Universal Credit childcare costs
If you pay for childcare while you go to work, Universal Credit can pay some of your childcare costs.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
If you pay for childcare while you go to work, Universal Credit can pay some of your childcare costs. This includes holiday clubs, after-school clubs and breakfast clubs. If you live with a partner, you both need to be working, unless your partner cannot look after your children.
How childcare costs payments work on Universal Credit
You have to pay for your childcare costs yourself. Then you report them to Universal Credit, and Universal Credit pays some of the money back.
You will only get the money back with Universal Credit after the childcare actually happens.
If you pay for childcare after it바카라 사이트檚 been provided, we usually pay back your costs in the same聽assessment period聽that you report them.
You should try to arrange monthly payments with your childcare provider and report those costs as soon as they are paid. This should mean your childcare costs are included in your Universal Credit every assessment period.
You may be able to claim previous childcare costs if you paid for them in your current assessment period.
You can also claim up to 3 assessment periods of future childcare costs at a time if you have paid聽these costs up front already, and you have proof of those costs. This includes the assessment period in which you pay the childcare costs.聽We pay these costs back over the assessment periods for which they apply. They will not be paid back in one lump sum.
Payments for childcare costs are included in your total Universal Credit payment
Your total Universal Credit payment can go up or down, depending on how much you earn from work in each assessment period. So, if you earn more than usual during one assessment period, your total Universal Credit payment might go down.
How much you can get
You can get up to 85% of childcare costs paid back to you. The maximum amount for each assessment period is:
- 拢1,031.88 for one child
- 拢1,768.94 for 2 or more children
Use a benefits calculator to see how much you might get.
Get help with the upfront cost of childcare
You normally need to pay for the childcare first. If you cannot pay that upfront cost, you might be able to get help with that.
You might be able to get help if you have to pay childcare costs upfront if one of the following applies:
- you바카라 사이트檙e starting work
- you바카라 사이트檙e increasing the hours you work, for example you바카라 사이트檝e moved from part-time work to full-time work
If you바카라 사이트檙e starting a new job, you may be able to get all your childcare costs paid for the first month.聽
If you바카라 사이트檙e increasing the hours you work, you may be able to get all your additional childcare costs paid for one month.聽
You may also be able to get help if you must pay a deposit or a retainer to your childcare provider.
To apply, you can:
- update your journal in your聽Universal Credit account
- ask a Universal Credit contact at your local jobcentre or your work coach
You will not have to pay the money back.
Who is eligible for Universal Credit childcare costs
You need to be either:
- in paid work
- starting a job in the next month
If you live with a partner, you both need to be in paid work, unless your partner cannot look after your children.
It does not matter how many hours you work 바카라 사이트� there is no minimum.
It must be paid work, so you바카라 사이트檙e not eligible if you are volunteering and only getting money for expenses.
If you바카라 사이트檙e on sick leave, you may also be eligible if you바카라 사이트檙e getting Statutory Sick Pay
If you바카라 사이트檙e on maternity, paternity, adoption or neonatal care leave, you may also be eligible if you바카라 사이트檙e getting one of:
- Statutory Maternity Pay
- Statutory Paternity Pay
- Statutory Shared Parental Pay
- Statutory Adoption Pay
- Maternity Allowance
- Statutory Neonatal Care Pay
You can claim childcare costs for all the children you바카라 사이트檙e responsible for, until the 31 August after their 16th birthday.
If your partner does not work but cannot look after your children
You can still claim childcare costs if your partner:
- has a health condition or disability which means they have limited capability for work (LCW) or limited capability for work related activity (LCWRA)
- cares for a severely disabled person (and is eligible for Carer바카라 사이트檚 Allowance)
- has to be away from home temporarily, for example in hospital
What childcare costs can cover
Your childcare must be with 바카라 사이트榬egistered바카라 사이트� childcare providers.
Usually that means they registered with OFSTED, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland or the Care Inspectorate Wales.
That could include nurseries, preschools, after-school clubs, breakfast clubs, childminders, nannies and holiday clubs.
Universal Credit will cover 바카라 사이트榬easonable바카라 사이트� childcare costs that help you work or get into work. That could include:
- a 바카라 사이트榮ettling-in period바카라 사이트� before you start work, so your child can get used to being in childcare
- childcare while you travel to work
- childcare in the assessment period after you lose a job
Childcare for changing work patterns or zero-hours contracts can also be considered 바카라 사이트榬easonable바카라 사이트�.
For example, if you have to pay childcare costs so that you are available to work your usual hours, and then you actually get less work hours than you expected, that바카라 사이트檚 considered 바카라 사이트榬easonable바카라 사이트�.
How to report your childcare costs
You usually report your childcare costs in your online Universal Credit account. You can do this when you first make a claim, or at any point in your claim.
Report them as soon as you pay for them.聽This must be within the assessment period you paid them, or the assessment period after. If you report childcare costs after this, you might not get the money back.
Evidence for your childcare costs
You will need to have proof of your childcare provider and payments.
As proof of your provider, you need a contract, invoice or letter from them showing all of these:
- their name, registration number, address and phone number
- the names of your children that they look after
- the type of childcare, for example after-school or nursery care
You only need to do this once per provider.
We might also ask to see proof of your payment showing:
- the dates of childcare you paid for
- how much you paid
- the date you made the payment
You can provide a paid invoice showing all of this, or a combination of:
- bank statements
- receipts from the provider
- invoices from the provider
How Universal Credit childcare works with other government childcare costs schemes
You might be able to use one of the other childcare costs schemes 바카라 사이트� .
You cannot get tax-free childcare if you are on Universal Credit.
Contact Universal Credit
If you need help to check if you are eligible for childcare costs, you can:
- contact Universal Credit
- ask at a jobcentre
Updates to this page
-
Clarified that you must report childcare costs within the assessment period you paid them, or the assessment period after. If you report childcare costs after this, you might not get the money back.
-
바카라 사이트楪et help with the upfront costs of childcare바카라 사이트� section: removed 바카라 사이트楩lexible Support Fund바카라 사이트� scheme name and details of the internal processes. The guidance is now more concise and in plain language, emphasises what the support is, and clarifies how long you can receive it for.
-
Added 'Statutory Neonatal Care Pay' to the list of payments and benefits you could receive to be eligible for childcare costs.
-
From 7 April, the maximum amount you can receive for childcare costs increased to 拢1,031.88 for one child, and 拢1,768.94 for 2 or more children.
-
From 8 April 2024 the most you can get back each month for childcare costs is 拢1,014.63 for one child and 拢1,739.37 for 2 or more children.
-
Updated the maximum amounts you can get towards childcare costs to 拢950.92 a month for one child and 拢1,630.15 a month for 2 or more children. Updated guidance on getting help with upfront childcare costs through the Flexible Support Fund. You can now get any payment for childcare costs you바카라 사이트檙e eligible for with your Universal Credit payment for the same month you get help from the Flexible Support Fund.
-
Added a link to a survey about the information on the page - we바카라 사이트檒l use what you tell us to improve the page.
-
Added translation