Help with childcare costs - do you qualify?

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.

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.

Which 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 three and four
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.

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.

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 four 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 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 the Tax Credit Office and let them know if this happens.

Contact the Tax Credit Office

You can contact the Tax Credit Helpline on 0845 300 3900 or textphone 0845 300 3909 (open from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm seven days a week except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day).

If you're calling from overseas you can also contact the Tax Credit Office on +44 289 053 8192.

In this section...

Tax credits

Fill in the tax credits questionnaire to see if you qualify.

Tax credits - do you qualify?

Help with childcare costs - do you qualify?

How much can you get?

Which childcare qualifies?

When you can’t claim tax credits for childcare costs