Can I get free childcare and help with nursery fees?

Yes – many parents can get free childcare hours or help with nursery fees and this guide explains free childcare for working parents and benefits such as Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit.

At a glance

• You may be able to get free childcare hours from the government.
• You can use Tax-Free Childcare to top up what you pay.
• Universal Credit can cover up to 85% of childcare costs.

What you’re entitled to depends on:

• your child’s age.
• where you live.
• whether you’re working.
• your income.

Am I eligible for free childcare?

You might be eligible if:

• you have a child in a certain age group.
• you’re working (for some schemes).
• your income falls within certain limits.

Each part of the UK has slightly different rules, so it’s important to check what applies where you live.

What’s available varies across the UK:

• England: Up to 30 free hours a week for eligible working parents.
• Scotland: 1,140 funded hours a year (around 30 hours/week).
• Wales: Between 10 and 30 hours depending on eligibility.
• Northern Ireland: Around 12.5 hours a week for 3-4-year-olds.

What is the cost of UK nursery fees?

• The amount of childcare funding that parents receive is very different across England, Scotland and Wales.
• It wouldn’t be accurate to calculate an average nursery fee for the whole of the UK.
• Fees data highlighted in this article comes from the charity Coram’s Childcare Survey 2026.

How can working parents get help with childcare fees?

If you’re working, you can usually combine different types of support:

1. Free childcare hours
Government-funded hours based on your child’s age and where you live.

2. Tax-Free Childcare
For every £8 you pay, the government adds £2 (up to £2,000 per year per child).

3. Universal Credit
If you’re eligible, this can cover up to 85% of your childcare costs.

What are England’s free childcare hours?

Free childcare hours in England

• Since September 2025, eligible working parents in England can get:
• 30 hours of free childcare per week.
• These hours are usually available for 38 weeks a year (term time).
• You can start using the hours in the term after your child turns 9 months old e.g:
• 1 January or
• 1 April or
• 1 September.

Extra support for 2-year-olds

• Some disadvantaged two-year-olds can get:
• 15 hours a week.
• 570 hours a year.

• Childcare support is for 38 weeks a year (same as school term-time).

To find out if you qualify, you can read about the 30 hours offer in England and the

How much is nursery in England?

Age Group	Hours per Week	Funding Eligibility	Average Weekly Cost	Notes
Under 2	25 (part-time)	Not eligible for 30 hours	£188.75	—
Under 2	25 (part-time)	Eligible for 30 hours	Free (term time)	May still pay for extras.
Age 2	25 (part-time)	Not eligible for funding	£174.85	—
Age 2	25 (part-time)	Eligible for funding	Free (term time)	—
Age 3-4	25 (part-time)	Eligible for funding	£67.20	—
Under 2	50 (full-time)	Eligible for 30 hours	£148.82	—
Age 2	50 (full-time)	Eligible for 30 hours	£140.72	—
Age 3-4	50 (full-time)	Eligible for funding	£132.72	—

What are Scotland’s free childcare hours?

All 3-4-year-olds can get:

• 1,140 funded hours per year (around 30 hours a week in term time).

• Some 2-year-olds may also qualify, depending on circumstances.

How much are nursery fees in Scotland?

Age Group	Hours per Week	Funding Eligibility	Average Weekly Cost	Notes
Under 2	25 (part-time)	No funding	£133.08	—
Age 2	25 (part-time)	No funding	£133.30	—
Age 3-4	25 (part-time)	1,140 hours/year funded	Free	Free under funding entitlement
Under 2	50 (full-time)	No funding	£259.10	—
Age 2	50 (full-time)	No funding	£259.68	—
Age 3-4	50 (full-time)	1,140 hours/year funded	£112.33	—

What are Wales’ free childcare hours?

All 3-4-year-olds

• At least 10 hours a week of funded early education.
• Available for 48 weeks a year.
• This is from the term after your child turns three until full-time education.

Working parents

• Up to 30 hours a week under the Childcare Offer for Wales.
• Includes both education and childcare.

Disadvantaged families

• Up to 12.5 hours a week through the Flying Start programme.

How much is nursery in Wales?

Age Group	Hours per Week	Funding Eligibility	Average Weekly Cost
Under 2	25 (part-time)	No funding	£163.33
Age 2	25 (part-time)	No funding	£166.01
Under 2	50 (full-time)	No funding	£325.12
Age 2	50 (full-time)	No funding	£329.84
Age 3–4	50 (full-time)	Funded (Childcare Offer for Wales)	£134.29

What are Northern Ireland’s free childcare hours?

• Around 12.5 hours a week for 3-4-year-olds.
• Available in the year before starting school.
• Provided through the Pre-school Education Programme.

Support for younger children

There’s no universal funded offer for 2-year-olds, but some families can get help through:

• Sure Start (for disadvantaged areas)

What is Tax-Free Childcare?

Tax-Free Childcare helps you pay for childcare if you’re working.

• For every £8 you pay, the government adds £2.
• Up to £2,000 per year per child.
• Up to £4,000 if your child has a disability.

You’ll need to set up an online childcare account to use it.

You must set up a childcare account online which is used to pay your childcare provider. You pay into the online Tax-Free Childcare account and the UK government makes the top-up payment.

To apply for Tax-free childcare, click here 

What is Universal Credit?  

Working families across the UK with children under 17 can also benefit from claiming Universal Credit to get up to 85% of your childcare costs paid.

The limit on how much childcare parents can claim is:

• £1,071.09 for one child per month.
• £1,836.16 for 2 or more children per month.

Child amount	2026/27 Rates
First child (born prior to 6 April 2017)	351.88
First child (born on or after 6 April 2017 / Two or more children (where an exception or transitional provision applies)	303.94

This benefit can help you with the additional costs of raising a disabled child.

Disabled child extra amount	Rates 2026/27
Lower rate for disabled	164.79
Higher rate for severely disabled	514.71

To be eligible, you must be in paid work or have an offer to start work.

To apply for Universal Credit click here 

Can I get Childcare Vouchers?

Childcare vouchers are closed to new applicants.

You can only use them if:

• you joined before October 2018.
• you’re still with the same employer.
• your employer still runs the scheme.

Most parents now use Tax-Free Childcare instead.

Now that you know how much childcare costs, you can read nursery reviews and search for nurseries here.

How do I apply for help with nursery fees?

 To get funding, you must use an approved childcare provider, such as:

• a school or children’s centre
• a nursery or pre-school
• a childminder

Each UK nation has its own regulator:

• Northern Ireland regulator – Early Years Teams.
• England regulator – Ofsted.
• Wales regulator – Care Inspectorate Wales.
• Scotland regulator – Care Inspectorate.

FAQs