Free Childcare Calculator UK

Use the Free Childcare Calculator to estimate how many government-funded childcare hours your family may receive. Eligibility depends on where you live, your child’s age, employment, income and other household circumstances.

Childcare schemes differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The calculator provides an indication only, and eligibility must be confirmed through the relevant government service or local authority.

How does the Free Childcare Calculator work?

The calculator uses your location, child’s age, employment and household circumstances to identify the funded childcare scheme that may apply.

Depending on the information supplied, the estimate may show:

the potential number of funded hours each week
the equivalent annual funded hours
when the child may become eligible
whether working-parent income conditions appear to be met
an illustrative value based on the childcare rate entered

The calculator does not issue an eligibility code, reserve a childcare place or guarantee that a provider has capacity. Parents must complete the official application or local authority process.

How many free childcare hours are available in England?

Eligible working parents in England can receive up to 30 funded hours a week for children aged from 9 months to 4 years, while all 3 and 4-year-olds receive at least 15 hours.

English entitlement	Funded provision
Eligible working parents with a child aged 9 months to 4 years	1,140 hours a year, usually 30 hours a week for 38 weeks
All 3 and 4-year-olds	570 hours a year, usually 15 hours a week for 38 weeks
Eligible 2-year-olds receiving additional support	570 hours a year, usually 15 hours a week for 38 weeks

The working-parent entitlement incorporates any universal or additional-support hours for which the child also qualifies. A child does not normally receive 30 working-parent hours plus a separate 15 universal hours.

The current rules are explained in the official GOV.UK Free Childcare for Working Parents guidance.

Who qualifies for 30 hours of free childcare in England?

The 30-hour working-parent entitlement generally requires the child to be aged from 9 months to 4 years and each working parent to satisfy minimum and maximum income conditions.

For a couple, both partners normally need to be working or starting work. A single parent must normally meet the employment and earnings conditions individually.

For applications under the current rules, each working parent generally needs to expect earnings equivalent to 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage applying to their age.

Parent’s age or status	Minimum weekly equivalent	Minimum over three months
Age 21 or over	£203.36	£2,643.68
Age 18 to 20	£173.60	£2,256.80
Under 18 or an apprentice	£128.00	£1,664.00

These are gross earnings figures. Different treatment can apply to irregular earnings, recently established self-employment and specified periods of statutory or family-related leave.

What is the £100,000 income limit?

A family is not eligible for the English working-parent entitlement if either parent expects adjusted net income above £100,000 for the current tax year.

The limit applies separately to each parent rather than to combined household income. A couple where each parent has adjusted net income of £80,000 may satisfy the upper-income condition, while a family where one parent has £101,000 and the other has no income normally will not.

Adjusted net income is not necessarily the same as salary. It can include employment income, profits, pensions, savings interest, dividends and other taxable income, with adjustments for matters such as certain pension contributions and Gift Aid donations.

The entitlement is lost where expected adjusted net income is over £100,000, not merely on the amount above the limit. Parents near the threshold should use a careful full-year estimate.

Can one parent be out of work?

A couple may still qualify where one parent works and the other receives a specified disability, incapacity or caring benefit or is on an eligible type of leave.

Relevant exceptions can include a non-working partner who receives:

Carer’s Allowance
the Universal Credit carer element
the Universal Credit limited capability for work element
contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
Incapacity Benefit
Severe Disablement Allowance
specified National Insurance credits

Parents on maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental, sick or annual leave can also be treated as working in qualifying circumstances. The rules can depend on whether the application relates to the child for whom the parent is on leave.

What free childcare is available for all 3 and 4-year-olds?

Every 3 and 4-year-old in England is entitled to 570 funded hours a year, normally taken as 15 hours a week over 38 weeks.

This universal entitlement does not depend on the parents being employed or meeting an income test. The childcare must be delivered by an approved provider.

The hours normally begin from the term following the child’s third birthday and continue until the child starts reception or reaches compulsory school age, if later.

Child’s third birthday	Universal entitlement can normally start
1 January to 31 March	Term beginning on or after 1 April
1 April to 31 August	Term beginning on or after 1 September
1 September to 31 December	Term beginning on or after 1 January

Which 2-year-olds can receive 15 funded hours?

Some 2-year-olds in England qualify for 15 funded hours because their family receives specified support or because the child meets a separate care or disability condition.

Eligibility can arise where a parent receives a qualifying benefit and satisfies any applicable income limit. For Universal Credit claimants, the family’s annual net earned income generally must not exceed £15,400 for this entitlement.

A child may also qualify where they:

receive Disability Living Allowance
have an Education, Health and Care plan
are looked after by a local authority
have left care under an adoption order
have left care under a special guardianship order
have left care under a child arrangements order

The application process can differ from the working-parent scheme and may be handled by the local authority.

Illustrative free childcare calculation

In this illustrative example, 1,140 funded hours valued at an assumed private rate of £8 an hour represent up to £9,120 of childcare provision over a year.

