Help with childcare costs
Childcare can be expensive but help is available:
- Free childcare for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds - up to 15 hours per week for eligible 2-year-olds and all 3 and 4-year-olds.
- Childcare Choices - calculate and find new ways to help with childcare costs.
- Universal Credit help - you may be able to claim back up to 85 per cent of your childcare costs if you’re eligible for Universal Credit.
- Childcare vouchers - offered by some employers to help with childcare costs.
- Work Preparation Support - can help with childcare costs when moving from benefits to a job. There's help for both parents and carers.
Tax Credits help
Tax Credits may help you with childcare costs.
- Child Tax Credit- you may be able to claim if you're responsible for children under the age of 20.
- Childcare and tax credits - you could get extra tax credits to help pay for some of your childcare costs while you’re working.
- Work out your weekly childcare costs - use the Tax Credits claim form.
- Check if you are eligible for Tax Credits and get an estimate of how much you may get - to help with childcare costs.
- Working Tax Credit - you could get Working Tax Credit if either you’re aged from 16 to 24 and have a child or a qualifying disability or you’re 25 or over, with or without children.
If you're a student and have a child
There are some schemes and grants available to you if you're a student and a parent.
- Care to Learn - if you're under 20, a parent and studying a course, this scheme can help pay for your childcare and travel costs up to £160 a week.
- Discretionary Learner Support - if you’re aged 19 or over, on a further education course and facing financial hardship, you could get Discretionary Learner Support (DLS).
- Childcare Grant - you may be eligible for help with your learning costs if you are a full-time higher education student and have children under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs.
- Parent's Learning Allowance - you may be eligible for help with your learning costs if you’re a full-time student with children. How much you get depends on your household income.