online childcare account to help with the costs of childcare. The government will pay £2 for every £8 you pay into this account. You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year), for each of your children. This increases to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year).
You can get tax-free childcare at the same time as 15 or 30 hours free childcare if you are eligible for both.
What you can use tax-free childcare for:
You can use it to pay for approved childcare e.g. childminders, nurseries and nannies, after school clubs and play schemes. Your childcare provider must be signed up to the scheme before you can pay them and benefit from tax-free childcare. Please check with your provider to see if they are signed up.
Eligibility:
You can usually get tax-free childcare if you (and your partner, if you have one) are in work, on sick leave or annual leave or on shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave and you are going back to work within 31 days of the date you first applied. You may still be eligible if your partner is working and you are in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance.
Your child:
Your child must be 11 or under and usually live with you. They stop being eligible on 1 September after their 11th birthday. Adopted children are eligible, but foster children are not. If your child is disabled and usually lives with you, they stop being eligible on 1 September after their 16th birthday.
Criteria includes:
- Both parents/one if it is a one parent household, must be working and expect to earn the National Minimum Wage for 16 hours a week on average.
- Both/single parent must earn less than £100k per year each.
You cannot get tax-free childcare at the same time as claiming Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.
Please visit www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare for more information and to apply online.
Universal Credit and childcare
You may be able to claim back up to 85 per cent of your childcare costs if you are eligible for Universal Credit.
It is available to families where single parents, or two parent families are both in paid work or have an offer of paid work.
Please visit www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/universal-credit for more information.
Tax credits
Tax credits ended on 5 April 2025. You cannot make a new claim for Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit.
Please visit www.gov.uk/tax-credits-have-ended for more information.
Childcare vouchers and other employer schemes
Childcare vouchers are now closed to new applicants. If you joined the scheme on or before 4 October 2018 you might be able to keep getting vouchers.
You can keep getting vouchers as long as:
- your wages were adjusted on or before 4 October 2018
- you stay with the same employer, and they continue to run the scheme.
- you do not take an unpaid career break of longer than a year.
You can take up to £55 a week of your wages, which you do not pay tax or National Insurance on.
How much you can take depends on the amount you earn and when you joined the scheme.
Please visit: www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/childcare-vouchers for more information.
Help while you study
There are several ways in which you could receive support whilst studying:
Care to Learn
You could get weekly payments through Care to Learn if you are under 20 at the start of a publicly-funded course, for example at school or sixth form.
You can get Care to Learn if all of the following apply to you:
- you’re a parent under 20 at the start of your course
- you’re the main carer for your child
- you live in England
- you’re either a British citizen or have a legal right to live and study in England
- your course qualifies
- your childcare provider qualifies
Please visit www.gov.uk/care-to-learn for more information.
Learner Support
If you’re aged 19 or over, on a further education course and facing financial hardship, you could get Learner Support.
Learner Support can help pay for things you need to attend your course or study that are not covered by your course fees.
Please visit www.gov.uk/learner-support for more information.
Childcare Grant
You may be eligible for help with your childcare costs if you:
- are a full-time higher education student
- have children under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs
The grant:
- does not have to be paid back
- is paid on top of your other student finance
Please visit www.gov.uk/childcare-grant for more information.