Family & Childcare · 6 min
The government help is real, but it's spread over several schemes. Most parents only hear about them by accident.
£1,000+
a month for a full-time baby place in many areas.
The 10-second version
With Tax-Free Childcare, every £8 you pay in gets a £2 top-up, up to £2,000 per child a year.
You: £8,000
Paid into your childcare account.
Government: £2,000
Added on top, for free.
It works alongside the free hours, but not with Universal Credit childcare.
Pick one. We'll show you where to look first.
Free hours aren't automatic. Apply before the term starts, and reconfirm every 3 months to keep the code.
9 months oldSchool age: free hours end
In a year, 30 hours a week covers:
38 weeks funded14 weeks you pay
Ready to dive deeper? The full Family & Childcare guide has the mechanics, worked examples and fine print.