Illustrative assumptions: the family lives in England; the child is aged 2 and has reached the relevant entitlement start date; both parents are aged over 21, meet the minimum earnings requirement, and each has adjusted net income below £100,000. The provider offers the full 30 hours for 38 weeks and otherwise charges £8 an hour.

Calculation stage	Amount
Funded hours each week	30 hours
Funded weeks	38 weeks
Total funded hours	1,140 hours
Assumed private hourly rate	£8.00
Illustrative value of funded hours	£9,120

The £9,120 figure is an illustrative comparison, not a government payment to the parents. Providers receive funding through their local authority, and the saving may differ from the provider’s normal private fee.

Can the funded hours be stretched across the year?

A provider may offer fewer funded hours each week over more than 38 weeks, provided the total annual entitlement is not exceeded.

For example, 1,140 annual hours could theoretically average approximately 21.9 hours a week over 52 weeks. A provider does not have to offer this exact pattern, and closures or term dates can affect how stretched provision is arranged.

Annual entitlement	Term-time pattern	Illustrative 52-week average
570 hours	15 hours for 38 weeks	Approximately 11 hours a week
1,140 hours	30 hours for 38 weeks	Approximately 21.9 hours a week

Parents should ask providers whether they offer term-time, stretched or blended arrangements before relying on the calculator’s weekly conversion.

Does free childcare cover every provider charge?

The funded entitlement covers approved childcare hours but does not necessarily cover meals, nappies, trips, consumables or additional privately purchased hours.

Providers cannot normally make payment of optional extras a condition of accessing a funded place. They can charge for genuinely additional services, and parents should receive clear information about what is voluntary.

The word “free” refers to the funded early education and childcare place. It does not guarantee that the family’s complete nursery or childminder invoice will be nil.

When does free childcare start?

Eligibility normally starts from a specified term after the child reaches the qualifying age and the parent has obtained a valid code where one is required.

For the working-parent entitlement, parents can apply from when the child is 23 weeks old. The childcare itself cannot begin before the child reaches the applicable age and entitlement date.

Application deadlines generally fall before the beginning of the January, April and September terms. Missing a deadline can delay funded hours until the following term.

Parents should not assume that eligibility can be backdated to cover private childcare fees paid before a valid entitlement began.

How is eligibility maintained?

Working parents must normally reconfirm their details through their childcare account every three months to keep the entitlement code valid.

Reconfirmation checks whether the employment, income, household and residence conditions continue to be met. Parents should respond even if nothing has changed.

A grace period may temporarily protect a funded place after eligibility ends. Its duration depends on the reconfirmation date and local arrangements, and it should not be treated as a permanent extension.

Can free childcare be combined with other support?

Funded hours can be combined with Tax-Free Childcare and, in appropriate cases, Universal Credit childcare support, but the same childcare cost cannot be reimbursed twice.

Tax-Free Childcare can help with eligible costs outside the funded hours, such as additional nursery sessions or approved wraparound care. Universal Credit can reimburse a percentage of eligible childcare costs paid by qualifying claimants.

A family cannot normally receive Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit childcare support at the same time. The better option depends on earnings, childcare costs and the wider Universal Credit award.

What applies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate separate early learning and childcare schemes, so the English 15-hour and 30-hour rules should not be applied across the UK.

Scotland provides funded early learning and childcare through local authorities for all eligible 3 and 4-year-olds and certain 2-year-olds. Wales operates the Childcare Offer and separate early education arrangements. Northern Ireland provides funded pre-school education and other childcare support under its own rules.

Eligibility ages, annual hours, working conditions, application dates and provider arrangements differ. The calculator should use the location selected rather than assuming the English entitlement applies.

Common free childcare calculation mistakes

Common mistakes include treating 30 hours as a year-round weekly entitlement, adding universal and working-parent hours together and using household income for the £100,000 test.

Multiplying 30 hours by 52 instead of using the 1,140-hour annual entitlement.
Assuming a child can receive 45 funded hours by combining separate English schemes.
Using salary rather than adjusted net income for the upper-income test.
Combining both parents’ income before applying the £100,000 limit.
Missing the termly application deadline.
Failing to reconfirm eligibility every three months.
Assuming every provider offers stretched provision.
Expecting meals, nappies and optional activities to be included automatically.
Using English rules for a family elsewhere in the UK.
Treating the illustrative value as a cash payment.

What are the calculator’s limitations?

The calculator provides an indicative entitlement and value but cannot confirm an application, provider place, local funding arrangement or treatment of every exceptional circumstance.

The estimate may not fully account for foster care, immigration status, irregular earnings, new self-employment, statutory leave, parental separation, children living across households, grace periods or local authority decisions.

Any estimated saving depends on the hourly childcare cost entered. Government funding rates paid to providers differ by child age and local authority and are not necessarily the same as the provider’s private hourly charge.

The calculator does not issue or renew a childcare code. Parents must apply through the appropriate government or local authority service and give any valid code to an approved provider.

This calculator provides estimates only. Family circumstances, earnings, adjusted net income, entitlement dates, provider availability, charges and related reliefs differ, and the official childcare decision may not match the result shown; professional benefits or financial advice may be appropriate where childcare support interacts with Universal Credit or other schemes.