How you too could be getting help with childcare costs | The Sun

WE’RE ALL watching the pennies at the moment, so it’s surely high time you got the help with the cost of childcare that you’re entitled to.

Nearly 400,000 working families received up to £2,000 towards the cost of childcare in June, thanks to the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme – have you checked whether you’re eligible?

More than a million families are. In fact, there are several government schemes to help families with childcare costs, each one tailored to different needs, incomes and children’s ages.

These include the 30 Hours Childcare provision for three and four-year-olds and generous support for childcare for those on Universal Credit.

The schemes aren’t just to help pay for nurseries and childminders during term time, as they encompass wraparound childcare before and after school as well as help during the holidays through, for example, summer camps.

To find out about all the schemes, visit childcarechoices.gov.uk, add in your details and see what you could be missing out on.

Parents can earn up to £100,000 each, and apply for Tax-Free Childcare if they have children 11 or under, or 17 and under for disabled children.

Parents shouldn’t apply if they are already receiving tax credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.

At a time of rising prices and pressure on family finances it’s more important than ever to take up the help and support that is on offer from the Government for childcare and other household costs.

See what other support you could get at gov.uk/helpforhouseholds.

So what are the childcare support schemes on offer, how do they work, and who can apply?

We talked to three parents across Britain to find out how the Government is helping them to access the best childcare, supporting them to work, boosting their bank accounts and mental health, and enabling their children to thrive.

Gemma, 37 – Tax-free childcare

Gemma is an HR manager from Portsmouth. She and her partner Chris are accessing Tax-Free Childcare to help pay for their five-year-old son George’s summer camp.

"I hate the thought of families missing out on Tax-Free Childcare! Every parent I meet, at the school gates or in the park, I tell them about it. My partner Chris and I save about £2,000 a year – it’s amazing.

"I discovered Tax-Free Childcare not long after our son George, five now, was born. I’d always planned to return to work when he was eight months old – my career is important to me – so, when researching nurseries, I googled “help paying for childcare”.

I hate the thought of families missing out on Tax-Free Childcare! Every parent I meet, at the school gates or in the park, I tell them about it.

"And there it was, childcarechoices.gov.uk, the government website explaining Tax-Free Childcare.

"My partner Chris, who runs a plumbing and heating business, said we’d earn too much to qualify.

"But I double-checked the eligibility criteria. We definitely didn’t earn above the £100,000-each threshold. And the nursery we’d enrolled George in – the best we could find, with a resident chef cooking fresh food for the kids every day – was signed up to the scheme.

"I just set myself up with a childcare account, and then it was plain sailing. Every month I put 80 per cent of the childcare fees into my account, the Government added 20 per cent and I paid the nursery.

"We’ve used Tax-Free Childcare ever since.

"George has just finished his first year at school and it helps pay for wraparound care when Chris or I can’t collect him. And over the summer holidays it’s contributed to the costs of a brilliant summer camp where he’s had swimming lessons every day.

"He’s such a happy, friendly little boy and his school report was glowing. I’m certain that’s in part because he went to nursery and was interacting socially from a young age.

"All his friends were at the same summer camp as him and they had a whale of a time.

"We went on a family holiday to Great Yarmouth recently and, although he loved all the rides and arcades, he wanted to get back home to be at camp with his mates.

"That’s how life should be when you’re five. He’s thriving and, because I’m fulfilled in my career and as a mother, I am too."

Tax-free childcare: the facts

Eligible parents, each earning no more than £100,000, with children 11 or under can claim up to £2,000 per child per year towards childcare costs.

For parents of disabled children it’s up to £4,000 per year and children qualify until they turn 17.

Parents of pre-schoolers can use Tax-Free Childcare to pay a registered childminder, nanny, play scheme, nursery, or club, school or home-care worker, while parents with kids at school can use it to pay for after-school and wraparound childcare and holiday clubs.

Applying takes about 20 minutes and you’ll need your National Insurance number and, if you’re self-employed, Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number.

Once accepted and on the scheme, you need to reconfirm your details every three months.

Leigh, 34 – 30 Hours childcare provision

Single mum Leigh, from Pontypridd in South Wales, can keep working – and earning – through the school summer holidays.

She receives a childcare entitlement which pays for 30 hours with a childminder for her three-year-old daughter, Holly.

"The extra support with childcare costs has been a godsend this summer – I can work without worrying about finding spare money for Holly to go to a childminder as the Government pays for up to 30 hours.

"Being a single mum is tough so I’m grateful for the help. I split up with Holly’s dad a month before she was born – then her birth was difficult, leaving me with some health issues.

"I’d planned to return to work as a carer for people with cerebral palsy but couldn’t cope with the physical demands of the job.

"But, at home all day, exhausted looking after a baby, I felt isolated and, over time, grew depressed. I comfort ate, putting on weight which made my self-esteem plummet further.

