Hours Subsidised Childcare

30 hours subsidised childcare for working parents of three- and four-year olds

  • For working families
  • With 3 and 4-year-old children
  • 30 hours for 38 weeks of the year but the hours can be stretched across the year.

30 hours subsidised childcare is available for 3- and 4-year olds of working parents. The 30 hours offer doubles the existing 15 hours currently available to all 3- and 4-year olds and could save working families up to £5,000 a year.

Parents can apply for 30 hours childcare at the same time as Tax-Free Childcare, via the childcare service.

To qualify, a parent, and their partner, will need to expect to earn (on average) the equivalent of working 16 hours a week at their National Minimum wage (£120 in 2017-18 at the National Living Wage, less for people on the National Minimum Wage). And earn less than £100,000 a year each. If they are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave for another child, or unable to work because they are disabled or have caring responsibilities, they could still be eligible.

Tax-Free Childcare

Parents can now get up to £2,000 per child, per year for children under the age of 12 and £4,000 for disabled children under 17.

  • For working families, including the self-employed, across the UK
  • With children aged under 12 (or under 17 for disabled children)
  • For every £8 paid in, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year toward childcare costs. This means you can get up to £500 every three months per child.

A parent, and their partner, will need to expect to earn (on average) the equivalent of working16 hours a week at their National Minimum wage (£120 at the National Living Wage, less for people on the National Minimum Wage). And earn less than £100,000 a year each. If they areon maternity, paternity or adoption leave for another child, or unable to work because they are disabled or have caring responsibilities, they could still be eligible.

Tax-Free Childcare can be used with the 15 hours and 30 hours schemes. It can’t be used at the same time as childcare vouchers, Universal Credit or tax credit.

Parents can find out more about the full government childcare offer on childcarechoices.gov.uk. Parents can use the Childcare Calculator, and apply for Tax-Free Childcare and/or 30 hours free childcare through the Childcare Choices website.