£2,000 in government funding available to help with childcare costs

Families could save up to £2,000 a year towards their childcare costs to help pay for October half-term holiday clubs and wraparound care during the school terms, reminds HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

More than 391,000 families saved money on their childcare costs in June 2022, worth a total of £41.6 million in top-up payments, and HMRC is urging thousands of other families to not miss the chance to save up to £500 every 3 months, or £1,000 if their child is disabled.

Families can sign up to Tax-Free Childcare to help pay for holiday clubs, before and after-school clubs, childminders and nurseries, and other approved childcare schemes. It is available to families with children up to the age of 11, or 17 if their child has a disability.

The government will pay 20% of childcare costs by topping up the money paid into a Tax-Free Childcare account. This means for every £8 paid into the online account, families will automatically receive an additional £2 in government top-up.

Families can find out more about Tax-Free Childcare via the Childcare Choices website.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

Tax-Free Childcare can make a big difference to families, helping with the bills for things like holiday clubs, nurseries, childminders and after school clubs. It’s easy to register – search ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ on GOV.UK.

For thousands of families who use Tax-Free Childcare, the money they save each month on their childcare costs is money that goes back into their pockets. Accounts can be opened at any time of the year and can be used straight away, money can be deposited at any time and used when needed. Any unused money that is deposited can be simply withdrawn at any time.

More than one million families in the UK are entitled to some form of government childcare support and the government is encouraging those eligible to not miss out on their entitlements. Families can find out what childcare support is best for them via Childcare Choices.

Further information

For more information about Tax-Free Childcare and how to register.

Parents and carers could be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they:

• have a child or children aged up to 11. They stop being eligible on 1 September after their 11th birthday. If their child has a disability, they may get up to £4,000 a year until they are 17
• earn, or expect to earn, at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average
• each earn under £100,000 per annum
• do not receive tax credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers

Latest Tax-Free Childcare statistics were released on 17 August 2022. Data is available up to June 2022.

HMRC has produced a refreshed Tax-Free Childcare guide for parents, which explains the reasons and benefits for signing up to the scheme.

Each eligible child requires their own Tax-Free Childcare account. If families have more than one eligible child, they will need to register an account for each child. The 20% government top-up is then applied to deposits made for each child, not household.

Account holders must confirm their details are up to date every three months to continue receiving the government top-up.

Childcare providers can also sign up for a childcare provider account via GOV.UK to receive payments from parents and carers via the scheme.

The government is offering help for households. Check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support, including help with childcare costs, you could be eligible for.