Do I have to pay for nursery on bank holidays? | Christmas and Easter

As the Christmas break approaches, many parents wonder why they’re still paying full nursery fees when the nursery is closed for bank holidays. It’s a question that pops up every year, especially when costs are already high and families are juggling time off, childcare and tight budgets.

So, do you really have to pay for nursery on Christmas bank holidays? And why do so many nurseries charge even when the doors aren’t open?

Bank holidays can cause childcare issues and here are the answers to parents’ most asked questions including why some nurseries ask families to pay on national holidays.

Are nurseries closed on bank holiday?

Most nurseries will close on bank holidays.

If they are open, they may change their opening/closing times depending on the time of year.

• Christmas Day and Boxing Day are both bank holidays but many nurseries will close for the whole Christmas week.

• While, over Easter, nurseries tend to close from Good Friday to Easter Monday.

Everything depends on the individual nursery. It is worth speaking directly with staff to find out what days and times they are open on bank holidays.

Do nurseries charge for bank holidays?

Nurseries are able to charge on the days when they are closed due to bank holidays. If a setting is closed any other days, they tend not to charge for this time or it will be accounted for in the average monthly costs.

If the nursery is open on bank holidays and you opt for your child not to attend on their regular days, you’ll likely still pay for the sessions.

Speak to your nursery to find out what their plan is for bank holidays. This gives you information about how payment works and ensures you have time to arrange alternative childcare if you need it.

Is it normal for nurseries to charge on bank holidays?

Many nurseries charge for bank holidays throughout the year, even if they are closed.

If your nursery does charge for bank holidays and you typically pay a monthly fee based on the days your child attends. You’ll typically be charged as usual, without any reductions for the day the nursery is closed.

If your nursery closes for bank holidays and doesn’t charge for it, your invoice will normally show the total amount with the bank holiday(s) deducted.

Why do nurseries charge for bank holidays?

Although paying for a nursery day that you can’t use seems unfair, nurseries do this to cover their own costs.

If a nursery doesn’t charge customers for bank holidays, it makes up for this loss in other ways, e.g. higher rates across the year.

However, it’s not always as simple as it seems. Nurseries will average the cost of your scheduled days over a set number of weeks across the year. This means your payments are spread equally across 12 months, regardless of attendance. Some do this for the whole 52 weeks of the year.

However, many nurseries will average the cost over fewer weeks. This is to account for days when your child doesn’t attend. For example, if a nursery averages the cost of your child’s scheduled days over 48 weeks, this leaves four weeks per year that you don’t pay for.

This takes into account days the nursery is closed (bank holidays) and days that your child doesn’t attend on their scheduled day.

Your payments will then be spread equally across the year. Therefore, the reductions are already included in your standard monthly payment (or however often you pay).

When your child joined the nursery, you would have signed a contract . This gives all the details of how fees work. If there is anything you’re unsure about, refer to this contract or speak to nursery staff.

Can I change my planned days if the nursery is closed on bank holidays?

This will depend on the policies in place at the nursery. Some nurseries will be more flexible, allowing you to switch your days if you would prefer to. You’ll usually still have to give a fair amount of notice though, so bear this in mind.

However, many nurseries won’t allow you to change your day because of bank holiday closures. If you want to book an extra session due to the closure, you’ll usually pay for the bank holiday day and an extra cost for the extra session. This will also be dependent on availability.

Childcare during the summer holidays

If your child’s nursery is term-time only, you may need to look for alternative childcare for the summer. This article covers the different options available during the summer holidays.