Does ANYONE know the answer to this childcare question?!

[humotyd]

I’ve searched online a lot. It isn’t clear.

ds is 2 next November. Will I get any free hours then? And can I still use the 20 percent tax free thing for any bit I do have to pay? V v worried about affording it all

I think...

They will get 15 hours from the January?

You will definitely be able to use 20% tax free regardless

@NatMoz literally don’t know how I will pay for it 😩 not entitled to any help either so just trying to plan ahead

The funded hours for the 2 year olds will come in to place next April. You can use the funding from the September following their second birthday.
yes you can use tax free childcare alongside funded hours.

If the new childcare plan stays as it is and doesn’t get scrapped, then you should get 15 free hours. Note though that the ‘free’ hours are term time only so if you need year round childcare it’s less per week, and often there’s top up fees to pay as the funding isn’t enough to cover costs.

And yes your free hours will be from January, and you can use tax free childcare.

The changes are from April 2024

https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/upcoming-changes-to-childcare-support/

This website explains

They will get the hours the term after they turn 2, which will be January for a November birthday. The tax free can be applied at anytime, at any Ofsted registered childcare setting.

And if you are on a low income worth looking at universal credit purely for the childcare contributions

These are the upcoming changes

You won’t get the 15 free hours til the April after he turns 2 if he’s a November baby. Then I believe it’s 30 hours free from the September after.

Also worth noting it is 15/30 hours per week in term time. So actually less per week overall

Sorry I’ve said something incorrect there- it’s the term after the second birthday, so if your child is 2 November 2024, you can get the funding from Jan 2025.

Will caveat this by saying if you don’t have a Tory government by then, I should imagine labour will prioritise these funded hours as it’s a complete shit show (speaking as a childminder!)

Have you ran the figures through entitled.to? It's surprising how high the bar is on income to give some UC towards childcare.

What is your and dp/dh combined salary? And how much would the childcare be if no help towards it?

What counts as a ‘working family’? Our older kids only got 15hrs free, DD turns 2 on April 1st, so misses the cut off by a day, but from Sept 2024 she will apparently get 15 hours as a 2 year old from a ‘working family’? If we are in fact a ‘working family’?? Why is it all so confusing?

OP I’ve had 2 kids go through nursery already and still find it difficult to figure out 😭

Check with your childcare provider if they plan to do the new funded hours as many are not due the cost.

Also you will likely be charged for lunch and other things.
With 30 hours funded hours I still pay about £30 a day for 3 days a week stretched over the whole year for a 3 year old. Still better than my bill used to be.

I think it’s if you are both working a certain number of hours a week.

Both parents need to be working to qualify for the extra hours because it is childcare.

Whereas the universal 15 hours for three year old is early years education and no one needs to work to qualify for it

If it goes as the current system works funding will be the term after they turn 2... January 1st cut off. Any payment you make is still eligible for tax free or UC.