"Then, when Holly was two, I began volunteering at a church playgroup and community pantry. Having people rely on me boosted my confidence, enabling me to take a couple of IT courses and apply for jobs.

"In January 2022, Holly started school and I was offered a job as a technical adviser with EE. The hours were designed for parents – 9.30am to 2.40pm – and all the other new starters were mums. We formed a close bond.

I approached a local childminder about looking after Holly and she mentioned the childcare support available entitling me to up to 30 hours of childcare a week

"But in June, with the summer holidays approaching, I was fretful I’d have to use my credit card to pay for a childminder while I was at work – not ideal.

"I approached a local childminder about looking after Holly and she mentioned the childcare support available entitling me to up to 30 hours of childcare a week. I rushed home and applied.

"Two hours later I received an email saying Holly had been accepted for the scheme.

"It was such a relief, and it’s so easy to use – I simply give the childminder my government code to log how many hours a week she’s cared for Holly and it pays her direct.

"Holly’s robust and independent – I’m not sure she’d be so confident if she was stuck at home 24/7. She goes to Welsh school and is teaching me the language.

"“Can I have a hufen ia?” she asks. That’s ice cream… Of course she can – with the Government paying for her holiday childcare, there’s money left over for treats.

30-hours childcare provision: the facts

England, Scotland and Wales all have schemes which allow working families with children aged three and four to access 30 hours of childcare support or early-years education for 38 weeks per year (in some cases longer).

In England, you can apply for 30 hours childcare support when your child turns two years and 36 weeks, with a view to it starting when they are three.

To receive your 30 hours this coming school term, you need to set up a childcare account and apply by August 31

Applying takes about 20 minutes at the government website – you’ll need your National Insurance number – and you’ll have a decision on your eligibility within seven days.

Then you’ll receive a code to give to your childcare provider and the government will pay them direct.

After that, you simply have to reconfirm your details every three months.

Jordan, 21 – Universal Credit childcare support

Jordan, from Glasgow, tops up her daughter Kalia’s childcare costs through Universal Credit.

"I had my baby daughter Kalia at just 17, three months after I’d left school. I was pregnant at the prom!

"My first two years of motherhood were tough. Kalia’s dad and I split up. All my school friends were out being young – in the pubs and clubs. My life was very different and we grew apart.

"I wasn’t aware of the free two-year-old childcare offer at the time, which is a shame as that would have really helped.

"Then, in April of last year, by which time Kalia was three, my DWP work coach found me a place on a Ready4Employment course, designed to give people skills to enter the job market, with Rangers Charity Foundation.

"Slightly awkward as I’m a Celtic fan, but I wanted to get out of the house and Kalia was eligible for 30 hours’ free childcare.

"I loved the course and at the end Rangers offered me a six-month contract as a community assistant, working with young people who are disengaged from education. I’d not only have a wage coming in, I’d be accruing qualifications along the way.

My work coach explained that I could get up to 85 per cent of the extra childcare costs paid for through Universal Credit.

"The only problem was childcare – the 30 hours childcare support wouldn’t stretch to the five days I’d be in work.

"Then my work coach explained that I could get up to 85 per cent of the extra childcare costs paid for through Universal Credit.

"All I had to do was log screenshots showing the nursery payments in my Universal Credit journal – then the money would be added to my next monthly Universal Credit payment.

"It was perfect, and now my six-month contract has turned into a year-long apprenticeship with Rangers. I am also doing a business and admin MA in the meantime.

"I’m so happy and fulfilled, and the support to help cover the costs of childcare through Universal Credit means I can afford treats for Kalia, like our recent caravan holiday in Ayrshire. She loved it.

"“Can you buy me a camper van for my birthday?” she asked me.

"Not quite, but I do give her some of the childcare money I get back from Universal Credit to put in her piggy bank so she understands the value of money.

"Being canny with money is such an important life lesson. For mums like me, that means finding out about the schemes designed to help us work while raising our children. I’m so grateful I enjoy a healthy life balance and bank balance."

Universal Credit childcare support: the facts

If you’re working and claiming Universal Credit, you could be eligible for help to cover up to 85 per cent of your childcare costs with Ofsted-registered providers for children aged 0-16 – that’s up to a monthly amount of £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children.

You can also, like Jordan, who is benefiting from 30 Hours Childcare Support, claim Universal Credit childcare support to pay for any additional hours used if required.

Log on to your Universal Credit account or speak to your work coach for more information. Eligibility criteria apply.

Find out how the government can support your family

There are a range of ways in which the Government can support families with childcare costs.

The best place to find out what you might be eligible for is the Childcare Choices website.

Don’t miss out: visit childcarechoices.gov.uk to find out more.

The Government is offering help for households.

Check what other cost of living support you could be eligible for at gov.uk/helpforhouseholds.

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