Paying for childcare after maternity leave

[katiee1999]

Hi everyone,

I was supposed to be going back to University in September (after having my baby who is now 3 months old) but I've decided that it would be best for me to go straight into work, or maybe even take on a higher apprenticeship, purely because university just isn't for me. However, how on earth do people go about paying childcare costs? My local nursery gets away with charging parents over £800 for a place. The government were willing to pay 80% of my childcare costs if I went back to university, but obviously I'd be going back for the wrong reasons if I did this. Can someone explain to me how they go about affording to work? I've read slightly into childcare vouchers but I also have no idea how these work, and I know not all employers offer these. I can imagine I'd only be on a salary of approximately £20,000 to begin with (at least), but I don't think I'm eligible for any other extra benefits. Hope someone can help.

Childcare vouchers have stopped so now it is tax free childcare. My nursery charges around £1300. We use the tax free childcare and also the bill comes from the joint account so that it is not only 'me' that is paying. Yes it's expensive but now that my dc has been going for over a year I think so so so worth it. It does get better with the 3 year reduction etc

Most people think about childcare etc before having a child. It shouldn't be a surprise that it costs a lot. £800 is far cheaper than what many pay out.

Childcare vouchers cant be applied for any more. You have to use the tax free childcare scheme through the government. For every 80p you pay into the account, 20p is added (up to £500 a quarter).

Are you a single parent and paying for the cost yourself? That makes it harder. People often work different hours e.g. work evenings when their partner or a relative can help, use relatives for childcare or sometimes have to wait until they are older. Some people do a job where they can have their child at home e.g. childminder, working from home in the evenings. It's not easy.

Childminders are usually a bit cheaper, but yes it is expensive. For a lot there isn't an incentive to return to work as it literally doesn't pay.

Do you have a partner, if so what do they earn? If you're single and on a low wage you probably will get some benefits towards childcare. Try putting likely figures in a benefits calculator (Google turn to us), that should give you an idea.

If you're in a couple, try to work diferent days or hours to reduce childcare need, use tax free childcare (20% off), then cost is split with partner.

Tax free childcare saves you 20%.

You're only responsible for half, baby's father should be paying half as well (unless you are single parent).

Its only for a few years until the funded hours kick in at 3yo (maybe 2yo if you would get some benefits).

As other ms have said, tax free childcare saves you 20%. But yes, it’s really expensive.

How come you didn't investigate childcare costs a bit earlier. My nusery is £800 a month full time (which is actually on the cheaper end of the spectrum). We use childcare vouchers - but these don't exist to new applicants anymore. You need to use tax free childcare. If there are two parents you should be sharing the childcare cost. If you're a single parent or a couple on a low income you may be entitled to more financial childcare help from the gov.

£800! that's a bargain our nurseries are at least the minimum of £1000!

Not sure if you are single or not but DH and I are both on a low income but work around each other to save on childcare costs. We get 20% from the government and then once our DD is two it costs a bit less due to staffing ratios so it won't be for ever but we probably won't be going abroad for a couple of years.

Do you have a partner? If so, could one of work evening or weekends to save on childcare costs?
Currently, when a child is 3, they will get 30hrs free childcare (depending on earnings) so it's just trying to get through to that point. My plan is to work part time and use grandparents for the rest although CV may have thrown a spanner in the works there

Some horrible/rude replies on here! Only asking for a bit of advice and being asked why I didn't think of it earlier (unplanned pregnancy, was initially planning on going back to university where I would get a lot more help, but now I've changed my mind), and others making out as if £800 is a bargain? Haha! Ridiculous. Unfortunately £800 to me is still a whole lot of money, and unlucky for you if you're paying over £1000, but that's not what I asked. I'll keep off this forum from now on I think 🤣

The trouble is, that level of fees is not ridiculous

Yes you’ve had a bit of a jolt, but what you need to find is considerably less than the bill for many others. If you really want help, or even just a sympathetic ear, pause and think whether a sarcastic ‘ha ha’ is likely to get you that. Or alienate people

Are you solely paying the fees yourself OP- do you have a partner? If not it’s likely you will be entitled to additional benefits anyway- check out online.

Regarding how do people manage- a mix of some nursery days, family help and flexible working (usually between two parents). It’s hard though!

Unfortunately, £800 is a bargain for a month of full time childcare. Think about it, youre getting 10 hours a day, 5 days a week, 4.5 (av) weeks a month, that's about £3.50 per hour for someone to take care of your child, feed them, change them, play with them, cuddle them when they cry, teach them things etc - £3.50 an hour! Things can be a lot of money without being overpriced. Childcare is expensive because caring for a child is hard work. You're not being ripped off, any more than you'd be ripped off buying a house for market value.

If you're unable to afford to take care of your child without going back to uni then you might just need to go back to uni. Being a parent means making sacrifices, this won't be the last time you have to change your plans to do what's right for your little one.

It's costs money to pay staff to look after your child, £800 is quite cheap compared to the average full time cost. If you are on a low income there's government schemes to help with the cost

others making out as if £800 is a bargain? Haha! Ridiculous. Unfortunately £800 to me is still a whole lot of money,

Well it’s a whole lot of money for me as well, but it doesn’t stop it being a bargain for a full time childcare place.

@katiee1999 poor you for all the nasty comments you’ve gotten on here! Anyone can have a plan before having a child & that plan doesn’t work out. The main thing is that you’re willing to work & actually asking for advice on how that’s feasible with a child rather than scrounging on benefits & getting your childcare paid for you whilst you do nothing.

Good for you for working & earning a living! God love all these people who have life so figured out.

My local nursery gets away with charging parents over £800 for a place.

Gets away with?? You do understand you're paying for adults to look after your child for you? Nursery staff are lucky because minimum wage applies to them, but if you feel you want to pay someone less than minimum wage you could always try a childminder. We follow exactly the same Ofsted rules and regulations as nurseries after all. Our wages do not reflect the level of work expected of us or the huge responsibility involved, and I can assure you none of us intend to take advantage of you with our £6 per hour fees.

@Lolxx my thoughts exactly! Clearly some very sensitive women on here, it's laughable. Thankyou for your kind comment though 🥰

OP depending on your situation you may receive additional benefits do check

It came out the joint account and we cut our cloth accordingly and made sure contraception was watertight until we wanted another.
DC father is of course, responsible for half, of has the child half the week.
For us, when DC2 came along, I effectively worked for nothing for nearly three years. It's expensive, but children are. Very much worth it in the long term though.

Thank you so much for everyone who gave me the advice I asked for 😊 Like someone said, sometimes you have to take sacrifices for our little ones, and carrying on with University will probably open more doors for my future anyway I suppose. Maybe I'll give it another go. And @redredscab, I absolutely agree that nursery workers are overworked and I can't imagine the stress they must be under on a daily basis. My auntie is an ex nursery worker and she constantly explained how draining it is. I'm sure £800 may be a good price for what they offer, but unfortunately it's still a big chunk of money that it would take from me. I don't know why that's so hard for some women to understand. Never mind. Again, thanks for your help ladies 😄. Hopefully I won't get anymore unsolicited remarks/questions as to why I didn't think of this before I had my baby. I suppose the majority of women on here have it all worked out, lucky them

I think that you have maybe read the replies wrong in that the £800 is a bargain comment probably wasnt meant that its not a lot of money, more that full time childcare is more than that sometimes.
We use tax free childcare, and it's hard but its only for a short time as funding starts at 3. Most people need to just make sacrifices, we wont be having a holiday for the next 2 years, and cut back on a lot of unnecessary spending.
Are you a single parent, or do you have a partner who will be paying it too?

I found a childminder much cheaper.
Are you with the father still?
You may be eligible for some assistance from UC.
Good luck. It's all a bit of a minefield.