Childcare Costs & Support Calculator

See your real childcare cost after Tax-Free Childcare's 20% top-up and funded free hours — plus a clear warning if you're near the £100,000 income cliff that can cost a family thousands in one go.

Estimate only. This calculator gives estimates for information only, not financial advice. Tax-Free Childcare and free-hours eligibility depend on your exact circumstances — always confirm on the official childcare-choices.service.gov.uk service.

Your childcare

Childcare cost per child, per month

Number of children in childcare

Both parents working (or the sole parent, if single)?

Your adjusted net income (annual)

Roughly your salary before tax, minus pension contributions and Gift Aid.

Partner's adjusted net income (annual)

Leave at £0 if you're a single parent.

Any child has a disability (raises the Tax-Free Childcare cap)?

Funded hours per week

Average hourly childcare rate

Used to value the free hours — UK average is around £6.50/hour, but nursery fees vary a lot by area.

This assumes the same monthly cost, Tax-Free Childcare cap and free-hours entitlement apply equally to every child entered — figures are estimates, and eligibility rules (ages, income tests, employment status) have more detail than this calculator can capture.

Enter your childcare details

Your net cost after Tax-Free Childcare and free hours appears here as you type.

Getting the most from childcare support

• Tax-Free Childcare usually beats old-style childcare vouchers for most working parents — check which one you're on if your employer historically offered vouchers.
• You must reconfirm your Tax-Free Childcare eligibility every 3 months, even if nothing has changed — missing this pauses your top-up.
• If your income is close to £100,000, increasing your pension contribution via salary sacrifice reduces your 'adjusted net income' for this test — it can be the difference between full support and none at all.

How UK childcare support works

Two schemes do the heavy lifting: Tax-Free Childcare adds 20p for every 80p you pay in (up to £2,000 per child per year), and funded “free hours” cover 15–30 hours a week in term time for eligible working parents. Both are lost entirely if either parent’s adjusted net income exceeds £100,000 — a cliff edge, not a taper — so a pension contribution that brings income back under £100,000 can be worth thousands. Reconfirm your eligibility every three months.