Help with childcare costs for working parents

There's a variety of financial support schemes to ease the cost of childcare for:

  • working parents
  • carers
  • students in training.

Tax-free childcare

Tax-free childcare is a new government scheme to help working families with their childcare costs. Parents can open an online childcare account to pay their registered childcare providers directly. For every £8 parents pay, the government will add £2. The total amount in the account can only be spent on childcare. Parents can receive up to £2000 of government support per child, per year, or £4000 for disabled children. For further details see Get tax free childcare: Step by step

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs. You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income or out of work. Universal Credit is being introduced in stages across the UK. For further details see universal credit

Working Tax Credit

If you claim Working Tax Credit (WTC), you may be able to get help with childcare costs while you work. To get this help, the childcare must be with an Ofsted registered child care provider. Working Tax Credit has been replaced by Universal Credit for most people. For further information please visit Gov.UK's Working For Tax Credit web page

New Working Tax Credit claims

Working Tax Credit has been replaced by Universal Credit for most people. You can only make a new claim for Working Tax Credit if you:

If you cannot make a new claim for Working Tax Credit, you may be able to apply for: