Child care grant - am I missing something?

[HeyBungalowBill]

As a student parent I can apply for a child care grant which means something around 90% of my child care costs will be paid but I would have to stop claiming child tax credits.
This seems to work out as a brilliant deal for those putting a child in nursery Monday to Friday but as I'm only putting DS in nursery two days I don't think it's worth applying for.
My child tax credit is about £75 per week and the nursery cost is about £80 per week.
So am I right in thinking there's no point getting the child care grant?

Am I right? Am I missing something?

You will still get normal child tax credits but not the element for childcare as this is superseded by the childcare grant which is 85% of your childcare dependent on income.
Is the £75 your normal child tax credits or the specific part for childcare?

I would definitely apply for the childcare grant whichever way as it is a higher percentage than the tax credits version.

I'm sorry I'm confused!
I hope this helps:
I currently receive £75 per week normal child tax credits.
If I applied for the child care grant the child care may cost £80 and I'd have to pay 15% of that so it works out pretty much the same as the £75 I already receive?

As far as I know the child care grant means you can't claim for normal child tax credits? Or is it on top of that?

I think I have completely misunderstood!!
It says you can't claim the child care element of working tax credit, is this completely different to child tax credit?

Child tax credits are separate to the childcare element afaik. I get child tax credits but not the childcare element as I don't use paid childcare. If I was to use paid child care then I could apply for the childcare element on top of child tax credits.

Yes it is a separate part which you have to apply for if you have childcare costs.
So you will continue to get your £75 a week normal child tax credits and should get the 85% childcare grant so they will give you a grant for £68 of your childcare and you will have to pay the extra £12. Dependent on your income of course.

In your case you'd still claim child tax credits and also the child care grant, instead of claiming child tax credits and the childcare element of tax credits.

I've been so slack!
I assumed that meant my child tax credits would stop.
Thank you all for your replies, I'm very pleased about this as I was worried about affording university and this is one less worry

Just a word of warning op; you may find that you will need more childcare than you are anticipating (time in library, essay writing etc). I wouldn't have been able to complete all the work I needed to if I only used childcare for lectures/tutorials