Childcare costs: How much do you pay in Northern Ireland?

If you are a parent wanting to know how much is nursery in Northern Ireland, this article highlights childcare costs in Northern Ireland.

Nursery fees in Northern Ireland can vary depending on the age of your child, the region, and whether nursery fees are paid monthly or weekly.     

How much is nursery in Northern Ireland?  

In Northern Ireland, the average cost of a full-time nursery place for a child under five years-old is £14,148 a year (£1,179 per month), according to the 2023 Northern Ireland Childcare Survey by Employers for Childcare.

How much does childcare cost in Northern Ireland?      

According to the NI Childcare Survey Report 2024 (published May 2025) with Northern Ireland’s Statistics Research Agency (NISRA):

The Median childcare fee (for 1-41+ hours per week) is £225 per month per child (0-11 years old).
Average full-time childcare fee (31-40 hours per week) is £630 per month per child (0-11 years old).
 
Here is a table of the average monthly cost of childcare per child according to a child’s age in Northern Ireland.

Age	Median childcare cost paid per month per child
Overall	£225
Less than one years old	£520
One year old	£500
Two-year-old	£477
Three-year-old	£415
Four-year-old	£190

Based on a survey of parents of conducted November- December 2024, the report revealed 44% of children aged 0-11 did not receive any form of childcare provision.  

How much are play groups in Northern Ireland?

A playgroup is a registered pre-school setting that provides early years education and play-based learning opportunities for young children.

Playgroups follow the Northern Ireland Pre-School Curriculum. Attendance is not mandatory, but many parents choose to send their children to playgroup as preparation for primary school. Staff are usually qualified early years practitioners. 

You must pay for a playgroup in Northern Ireland.

In 2025, the average cost of playgroup in Northern Ireland is on average £30 to £50 per week for part-time attendance (2.5 to 3 hours a day, 5 days a week).

You pay fees for a playgroup place unless your child is in a fully funded Pre‑school Education Expansion Programme (PEEP or PSEP) place.  Primary-age children in the year before compulsory education (starting Primary One) may be eligible for a funded part-time (2.5 hours per day, five days per week during term time) PEEP place. These funded places are available in playgroups and nurseries.

Some playgroups may charge extra costs even for funded places, e.g. registration fees of £25 a year and consumable fees of around £20 a month.  

What financial support for childcare is available for working parents in Northern Ireland?   

In Northern Ireland, all three and four-year-olds are entitled to 12.5 hours per week of funded pre-school education in their immediate pre-school year.

This is at least 12.5 free hours per week during term time. The universal funded childcare for 3–4-year-olds of 12.5 hours per week totals 475 hours a year.

Although two-year-olds are unable to access the 12.5 hours of free pre-school per week, the Sure Start programme may be available. Sure Start supports parents with children under the age of four living in disadvantaged areas of the country.

You can get up to £184 a month per child off your childcare costs with the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS).

NICSS was introduced in September 2024 for working parents and if your childcare provider is signed up to NICSS, you can get 15% off your childcare bill. From September 2025, the NICSS subsidy was extended to school-age children.

The NICSS subsidy is offered by eligible childcare providers participating in the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme.

How much can I save on nursery fees in Northern Ireland with Tax-Free childcare?  

When you pay your childcare costs through your Tax-Free Childcare account, you can get 20% towards your childcare bill because the Government tops up money in the account that you put in by giving £2 for every £8 you put in.

Working parents with children under the age of 12 (under 17 if they have a disability) can receive up to £2,000 a year per child to pay for childcare (up to £500 every three months).

For a child with a disability, you can receive up to £4,000 per year, or £1,000 every three months.

How much can I save from NICSS discount and Tax-free Childcare?

With NICSS and Tax‑Free Childcare, many families reduce their childcare costs by up to 35%.

According to Department of Education data (September 2024–March 2025), after applying the 15% NICSS subsidy and 20% Tax-Free Childcare discount, the average discount for a child in full-time childcare is £315 per month.

After the NICSS discount and Tax-Free childcare is applied, the average cost in Northern Ireland of full-time childcare (5 days a week £1,054 a month) is £739 per month per child. 

How much is Universal Credit childcare element?

The Universal Credit childcare element offered in the UK, provides financial support to help working parents cover childcare costs. If you’re eligible, you can claim up to 85% of your childcare costs, up to a maximum of:

Number of children	Maximum you can claim per month
1 child	£1,014.63
2 or more children	£1,739.37

What are Northern Ireland childcare costs by region?

There are differences in childcare costs depending on which region of Northern Ireland you are in. 

Monthly childcare costs per child (when compared to the NI median cost of £225) ranged from £136 in Causeway Coast & Glens Council to £288 in both Belfast City Council and Derry City & Strabane Council. These figures come from NISRA’s NI Childcare Survey 2024.
 

How much is a childminder in Northern Ireland?

The cost of a registered childminder is £9,776 a year. That’s £188 a week, according to the 2023 Northern Ireland Childcare Survey by Employers for Childcare. Childminders can cost £4.50–£6 per hour depending on region.

How much are after school clubs in Northern Ireland?

In 2025, the average cost of an after-school club for children under 5 in Northern Ireland is £8 to £12 per child per session (for a 2–3 hour after-school session).

Early years setting	Typical Daily Rate (2–3 hrs)	Weekly cost (5 days)
School-based after-school club	£8–£10	£40–£50
Private childcare provider	£10–£12	£50–£60
Community/voluntary setting	£6–£9	£30–£45

How much is the average cost of childcare in the holidays?

Holiday childcare refers to care provided during school holidays (e.g., summer, Easter), including holiday schemes, day camps, childminders offering full-day care and nurseries offering care in holidays.

The average cost of holiday childcare in Northern Ireland is £30 to £45 per day or £150 to £200 per week (full-time).

Type of Early years provider	Daily Cost	Weekly Cost (5 days: typical day 9am-5pm)
Private holiday scheme	£35–£45	£175–£225
Community/voluntary scheme	£25–£35	£125–£175
Registered childminder	£30–£40	£150–£200

How much does a nanny cost in Northern Ireland? 

A nanny in Northern Ireland costs on average £8-9 an hour, according to airtasker.com (August 2025).

How much is an au pair in Northern Ireland?

The recommended average cost of an au pair in Northern Ireland is mandatory ‘pocket money’ of £90 to £130 per week.

An au pair is not a professional nanny but is a young person who lives with your family, helps with childcare and typically works 25–30 hours per week. Au pairs get free room and board and meals.

Au pairs are not employees, so you don’t pay tax or NI, but you must follow working hour limits and provide them with their own bedroom.

Food and accommodation is £50-£80 a week.  Optional extras (e.g. phone, travel pass, language course) can bring the total cost to £140-210 a week.

What about family childcare in Northern Ireland?

In Northern Ireland, Tax-Free childcare can be provided by a relative if they’re part of the childcare approval scheme and care for at least one other child that’s not a relative.

In Northern Ireland, a third (32%) of children aged 0-11 are cared for by grandparents or other relatives.  You could also look into whether a family member or friend can help look after your child. 

FAQs