Updated for the 2026/27 tax year
Tax Free Childcare Calculator
You know how much your childcare costs. Enter your bill and see exactly how much to pay into your childcare account, and how much the government will add.
- £2 for every £8 you pay in: a 20% top-up
- Up to £500 every 3 months per child (£2,000 a year)
- Up to £1,000 every 3 months if your child is disabled
New to Tax-Free Childcare? See what you need to apply
How Tax-Free Childcare works
You can get up to £500 every 3 months (£2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year).
If you get Tax-Free Childcare, the government will pay £2 for every £8 you pay your childcare provider. This is paid via an online childcare account that you set up for your child.
Open a childcare account
Apply on GOV.UK and set up an online childcare account for your child.
Pay in 80% of your bill
Your payment usually appears in your childcare account within one working day, and the government's top-up is added at the same time.
Pay your provider
You must sign in to your childcare account every 3 months to confirm you're still eligible. If you do not, your Tax-Free Childcare will stop.
Worked examples
| Childcare bill | You pay in | Government adds |
|---|---|---|
| £250 | £200 | £50 |
| £1,000 | £800 | £200 |
| £3,000 | £2,500 | £500 (limit reached) |
What you can use Tax-Free Childcare for
You can use it to pay for approved childcare, for example:
- childminders, nurseries and nannies
- after school clubs, breakfast clubs and holiday clubs
You can also use it to pay for extras such as nappies, meals and trips, where these are supplied by your childcare provider.
Your childcare provider must be signed up to the scheme before you can pay them and benefit from Tax-Free Childcare. Check with your provider to see if they're signed up.
If your child is disabled
You can use the extra Tax-Free Childcare money you get to help pay for extra hours of childcare. You can also use it to help pay your childcare provider so they can get specialist equipment for your child such as mobility aids. Talk to them about what equipment your child can get.
Eligibility
You can usually get Tax-Free Childcare if all of these apply.
You're working
Employed, self-employed, or on sick, annual or parental leave. Your partner usually needs to be working too.
You earn enough, but not too much
At least £2,643.68 over the next 3 months if you're 21 or over, and no more than £100,000 adjusted net income.
Your child is 11 or under
Or 16 or under if they're disabled. They must usually live with you.
You're not on Universal Credit
You can't get it at the same time as Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.
Full eligibility details
Your eligibility depends on:
- your child's age and circumstances
- whether you're working
- your income (and your partner's income, if you have one)
- your immigration status
You cannot claim if any of the following are true:
- your child does not usually live with you
- you foster the child you're applying for
- you or your partner's expected adjusted net income is over £100,000 for the current tax year
- you or your partner get a childcare bursary or grant
If you are working or on leave
You can usually get Tax-Free Childcare if you (and your partner, if you have one) are:
- in work - you can be employed or self-employed
- on sick leave or annual leave
- on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave
- on statutory neonatal care pay or bereaved partner's paternity leave
If you're not currently working
You may still be eligible if your partner is working and you're eligible for any of the following:
- Incapacity Benefit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Carer's Allowance or (in Scotland only) Carer Support Payment
- contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
- National Insurance credits
If you're starting or re-starting work, you can usually get Tax-Free Childcare too.
Your income
Over the next 3 months you and your partner (if you have one) must each expect to earn at least:
- £2,643.68 before tax if you're aged 21 or over (£203.36 a week)
- £2,256.80 before tax if you're aged 18 to 20 (£173.60 a week)
- £1,664 before tax if you're under 18 or an apprentice (£128 a week)
This is the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week on average.
You can use an average of how much you expect to earn over the current tax year if:
- you work throughout the year but do not get paid regularly
- you're self-employed and do not expect to earn enough in the next 3 months
For example, you're eligible if you're 21 or over and do not have a regular income but earn £10,574.72 a year. This is the same as earning £2,643.68 every 3 months on average.
If you're self-employed and started your business less than 12 months ago, it does not matter how little you earn. You can still be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare.
If you have more than one job, you can use your total earnings to work out if you meet the threshold. This includes:
- earnings from any employment
- earnings from any self-employment
If you're both employed and self-employed, you can use just your self-employment income if this would make you eligible. For example, if you expect your average self-employed earnings over the tax year to be more than you'll get over the next 3 months as an employee.
