How much you can get
The government pays 20% of your childcare costs, up to £500 every three months (£2,000 a year) for each child. For a disabled child the limit is £1,000 every three months (£4,000 a year). With two children under 12 that can mean up to £4,000 a year towards nursery, childminders, breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday clubs.
You can only spend the money with childcare providers that are signed up to Tax-Free Childcare. Most registered nurseries, childminders and Ofsted-registered clubs are.
Who qualifies
- Your child is 11 or under. Support stops on 1 September after their 11th birthday (or 16th birthday if they are disabled).
- You — and your partner, if you have one — are working, including self-employed, and each expect to earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum or Living Wage over the next three months.
- Neither of you expects an adjusted net income over £100,000 in the tax year.
- You are not getting Universal Credit or childcare vouchers at the same time.
Some parents qualify even when not working — for example if one partner is working and the other gets certain benefits such as Carer's Allowance, or is on sick, parental or adoption leave.
How to apply
- Apply online through the government Childcare Service on GOV.UK — it's free and usually takes about 20 minutes.
- Once approved, open your childcare account and pay money in.
- The government top-up is added automatically. Pay your provider from the account.
- Reconfirm your details every three months, or the top-ups stop.
Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours
You can use Tax-Free Childcare alongside funded childcare hours. Many families use the funded hours for the core week and Tax-Free Childcare for extra hours, meals or holiday clubs. You apply for both through the same Childcare Service account.
Questions parents ask
Can I get Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit?
No, not at the same time. If you get Universal Credit you may be able to claim back up to 85% of childcare costs through Universal Credit instead. Compare both before switching.
What happens if I forget to reconfirm?
Your top-ups stop until you reconfirm. Any money already in the account stays there and can still be spent with your provider.
Can grandparents or employers pay in?
Yes. Anyone can pay into your childcare account, and the government still adds its top-up up to the limit.
You can apply for Tax-Free Childcare yourself, for free.
Everything on this page can be done directly with the government at no cost: Tax-Free Childcare on GOV.UK. We're an independent service and not affiliated with HMRC or the Department for Education.