Here is some advice on finding more affordable childcare options for your family.
Where to find affordable childcare over the summer holidays
Councils across the country offer cheap holiday club programmes and activities for at least a few weeks over the summer holidays. The best way to check out cheap holiday clubs and childcare options in your area is to visit your local council’s website. There may be free options and there might be discounts if your child attends for a full week, or subsidies for low-income families.
For children who are eligible for free school meals in England, the government has rolled out its holiday activities and food programme. Councils will provide free holiday club places to children whose families are receiving qualifying benefits.
Kids on free school meals can get at least 16 days of free childcare and a nutritious meal through the holiday activities and food programme. The scheme may be run as a holiday club in its own right, or children may be offered free places in holiday clubs that already exist. It’s up to your local council how they choose to run the programme. Your local authority will have more details.
Wales has its ‘Food and Fun’ School Holiday Enrichment Programme, which provides healthy meals, education sessions and sporty activities to children living in deprived areas in Wales.
There are no longer comparable schemes across Scotland or Northern Ireland, but your local council may well be offering its own affordable childcare options.
There might be shorter activity programmes if you need to entertain your kids for just a couple of hours, or full days for parents who need childcare cover for the whole working day. Often, holiday clubs will be run at local schools so it’s worth checking with your child’s school if there is anything happening over the summer holidays.
If your child has special education needs, council holiday clubs should have the provisions to give your child one-to-one support and there may be discounted places – but you will need to check with the playscheme organisers to make sure they have the resources to give your child the necessary support.
Libraries, museums and leisure centres often run affordable activity groups too. Contact your local family information service via your council to find out what affordable childcare is available locally.
A useful resource to find childminders and nannies near you is Koru Kids. There are options for full days of care, part-time care and a mixture of both. These nannies are vetted, DBS checked and trained in childcare and first aid. You can also use the website Yoopies to find affordable childcare services (along with tutoring, pet care and cleaning while you’re at it). Prices range so you might have to search the database for the best childminder or nanny for you.
How to get tax-free childcare over the summer holidays
Families with children under 11 receive extra financial support with the government’s tax-free childcare scheme. It means families can claim back money on their childcare costs, and it can be used in term time or over the school holidays.
It covers childminders, nurseries, nannies, after school clubs and play schemes – essentially, anything that is approved as childcare (it won’t cover family or friends helping with childcare, for example).
For every £8 you spend on childcare, the government pays you £2. You can receive up to £2,000 per child per year – that’s up to £500 every three months.
Families with disabled children get extra support. You can receive up to £1,000 every three months (up to £4,000 a year). You can also use it to help pay your childcare provider so they can get specialist equipment for your child such as mobility aids.
It is available to working parents who are earning under £100,000, but over the next three months you and your partner must be expecting to earn at least £2,379 if you’re aged 21 or over (it’s less if you’re aged between 18 and 20, or carrying out an apprenticeship).
Tax-free childcare is different from the 15 hours free childcare and 30 hours free childcare schemes. You can get both if you are eligible for both, although the free childcare schemes are for younger children, most of whom will be yet to reach school age.
If you are eligible for tax-free childcare, you’ll have to set up an online childcare account for your child. Parents and carers can apply through the government’s website.
People who are receiving universal credit, tax credit or childcare vouchers are not eligible – and accessing the tax-free childcare scheme would stop your benefits.
How much childcare can you claim on universal credit?
People on universal credit can claim back up to 85% of their childcare costs. This only applies to people whose annual family income is less than £40,000, who are working (both must be working if you are a couple), and who pay for childcare such as holiday clubs.
The most you can get each month is £1,014.63 for one child and £1,739.37 for two or more children. To find out exactly how much you could get, try a benefits calculator.
You need to be either in paid work or starting a job within the next month. If you’re on sick leave or maternity, paternity or adoption leave, you may also be eligible.
It is advised that you pay your childcare costs up front and claim the money back as part of your payment, but you can get extra support to pay the costs upfront if needed. You can claim back up to three months of past childcare costs at a time.
Universal credit claimants should report childcare costs in your online account. You can do this when you first make a claim, or at any point in your claim. The government encourages you to report childcare costs as soon as you pay for them, because if you leave it for longer than two months, you might not get the money back.
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