UK tax-year tools
Tax-Free Childcare: can I get it, and how much?
For every £8 you pay into a childcare account, the government adds £2: up to £500 per child every 3 months (£2,000 a year), or £1,000 (£4,000 a year) for a disabled child. Check whether you qualify, what you would get on your own childcare bills and until when each child counts.
Check what you would get
Add your details to see what you would get
- Add your expected earnings: the minimum is £2,643.68.
- Child 1: add the date of birth.
How the top-up works
You pay into an online childcare account and pay your provider from it. For every £8 you put in, the government adds £2, so it covers 20% of the bill. The limit is per child, for each 3-month period:
| Child | You pay in | Government adds | Provider bill covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any child, every 3 months | £2,000 | £500 | £2,500 |
| Disabled child, every 3 months | £4,000 | £1,000 | £5,000 |
Above those bills the top-up stays at its limit and you pay the rest yourself.
Who can get it
- Your child must be 11 or younger, or 16 or younger if disabled. In law the child counts until the Saturday of the week that contains the 1 September after their 11th birthday (16th if disabled).
- A disabled child is one who is certified blind or severely sight-impaired, or gets Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment, or (in Scotland) Child or Adult Disability Payment.
- You and your partner must usually be in work, employed or self-employed. Sick leave and annual leave count, and so do maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and neonatal care leave. If you are starting or going back to work you can usually apply.
- If you are not working, you may still qualify when your partner works and you are eligible for Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer's Allowance (Carer Support Payment in Scotland), contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance or National Insurance credits.
- Neither of you may expect adjusted net income over £100,000 for the tax year, foreign income included.
- You need a National Insurance number and British or Irish citizenship, settled or pre-settled status (or an application waiting for a decision), or permission to access public funds. Your partner needs a National Insurance number too.
The minimum you must earn
You and your partner must each expect to earn at least 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for your age, on average, over the next 3 months. With the rates from 1 April 2026 that is:
| Age | Hourly rate | Over 3 months | Per week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 or over | £12.71 | £2,643.68 | £203.36 |
| 18 to 20 | £10.85 | £2,256.80 | £173.60 |
| Under 18, or an apprentice | £8 | £1,664 | £128 |
- If you are paid irregularly, or you are self-employed and will not earn enough in the next 3 months, you can use your average over the tax year instead: £10,574.72 a year at 21 or over.
- If your self-employed business started less than 12 months ago, there is no minimum.
- Earnings from several jobs add up. Dividends, interest, property income and pension income do not count.
Who cannot get it
- You cannot claim for a child who does not usually live with you, or for a child you foster.
- You cannot claim if you or your partner get a childcare bursary or grant.
- You cannot get it at the same time as Universal Credit or childcare vouchers: you choose one.
Universal Credit or childcare vouchers?
Which is better depends on your situation; the GOV.UK childcare calculator compares them. If you move from Universal Credit, wait for the decision on your Tax-Free Childcare application before you cancel your claim. If you move from childcare vouchers or directly contracted childcare, tell your employer within 90 days of applying so they stop them, and keep evidence such as your letter to them. Your partner must do the same if they get vouchers.
What you can pay for
Registered childminders, nurseries and nannies, after-school, breakfast and holiday clubs, registered schools and home care workers from a registered agency. Extras such as nappies, meals and trips count when the provider supplies them. The provider must be signed up to Tax-Free Childcare: ask them before you apply.
Applying and keeping it
- You need your National Insurance number (and your partner's), your Unique Taxpayer Reference if you are self-employed, the UK birth certificate reference number for each child if you have one, and the date you started or will start work.
- In England, applying also checks whether you can get Free Childcare for Working Parents.
- Company directors may need to show wage slips, bank statements or similar evidence of the minimum earnings.
- Every 3 months you must sign in and reconfirm your details, or the top-ups stop.
Last verified:
How this checker works
The calculator applies the Childcare Payments Act 2014, The Childcare Payments (Eligibility) Regulations 2015 and HMRC guidance on GOV.UK: each parent’s status and expected earnings against 16 hours a week at their minimum wage over 3 months (rates from 1 April 2026), the £100,000 adjusted net income limit, each child’s last qualifying day (the Saturday of the week with the 1 September after their 11th birthday, or 16th if disabled) and a top-up of 20% of the bill up to £500 per child every 3 months (£1,000 if disabled). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.
Sources
Checked on 26 September 2026.
- Tax-Free Childcare (GOV.UK)
- Tax-Free Childcare: check if you're eligible (GOV.UK)
- Tax-Free Childcare: Universal Credit and childcare vouchers (GOV.UK)
- Apply for Tax-Free Childcare (GOV.UK)
- Confirm your details every 3 months (GOV.UK)
- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (GOV.UK)
- The Childcare Payments (Eligibility) Regulations 2015, regulation 5 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Childcare Payments Act 2014 (legislation.gov.uk)