Your summary
Funded childcare30 hoursa week, 38 weeks a year
Total£16,320
Funded hours£9,690
Tax-Free Childcare top-up£1,326
You pay£5,304
That is 1,140 funded hours a year, worth about £9,690 at your provider's rate. Spread over 48 weeks it is about 23.8 hours a week. You pay about £5,304 a year for the rest, after Tax-Free Childcare.
3 or 4 years oldWorking parent hoursEngland
THE COMPLETE PICTURE
Your results in detail
Funded hours a year1,140
Value of funded hours£9,690
Childcare cost before help£16,320
You pay£5,304About £442 a month
What we assumed
- Nation
- England
- Funded weeks
- 38 a year, can be stretched
- Childcare
- 40 hours for 48 weeks at £8.50
- Tax-Free Childcare
- Used for the rest
Not right for you? Change it under More options.
Your childcare bill, split
A year of childcare and who pays for it.
Funded hours£9,69059%
Tax-Free Childcare top-up£1,3268%
You pay£5,30433%
| Item | A year |
|---|---|
| 40 hours × 48 weeks × £8.50 | £16,320 |
| Funded hours | −£9,690 |
| Tax-Free Childcare (20%) | −£1,326 |
| You pay | £5,304 |
Worth knowing
Applying and keeping your place.
Reconfirm every three months
You get a code to give your provider, and must reconfirm your details every three months through your childcare account. Missing it can mean losing the place.
Apply the term before
Apply for the working parent hours before the end of the term before your child becomes eligible. Funding starts on 1 January, 1 April or 1 September.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The schemes differ. In Scotland every 3 and 4-year-old, and some 2-year-olds, get 1,140 hours a year whatever their parents' work.
England, 2026/27. Not financial advice.