Certain types of income will not count towards the minimum amount you must earn to be eligible. These include:
- dividends
- interest
- income from investing in property
- income from a pension
Your child
Your child is eligible until the September after they turn 11.
If your child is disabled, they're eligible until the September after they turn 16 and you may get up to £4,000 a year. They must:
- get Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Child Disability Payment (Scotland only) or Adult Disability Payment (Scotland only)
- or be certified as blind or severely sight-impaired
Your immigration status
To be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, you must have a National Insurance number and at least one of the following:
- British or Irish citizenship
- settled or pre-settled status, or you have applied and you're waiting for a decision
- permission to access public funds - your eVisa or UK residence card will tell you if you cannot do this
If you have a partner, they must have a National Insurance number too.
If you're living in an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you (or your partner if you have one) might still be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if:
- your work is in the UK
- the work started before 1 January 2021
- you've worked in the UK at least once every 12 months since you started working here
This is known as being a 'frontier worker'. You must show your Frontier Worker permit to the Childcare Service when you apply for Tax-Free Childcare.
If you get Universal Credit or childcare vouchers
You cannot get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as claiming Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.
Which scheme you're better off with depends on your situation. Use the GOV.UK childcare calculator to work out which type of support is best for you.
Universal Credit
Wait until you get a decision on your Tax-Free Childcare application before cancelling your Universal Credit claim.
Childcare vouchers
You must tell your employer within 90 days of applying for Tax-Free Childcare to stop your childcare vouchers or directly contracted childcare.
They'll then stop the vouchers or directly contracted childcare.
You may have to give HMRC evidence of leaving the childcare voucher scheme. For example, a copy of the letter telling your employer you're leaving the childcare voucher scheme.
If you have a partner who gets vouchers or directly contracted childcare, they'll need to tell their employer to stop this within 90 days too.
Apply
It usually takes 20 minutes to apply. You'll need your (and your partner's, if you have one):
- National Insurance number
- Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), if you're self-employed
You'll also need:
- the UK birth certificate reference number (if you have one) of any children you're applying for
- the date you started or are due to start work
If you live in England, HMRC will also check if you're eligible for Free Childcare for Working Parents when you apply.
You'll usually find out if you're eligible straight away, or within 10 days if extra checks are needed.
If you have a partner
You must include your partner in your application if you are:
- married or in a civil partnership and live together
- not married or in a civil partnership, but living together as though you are
Their employment and income will not affect your eligibility if they:
- are or will be absent from your household for more than 6 months
- are a prisoner
You and your partner cannot both have accounts for the same child.
If you are separated
You and your ex-partner need to decide who should apply if you are jointly responsible for your child.
If you cannot decide, both of you must apply separately and HMRC will decide who gets a childcare account.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the government add to my Tax-Free Childcare account?
For every £8 you pay in, the government adds £2. That is 20% of your childcare bill. The top-up is capped at £500 per child every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year), or £1,000 every 3 months (up to £4,000 a year) if your child is disabled.
How do I work out how much to pay in?
Multiply your childcare bill by 0.8. For example, for a £250 bill you pay in £200 and the government adds £50. If you have already had some of your top-up this 3 month period, enter it in the calculator above and it will work out the rest for you.
What happens if my bill is more than the top-up limit?
Once the government has added £500 in a 3 month period (£1,000 for a disabled child) you pay the rest yourself. For example, for a £3,000 bill with no top-up used yet, you pay in £2,500 and the government adds £500.
Who can get Tax-Free Childcare?
You (and your partner, if you have one) usually need to be working and each expect to earn at least £2,643.68 over the next 3 months if you are 21 or over. Neither of you can have an adjusted net income over £100,000. Your child must be 11 or under, or 16 or under if they are disabled.
Can I get Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit?
No. You cannot get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as Universal Credit or childcare vouchers. Wait until you get a decision on your Tax-Free Childcare application before cancelling your Universal Credit claim.
Do I need to reconfirm my details?
Yes. You must sign in to your childcare account every 3 months to confirm your details are up to date. If you do not, your Tax-Free Childcare will stop.
Is this an official government calculator?
No. This is an independent calculator and is not part of GOV.UK or HMRC. You apply for and manage Tax-Free Childcare on GOV.UK.