In this section:
- Help with childcare costs - do you qualify for extra tax credits?
- Help with childcare costs - do you qualify for extra tax credits?
- What is registered or approved childcare for tax credits?
- Children with disabilities - can you get extra tax credits?
- Can you get tax credits if you're not the child's parent
Help with childcare costs - do you qualify for extra tax credits?
If you work and pay for childcare you may be able to get tax credits to help with the costs. You usually have to work for at least 16 hours a week to qualify. You may still qualify if you worked 16 hours or more before going on maternity, paternity, adoption or sick leave. You can claim as soon as you start paying childcare costs and only for the amounts that are actually paid by you.
On this page:
- How much can you get?
- What childcare qualifies?
- When you can’t claim tax credits for childcare costs
- Can you claim if you don’t work 16 hours a week?
- How to claim help with childcare costs
- Contact the Tax Credit Office
- More useful links
How much can you get?
You can get help with up to 80 per cent of your childcare costs - subject to a maximum limit in the amount of childcare costs you can claim each week.
If you pay childcare for:
- one child, the maximum childcare cost you can claim is £175 a week
- two or more children, the maximum cost you can claim is £300 a week
This means that the maximum help you can get for your childcare through tax credits is:
- £140 a week for one child
- £240 a week for two or more children
The actual amount you get will depend on your income - the lower your income, the more tax credits you can get.
What childcare qualifies?
You must use registered or approved childcare. This can include childcare provided by nurseries, childminders, foster carers, out of school hours clubs and nannies. There are different registration and approval rules for each part of the UK. It’s important you check that your childcare provider meets these rules before you make a claim for tax credits to help with your childcare costs.
What is registered or approved childcare for tax credits?
When you can’t claim tax credits for childcare costs
You can't claim help through tax credits for childcare costs for any of the following:
- The amount your employer pays you towards your childcare costs - either in cash or in vouchers. This includes vouchers in return for a reduction in your pay (known as a ‘salary sacrifice’).
- Childcare costs met by your local authority (or your local education authority) for early learning or nursery education for your child. An example of this could be where your local authority in England meets the cost of the 12.5 hours a week free early years education for children aged 3 and 4.
- Payments you get from the government towards your childcare costs because you are a student or you are starting work.
You can still claim for any childcare costs that you actually pay for yourself. So for example if your employer pays only some of your childcare cost in vouchers, you can make a claim for the rest of the cost.
Can you claim if you don't work 16 hours a week?
If you're a lone parent
If you're a single parent you must work 16 hours or more a week to claim help with childcare costs.If you're part of a couple
Generally you and your partner must both work 16 hours or more a week to claim help. Only one of you has to work 16 hours or more if one of you is:
- ill or disabled and claiming disability benefits
- in hospital
- in prison - serving a custodial sentence or remanded in custody awaiting trial or sentence
If you're on maternity, paternity or adoption leave
You can claim tax credits to help with childcare costs if immediately before you went on leave you were working 16 hours or more and any of the following apply:
- you get maternity allowance
- you’re on ordinary maternity or adoption leave
- you are in the first 13 weeks of additional maternity or adoption leave
You can also claim help with childcare costs for the two weeks you are on paternity leave.
Find out more about how maternity, paternity and adoption leave affects your tax credits
If you're off sick
You can claim help with childcare costs if all of the following apply:
- you’re off sick for 28 weeks or less
- you must have been working at least 16 hours a week immediately before going off sick or were on maternity or adoption leave immediately before going off sick (as long as you were working at least 16 hours a week before taking that type of leave)
- you are getting one of a number of state benefits, for example Employment and Support Allowance or Statutory Sick Pay, or National Insurance Credits because you have limited capability for work (that is your illness or disability affects the amount and type of work you can do).
If you don't return to work after 28 weeks you may not qualify any more. It's important you let us know if you don't go back to work after 28 weeks.
Learn more about tax credits when you can’t work due to illness
How to claim help with childcare costs
You can only claim help with childcare costs if you've already arranged your childcare. You can't claim in advance.If you're making a new claim
If you're making a new claim for help with childcare costs you need to fill in page 4 of the tax credits claim form. If you haven’t already got your claim form, you can get one by ringing the Tax Credit Helpline on Tel 0845 300 3900.If you're already receiving tax credits
Your circumstances may change and allow you to claim for help with childcare costs. For example you may:
- return to work and start paying for childcare
- change your childcare provider to one that's approved or registered
Call us and let us know if this happens.
Contact the Tax Credit Office
If you need more help you can call the Tax Credit Helpline which is open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The numbers you can ring are:
- tel 0845 300 3900
- textphone 0845 300 3909 - if you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment
If you're calling from overseas you can also contact the Tax Credit Office on Tel + 44 289 053 8192.
More useful links
Changes to childcare arrangements
