Help with childcare costs (England)
Information on the support available for help with childcare costs and the Government’s proposals for reform.
This information should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice. Read the disclaimer.
UK-wide support
Support from education providers
Education providers receive funding which they distribute to students in financial need. This funding might be known as hardship funds or learner support funds in England, hardship funds or the Financial Contingency Fund in Wales, discretionary funds in Scotland, and support funds in Northern Ireland.
This funding can be used to pay for childcare costs. Students should speak to their university or college to understand what might be available.
Benefit support
Most full-time students are not eligible to claim Universal Credit, but there are some exceptions, including for students who are responsible for a child.
Students who want to check what benefit support they may be eligible for should seek advice from a professional welfare specialist. Welfare rights advisers can be found using the postcode finder on the Advice Local website.
Tax Free Childcare
Under the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme, a parent or carer pays funds for childcare into a TFC account. The Government then tops up each £8 paid in with an extra £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 per child, per year (or £4,000 per year for a disabled child). Money in the TFC account can then be used to pay for approved childcare for any child under 12 years of age, or under 17 if they are disabled.
A parent/carer can usually only qualify for TFC if they, and their partner if they have one, earn at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week.
England
Information about childcare support is available on the Government’s Childcare Choices website and in the Library briefing Childcare: support with costs (England).
Free childcare entitlements
In England, the free childcare offer comprises:
- 15 hours of free childcare. All three- and four-year-olds are entitled to 570 hours of Government-funded childcare a year, often taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year. Some disadvantaged two-year-olds are eligible for the ‘15 hours of free childcare’ if certain conditions are met, including if their parents are in receipt of certain benefits or they have an Education, Health, and Care Plan.
- 30 hours of free childcare. Some three- and four-year-olds may qualify for a further 570 hours of funded childcare. To be eligible, a person, and their partner if they have one, must usually expect to earn at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week.
Higher education students
Full-time undergraduate students with children under 15, or under 17 if the child has special educational needs, may be eligible for a Childcare Grant towards their childcare costs.
The Parents’ Learning Allowance is additional funding for eligible full-time students with children that can be used for everyday costs of study, such as books, study materials, and travel.
Medical and dentistry students may be eligible for the Childcare Allowance, Dependent’s Allowance, and Parent Learning Allowance elements of the NHS bursary. Students on certain pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate healthcare courses, including midwifery and nursing, may be eligible for Parental Support from the NHS Learning Support Fund.
Postgraduate students in receipt of a Social Work Bursary may be eligible for the Childcare Allowance and Parents’ Learning Allowance.
Further education students
Help with childcare costs for further education students aged 20 or older is provided through Learner Support funds, which are administered by individual providers.
Students under 20 years of age at the start of a publicly funded further education course with children may be eligible for weekly payments through the Care to Learn scheme.
Wales
Free childcare entitlements
Three- and four-year-olds in Wales can get a maximum of 30 hours a week of early education and childcare for 48 weeks of the year. The entitlement is available to parents enrolled on an undergraduate or postgraduate course, or a course delivered by a further education institution, that is at least 10 weeks in length.
Flying Start is an Early Years programme for families with children under four years of age who live in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Wales. The programme comprises four elements, including free part-time childcare for two and three-year-olds (up to 12.5 hours a week).
Higher education students
Full-time undergraduate students with children under 15, or under 17 if the child has special educational needs, may be eligible for a Childcare Grant towards their childcare costs.
The Parents’ Learning Allowance is additional funding for eligible full-time students with children that can be used for everyday costs of study, such as books, study materials, and travel.
Students in receipt of a NHS bursary might be eligible for Dependent’s Allowance, Childcare Allowance, and Parent’s Learning Allowance. Students in receipt of a Social Work Bursary might be eligible for a Childcare Grant and additional funding towards study costs.
Scotland
Free childcare entitlements
All three and four-year-olds are entitled to 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare a year. More funded hours may be available in some local authority areas. There is no requirement for parents to be in work.
The funded childcare offer is available to some two-year-olds, including if they have experience of being in care.
Higher and further education students
The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) provides childcare funds to universities for students to help towards the cost of registered or formal childcare costs. The Scottish Funding Council provides funds to colleges. The childcare funds comprise:
- Discretionary Childcare Funds for all students with formal registered childcare expenses.
- The Lone Parent Childcare Grant (LPCG) for lone parents with formal registered childcare expenses while studying.
Students should contact their university or college for more information. Higher education students who are lone parents may also be eligible for the income-assessed Lone Parents’ Grant from SAAS.
Paramedic, nursing, and midwifery students may qualify for the Single Parent’s Allowance and Childcare Allowance from SAAS as part of the Paramedic, Nursing, and Midwifery Student Bursary.
Additional benefit support
Students who live in Scotland, who are entitled to certain means-tested benefits or tax credits and have children under 6, may be eligible for Scottish Child Payment.
These students might also be eligible for support from a Best Start Grant or Best Start Foods.
Northern Ireland
Free childcare entitlements
Children in Northern Ireland are entitled to 12.5 hours per week of free pre-school education for 38 weeks of the year in the year before they start compulsory education. Parents can only use the funded hours to secure a pre-school place (usually comprising 2.5 hours per day, five days per week during term time).
Higher education students
Full-time undergraduate students with children under 15, or under 17 if the child has special educational needs, may be eligible for a Childcare Grant towards their childcare costs.
The Parents’ Learning Allowance is additional funding for eligible full-time students with children that can be used for everyday costs of study, such as books, study materials, and travel.
Students studying on health professional courses may qualify for additional allowances, including support with dependents.
Further education students
Parents aged between 16 and 20 studying at a further education college can apply to the Care to Learn scheme for help with childcare costs.
Disclaimer
The Commons Library does not intend the information in this article to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. We have published it to support the work of MPs. You should not rely upon it as legal or professional advice, or as a substitute for it. We do not accept any liability whatsoever for any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein. You should consult a suitably qualified professional if you require specific advice or information. Read our briefing for information about sources of legal advice and help.