Save up to £2,000 a year on childcare for your new school starter

Hundreds of thousands of families who recently found out their little one's September primary school place, can use Tax-Free Childcare to save thousands on wraparound childcare and holiday club costs HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has said.

Many working families will now be arranging childcare for the start and end of the school day, and with Tax-Free Childcare they can get financial support of up to £2,000 a year per child, or £4,000 if their child is disabled, towards the cost.  

Visit GOV.UK to check eligibility and register for Tax-Free Childcare.

Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury said:

Through our Plan for Change, we are putting more money into the pockets of working people, worth up to £2,000 per year through Tax-Free Childcare. This will make it easier for parents to get back into work as we go further and faster to grow the economy.

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

Starting school can be an expensive time, there's a lot to buy and there's also a lot to organise. Now you know where your child is going to school you can start organising your childcare and Tax-Free Childcare can help make the costs more manageable. Sign up to start saving today on GOV.UK.

Tax-Free Childcare can be used to pay for any approved childcare so parents can arrange their childcare to suit them - whether that's wraparound care, a childminder, after school clubs or school holiday care.

Parents can use the scheme to pay for childcare for children aged 11 or under, or up to 16 if the child has a disability.

For every £8 deposited in a Tax-Free Childcare account, the government tops it by £2 which means parents can receive up to £500 (or £1,000 if their child is disabled) every 3 months to use to pay for their childcare costs.

Once an account is opened, parents can deposit money and use it straight away or keep it in the account to use it whenever it's needed. Any unused money in the account can be withdrawn at any time.   

The government's Plan for Change is putting more money in people's pockets and with Tax-Free Childcare, working families can save on their childcare bills by up to £2,000 per year per child or £4,000 a year if their child is disabled.

Families could be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they:   

• have a child or children aged 11 or under. They stop being eligible on 1 September after their 11th birthday. If their child has a disability, they receive up to £4,000 a year until 1 September after their 16th birthday   
• the parent and their partner (if they have one) earn, or expect to earn, at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average   
• each earn no more than £100,000 per annum   
• do not receive Universal Credit or childcare vouchers    

A full list of the eligibility criteria is available on GOV.UK.   

Tax-Free Childcare can be used alongside the free childcare hours subject to eligibility. 

Further Information

Latest Tax-Free Childcare statistics with data available up until December 2024 were released in February. 

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

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 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 3 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.