Help with childcare

[Bec90]

Hi,

I'm a single mum, I currently don't pay for childcare as I get help from family at the moment but I will be putting my daughter in nursery in the next few months

I get £70 a month Universal Credit , I have a
Mortgage so no help with that, and I'm not entitled to the 15 hours free, only the 30 when she's 3

Online it says I may be entitled to up to 85% of my childcare costs if she is in nursery etc

Is there anyone similar to me who currently get help with their childcare costs through Universal Credit ? If so do you just tell them what you pay each month then get some back ? Is it possible I won't get any help at all?
Thanks for any help anyone can give x

It depends on how much you earn. I'd use the entitledto calculator as a rough guide

I am in a similar position - single mum, mortgage so no help towards housing, the only universal credit I get is towards childcare.

You have to upload copy invoices and copy bank statements each month to the portal. You find out at the end of the month how much help you will get towards childcare. It's very hard to tell sometimes how much you will get each month. One month they deemed that I'd had two wages in (I hadn't, just got paid slightly early one month!) so didn't get any help that month.

My incomings are roughly £1650 a month. Childcare on average about £500 a month. I tend to get about £280 back in childcare from universal credit.

However - it makes things very hard when you have an expensive childcare month. This month my childcare will be roughly £800 due to half term, so I need to find the money upfront and claim back after.

It is hard. But doable.

Hi

Thanks for that , very helpful , it's all so confusing as you can't work anything out up front can you

I earn £1250 a month and I get £70 a month UC

Do you get anything a month UC or is it purely childcare ? I wasn't sure if I would be entitled for help with childcare if I didn't get a UC payment ? If that makes sense? X