How Can I Get Help With My Childcare Costs?
15 hours childcare for children aged 9 months and over
Starting in September 2024, eligible working parents with children aged 9 months and older will receive 15 hours of funded childcare support beginning the term after their child turns 9 months old. By September 2025, this entitlement will increase to 30 hours of funded childcare support for all eligible families.
How many hours am I entitled to?
Eligible children can receive 570 hours of funding per year for 15 hours per week or 1140 hours per year for 30 hours per week coverage. This can be used term-time only over 38 weeks or stretched across the year with fewer hours per week. Up to 10 hours a day can be taken with us.
Am I eligible?
Eligible children can start receiving their entitlement the term after they turn 9 months
- * If this falls between 1 September and 31 December, the funding will start in the spring term (January)
- * If this falls between 1 January and 31 March, the funding will start in the summer term (April)
- * If this falls between 1 April and 31 August, the funding will start in the autumn term (September)
There are a few factors that will determine your eligibility and for more information and entitlement assessments go to www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If you are eligible, the system will give you a code which is vital for setting to use to claim the funding for you. You must reconfirm your code every 3 months to remain eligible.
2 year old funding for families in receipt of benefits
Depending on your personal circumstances, your child may be entitled to 2 year old funding.
For more information please have a look at Childcare and Early Years Education | Children and Families | Hampshire County Council to find out if you are eligible. If so you can apply online or call 01962 847070 for more information.
Tax-free Childcare and 30 hours funding
Tax-free childcare and 30 hours childcare are two separate government schemes, to help parents with the cost of childcare.
To qualify for either scheme, parents must be working at least 16 hours per week at National Minimum Wage or Living Wage (for example over the next 3 months you expect to earn at least £1976 – the National Living Wage for people over 23 years of age) and not more than £100,000 per year.
Parents can use Tax-Free Childcare alongside the 15 and 30 hours funding but can’t use it at the same time as they receive childcare vouchers, universal credit or tax credits.
For further information go to 30 hours free childcare – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Tax-free childcare
Parents are able to open a new childcare account and for every £8 you pay into your account, the government will pay in an £2. You are entitled to receive up to £2,000 government support per child per year towards your childcare costs. Payments to the nursery are then made directly from this account.
30 hours funding
The extended entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds will support parents to get back into work, or work more hours. If you are eligible, you can get an additional 570 hours funding a year, so 1140 hours in total either taken as 30 hours per week term time or stretched across the whole year.
Tax credits and universal credits for childcare
Depending on personal circumstances some families will qualify to receive either tax credits or universal credit to help with the cost of childcare.
Childcare vouchers
If your employer offers childcare vouchers or arranges your childcare, you can get up to £933 a year in tax and National Insurance savings.
The amount you can get in childcare vouchers depends on how much you earn and when you joined the scheme. You pay for your childcare before tax and National Insurance deductions are made. You can’t use childcare vouchers at the same time as Tax-Free Childcare. Over time, Tax-Free Childcare will replace childcare vouchers and childcare arranged directly by your employer.
Flexibility
We endeavour to offer parents the greatest amount of flexibility in the way funding is accessed. We are able to offer 15 hours or 30 hours a week term time over 38 weeks or stretched across 51 weeks. We also offer flexible session times (subject to availability) allowing you to access childcare that meets your individual needs.
If your child attends for more than the funded time or uses the nurseries additional services, supplementary costs will be applied and are dependent on the sessions attended, (a copy of our additional service charges is available on request).
Regretfully, due to life threatening allergies within the nursery, we are unable to accept children’s food or drinks from home.
