To wonder what percentage of your wage goes on childcare?

[Loopylala7]

My DC attends nursery 2 days a week, and soon DC2 will be joining them. I've worked out that it will cost us a 3rd of our combined wage, and thats before mortgage, water, electric, gas, council tax etc, etc, etc. We are not entitled to any working credits. Whilst this is pretty depressing, we realise we are lucky as we have the support of 2 sets of GPs who each look after our DC a day a week.

This got me thinking, what percent of a wage do you spend on childcare? I have some friends who practically loose their entire wage having to put their DC in for 4 or 5 days! seems crazy but unavoidable.

Wondering if there is the 'fuel poverty' equivalent - 'childcare poverty' and what what percentage would class you as being within the 'childcare poverty' band?

[Iggi999]

"Just" a fifth, which is slightly more than our mortgage. Would be brilliant to have some help from families.

[HicDraconis]

None - DH works school hours from home so he does it all.

[Failedspinster]

About a fifth currently for 3 days pw for DS1, aged 2. I'm currently on mat leave with DS2 and am due to return to work in February, when DS2 will also be in childcare, taking it up to about a third of my wage. I should be able to claim tax credits then though, which I couldn't with DS1.

[ZingOfSeven]

YANBU to wonder

but I think if you are interested in numbers maybe this should have been posted in Chat, no AIBU.

[MissYamabuki]

1/6 of our joint income (1/4 of my income). This is more than our mortgage BTW.

[Antidote]

Double our mortgage.

About 1/4 of our combined income.

That's 2 DC, one at preschool with 2 extra sessions above the paid ones, and a full time nanny.

On my to do list is sorting the salary sacrifice stuff for childcare.

[Aebj]

With ds1 I would of had to of paid 60% of my wage. When ds came along I would of has to use 100% of my wage. ( low paid dental nurse). Dh earns just over the cut of point of any help. Which sounds great but then we have to pay full for everything. This is why I became a SAHM . Now work school hours in child care around my boys . Still crap pay but at least I only work school hours term time and loose nothing to child care

[nooka]

When my two were small and we had a full time live out nanny just under half of our joint income. Now as teenagers, nothing. We both worked for the long term gain (and because neither of us were very keen on babies). It was an anticipated expense, and as we were both on good wages (and mortgage free at that point) we weren't poor. dh has had periods as a part and full time SAHD since then but we are both working full time again now.

As we had our children very close together the childcare cost hit was only really high for a few years, after that we had the free nursery hours and then moved to wrap around care costs.

[bigkidsdidit]

80% of one of our salaries (we earn the same). Thank god ds1 goes to school next year!

[Lushlush]

It's only school hols it mounts up in my case. Termtime it is around one twelfth or so and then during holidays it is a lot more. Summer holidays is the absolute killer which was why I got really depressed back in August as I had no holiday as usual but I am determined to plan properly for next year!

[Mouthfulofquiz]

Luckily ours a comes out before tax due to an agreement between employer and nursery so what would be approx £1400 per month is more like £600 or so. This is for 4 x 7-3 sessions per week. And the thing is, I never leave them in that long anyway! I could get away with 8:15-1:45 if they did such a session.

[Mouthfulofquiz]

Sorry - I didn't answer your original question there did I? It's around 11%. Mortgage is mahoosive though.

[CrohnicallyAnxious]

2/3 of my wage, 1/5 of combined- I only work (and pay for childcare) part time.

[CrohnicallyAnxious]

Meant to say, that's more than the mortgage on our old house.

[fairylightsintheloft]

just over 1/4 of our combined wage and just less than our mortgage. Its starting to come down now as DD is 3 and has her 15 free hrs. I don't begrudge it though - the CM is lovely and not raking it in. Her hourly rate is really low, its just we have 2 DCs and use her for about 40 hrs a week. We are fortunate that we are well enough paid that it is "worth" it. I do think it would be a tough decision if it virtually wiped the wage of one parent.

[wintersdawn]

It would have been 100% of my wage so became a sahm instead

[3bunnies]

None - I changed my job when expecting dc2 as my entire pay would have gone on childcare and commuting (although nursery actually paid from dh salary for tax break). I mainly work from home and some Saturdays, used to fit in around naps, in evenings but have taken on more work and moved to daytime now dc3 is in school. Everyone still forgets that I work.

[18yearsoftrying]

2 afternoons of nursery will use up 33% of my take-home pay.

Works out cheaper to do 1 full day of nursery but due to the nature of my job I can't change shifts.

I was hoping GP's would look after child one pm a week as well but both sets have refused as they've just retired. Took us 18 yrs of IVF to make this baby (privately funded) & now it's like no-one cares

DH's company hasn't paid him his contracted full salary for 6 mths but if they did, the nursery fees would take 15% of total household take-home pay.....for 10 hrs c/care a week.

[mimishimmi]

Both in school now but if I had both in a nursery, it would cost us more for each child than the reception year at the most exclusive private school here in Sydney, Australia. Average in the city is $120 a day which means $600 a week each for full-time - the equivalent of £322 each child each week. A nanny for more than one costs about the same at $25 an hour.

[MrsHathaway]

Around 60% - but that 40% is very worth having and I work very part time.

Also, for me, work = sanity so it would be worth it right up to 99% andppossibly beyond.

[meglet]

In term time it's hardly anything, the dc's only have one after school session a week and I get tax credits to cover 70% of that.

However in school hols it's almost 100% of my wage. As I discovered to my horror this summer, tax credits won't change payments for childcare that lasts less than a month. So next year I've got to get the dc's into summer childcare on the very first day of the hols and book the last session on the last day so tax credits can cover it. I'm still paying off my credit card. Gingerbread are trying to get it changed because the current inflexibility totally shafts LP's who have huge childcare increases for just short periods.

[Groovee]

I had a 6 year career break, the first year I broke even. The second year dh had to help as it was 10% above my wage. The 3rd year got 50% to me. Until the 7th year when it went to 25% as ds went to high school. Now I no longer have any childcare to pay. It's been hard but worth it x

[MegBusset]

In term time, 1/3 of my wage. In the holidays more like 1/2. That's just for wraparound care for two school age DC. It's depressing!