Childcare costs 🥲

[Anonymouskitty]

Hiya

Is it going to be 30 hours free childcare for all those over 9 months from September 2025 please?

My nursery have said from September 2025 the 30 hours will only be for 2+ year olds, although this doesn't match with what I've read.

I'm worried a little as I can just about afford it with the 30 hours , not the 15. Is it definitely 30 hours?

Thanks

A worried mum x

Not all, but yes those who meet the working parent requirements will do.

It could be that you nursery isn't accepting the 30 hour funding until they are 2 years old?

Yes it's 30hours from September for 9m onwards. The nursery im applying for is only listing the 15 hours at the moment, which is confusing so I rang the childcare line to confirm we qualify.

Do they mean they will only provide the 30hours for 2 year old?

Not all nurseries are offering it, lots of them simply can’t afford to, so although yes it is being rolled out for 9 months+ from September that doesn’t mean your nursery will be offering it x

Nurseries can choose which of the schemes they want to opt into. They can also choose how they offer those hours, so there is often a fair bit of topping up to be paid if the hours they offer don't align with the hours you need.

Some local authorities may not have decided how much funding to pass on to their local providers yet, so providers don't know if they will be financially in a position to use funding.

Thank you everyone. I'm praying they will offer it as its going to break me otherwise, but I need to stay in work to be able to pay my bills. I know a lot of people are in the same boat :/ xx

If they have said they won’t offer it I’d start looking at other childcare options that will now.

Are you already using the nursery OP? Just if not it’s worth you checking what the fees will be even if they do offer the funded hours because it isn’t actually 1 free hour = 1 hour, it’s better to think of it as “discounted” rather than free. You almost always have to pay a top up & for consumables on the days you use funded hours so even a “fully funded hour” day could be £30-35+

@Anonymouskitty I'm in the same boat, childcare will wipe out most of my wage otherwise. But I was told that you can combine the funding with the UC childcare to cover costs, if your entitled to that.

We use them already my toddler goes there we've just moved and he's very happy so I can't disrupt him again. Plus they're a lovely nursery so I'd rather not move. Just hoping it's an error on the receptionists part. Xx

Sadly it's unlikely to be an error. Nurseries can't afford to offer this on the pitiful funding they receive. The sector warned about this when they rolled out the policy. It was never properly funded whatever the feel good headlines implied at the time.

The funding for 9 months to 2 years isn’t actually that bad. The gov pay 11 pounds something an hour - the amount reduces when they turn two and then reduces again when they turn three. So I would be very surprised if they aren’t accepting these three hours if they are accepting free hours for older children. I strongly suspect the receptionist has got it wrong. Presumably the nursery have somebody who deals with finance and you could ask them?

I’m going through the same thing! I couldn’t figure it out (as I thought what I read in the press about free hours, meant free hours) a but every nursery is different and if you want the “best deal” you might have to shop around for it.

For instance my nursery has minimum hours (so you have to top up the hours anyway, you can just do the 15 hours) and they have chosen to apply the 30 hours to over 2 year olds.

Really struggling with balancing it out and figuring out what works and what wouldn’t. As I’m only back part time, it feels like everything I earn all go towards childcare.

Are you sure that nursery will agree with "funded" hours? I'm in London, every single nursery has waiting lists and the easiest way to be no1 - paying full price. They'll leave "funded" hours as a last option even for kids who are already there from 9 months old. It's business, not charity.

I know it's not charity. We pay our way. They have done funding so far for the 15 hours so just hoping they will increase it in line with the 30 hours. We already pay a heavy consumables charge to I imagine top them up as the funding isn't enough.