Tax Free Childcare
Tax-Free Childcare
You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year).
If you get Tax-Free Childcare, you’ll set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your provider.
You can get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as 30 hours free childcare if you’re eligible for both.
You can use it to pay for approved childcare, for example:
childminders, nurseries and nannies
after school clubs and play schemes
Your eligibility depends on:
if you are working
your income (and your partner’s income if you have one)
your child’s age and circumstances
your immigration status
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
on shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave
You may still be eligible if your partner is working, and you get Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance.
You can apply if you’re starting or re-starting work within the next 31 days.
You’ll need to expect to earn a certain amount over the next 3 months. This is at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week on average.
For example, over the next 3 months you expect to earn at least £1,976 - the National Living Wage for people over 23.
If you have a partner, they’ll need to expect to earn at least this much too.
If you’re self-employed and do not expect to make enough profit in the next 3 months, you can use an average of how much you expect to make over the current tax year.
This earnings limit does not apply if you’re self-employed and started your business less than 12 months ago.
For further information and to see if you are eligible please click the link below.