Child care nursury costs

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We can't afford any fees up front, and would be asking the government for help, how does this work and do you register your baby then get the money how does it work can't afford anything up front for care

I never used nurseries when my children were babies
I got a job at weekends when ds was 4 months old and dh looked after him
He also got a second job in the evenings
We had no money and an overdraft that meant all wages went on paying it off
We cut right back on spending and sold a lot of our possessions, including the car
Do you really need to decide now about returning to work?

Your hormones will be messing you up at the moment. If you go back a month to before you had the baby presumably you'd thought about it then, and probably in a more rational frame of mind - what was the plan then?

When do you have to go back to work? And have you clarified with the nursery exactly how much you will have to pay up front?

How long until you go back to work?

Did you not speak to a variety of nurseries in your area and ask about 1) availability, 2) fees and 3) payment terms, while you were pregnant?

If I were you, I'd forget about the nursery fees for the moment. Concentrate on getting used to baby and being a mum. That's a full time job!

Meanwhile, spend as little as you possibly can.

Then, when things are little calmer and not so new, speak with your HV or a Children's Centre about local nurseries or childminder options. Once you've got all the different permutations available to you, you can compare each of the charges against
a) the money you can gather together for the first month/deposit/registration fee and
b) the funds you'll have available from wages, tax credits etc.

Is there anyone you can talk this through with? Or anyone to mind the baby for an hour while you and DH talk about your options?

Have you checked your entitlement for working tax credits and help with childcare?

Alternatively what about a childminder? Some dont take deposits.

Sorry your feeling so stressed by everything. 7 days old is very early to be worrying about it. When you say 'asking the government for help', what do you mean? As far as I know, the entitlement to free childcare doesn't begin until 3 years old or 2 in some cases. Do you mean tax credits? I understand that in either case, the benefits received will not cover the whole cost of your bill. Have you thought about how you will pay the rest?

Please calm down OP - worrying about this when your baby is only 7 days old really isn't in your best interests.

Have you looked at a childminder? They are generally cheaper (mine is £4 an hour) and of the two I've used neither of them have asked for a deposit, I just paid them week by week.

What job do you do?
Can you reduce your hours or work weekends so your partner can look after the child so you don't have to use as much childcare?

Under the impression universal credit helps with childcare if both working

www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/universal-credit

You will accrue annual leave and bank holidays whilst you are on maternity leave. So if you had 9 months off you could accrue say 18 days of leave (if you have an annual entitlement to 24) and however many bank holidays you are off for. So May bank holidays x 2, August bank holiday x 1, Xmas and new year bank holidays x 3 giving you a total of 24 days leave.

If that is the case for you (do check) then arrange with your employer to tag this leave directly onto the end of your maternity leave. This means you will receive a paycheck at the end of the month just before you actually go back to work and your little one will be in childcare.

E.g.
Due back to work start of Feb.
Take annual leave for all of Feb
Get paid a month's wage at end of Feb
Pay nursery fees in advance with that pay
Little one starts nursery start of March and you start work then too

That's how I would do it if you genuinely cannot save for it across the 9 months off.

Are you currently entitled to benefits? Have you done the entitlement calculator to check that you're entitled to universal credit?

If your DH earns £1500 per month, and you also have a wage are you likely to qualify for universal credit? It was my understanding this benefit supported the unwaged / those on very low incomes although I admit I'm not an expert!

Is the problem that you cannot foresee how you will pay the first month in advance before your get paid your first salary after mat leave? In which case, plenty of good suggestions here for making that work. Or is the problem that you cannot see how you will pay the bills full stop, and have assumed that 'asking the government for help' is likely to result in the solution? Be aware though that even if you are claiming UC/tax credits, it will never cover 100% of the costs.

My own DH earns somewhere around what yours does, and my earnings fluctuate but are likely to be less than that when I return after maternity leave as I imagine I'll do less hours than I used to. We are entitled to zero benefits, other than child benefit, as far as I'm aware, and I have run the various eligibility checkers. I'm not a benefits expert by any means, never having relied on them, but please don't assume there's a guarantee that you'll get any help with childcare costs beyond the standard child benefit and childcare vouchers through my DH's employer.

sorry... that last sentence was two half thoughts! It should read ...child benefits and childcare vouchers through your employer or the new tax-free childcare scheme, which I believe offers an equivalent saving.

I paid using a credit card.

We had a deposit, a registration fee and a month in advance which was about £600 in total (dd goes 3 days every week).

Not ideal but all we could do at the time as we could barely make ends meet while on smp.

Well I type in all details and it says I'm entitled to some universal credit see the link not just for out of work

Have you checked your eligibility individually or as a couple? I'm pretty sure your DH wage will need to be taken into account. I'm not a benefits expert though, so if in doubt you should get proper advice from someone who is.

Your baby is still so young! 7 days is so early, I would really not stress about it for now. I totally get how that's easier said than done though. Concentrate on recovering from the birth, establishing feeding and bonding with your little one and don't worry about the nursery bill for now. It's horribly daunting to have this huge expense that you didn't have before but you'll figure it out because you have to, everyone does. That being said, maybe right now in the immediate aftermath of the birth, is not the best time to try.

On £1500 a month plus your wage you may possibly be entitled to some help with childcare through UC , however you will wait six weeks from application date and it will not be the full 85%.
You will have to save all your CB you have no choice.
Breastfeed if possible that will save money, use second hand cloth nappies and wipes.

I have tried to breastfeeding but I can't honestly, I can save about 50 a month honestly that all I can

All private nurseries charge fees for the month ahead, I'm afraid. You can only apply for tax credits once you starting actually having that cost, and you quote them the weekly figure.

You've had some really good advice. I'm not sure what anyone else can say. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but maybe you could have saved something whilst you were pregnant?

I'm a childminder and I would expect a deposit to be paid. I'm happy to negotiate but would need something to show commitment to take up a space I was holding. Also I charge in advance so you need to consider that.

Good luck.

Haven't fully read the thread but if you're illegible for the government funded free hours some nurseries waver the deposit 'If your child only does funded sessions there is nothing else to pay! No deposit! No registration fee' www.clarencehousenurseries.co.uk/blog/parent-information/funding-and-grants/

The OP has a newborn, going back to work after mat leave, not a three year old.

But if you're going to be eligible for some help towards childcare costs, you will already be entitled to universal credit payments.

If between you you earn too much to be entitled to those payments, you won't be eligible for help with childcare costs.

If you are currently receiving payments, then maybe try to save some of them to cover the first month's fees and speak to your benefits advisor to make sure you get the childcare payment as soon as possible after your DC starts at nursery.