Free Childcare UK
Estimate how many funded childcare hours your child may receive, how those hours could be stretched across the year, and what nursery or childminder costs may remain.
Calculate Free Childcare HoursEstimate Funded Hours
Model England’s 15-hour and 30-hour offers over term-time or a stretched annual schedule.
Start CalculatorCompare UK Schemes
See how childcare support differs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK Funding GuidePlan Remaining Costs
Estimate paid hours, provider extras and the monthly amount your household may still need to budget.
Nursery Cost ToolFree Childcare UK Cost And Hours Calculator
Use this England-focused calculator to model funded hours and remaining costs. Families in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should use it only as a budgeting illustration because each nation operates separate schemes.
Your Free Childcare Planning Details
Use your provider’s booked hours, annual opening weeks and fee information for the most useful estimate.
Your Estimate Will Appear Here
Enter your childcare schedule and choose the calculate button to see estimated funded hours, paid hours and remaining costs.
Your Free Childcare UK Estimate
Free Childcare UK At A Glance
Use these figures as a simple guide before checking your exact entitlement and provider arrangements.
Explore Free Childcare UK Support
Compare funded hours with other childcare help and practical planning tools.
What This Free Childcare UK Calculator Shows
The calculator converts a weekly funded entitlement into an annual hours allowance and then compares it with the childcare hours you expect to book. It can model a standard 38-week term-time pattern or spread the same annual funded hours across more weeks.
It also estimates the private fees left after funded hours, including any weekly extras you enter. The result is useful for budgeting, comparing provider schedules and preparing questions before you accept a place.
- Annual funded-hour estimate
- Weekly stretched-hours estimate
- Paid childcare hours after funding
- Estimated annual saving and monthly budget
- Clear reminder that provider terms can differ
How Free Childcare UK Support Works
Funded early education and childcare is measured as a number of hours per week across a standard 38-week year. Depending on a child’s age and family circumstances, the relevant entitlement may be 15 or 30 hours. Eligible working parents in England may receive 30 hours a week for children from 9 months old until school age, while other 15-hour offers can apply to particular age groups or families receiving additional support.
The funded hours pay for approved early education and childcare rather than every cost connected with a place. Providers may charge separately for additional booked hours, meals, nappies, trips or optional services. Ask for a written fee schedule showing which hours are funded and which charges remain.
England: Standard Versus Stretched Hours
A standard 30-hour pattern provides up to 30 hours a week over 38 weeks, which equals 1,140 funded hours a year. A 15-hour pattern equals 570 hours a year. Some providers allow these annual hours to be stretched over more weeks. For example, 1,140 hours spread across 48 weeks is about 23.75 funded hours a week.
| Entitlement | Standard Annual Hours | Over 38 Weeks | Example Over 48 Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Hours | 570 Hours | 15 Hours Weekly | About 11.88 Hours Weekly |
| 30 Hours | 1,140 Hours | 30 Hours Weekly | About 23.75 Hours Weekly |
When Funded Childcare Usually Starts
Eligibility does not normally mean funded hours begin immediately on a child’s birthday. Start dates are commonly linked to the following funded term, application timing and a valid eligibility code where one is required. Check the official when-to-apply guidance and confirm dates with your local authority or childcare provider.
Approved And Registered Childcare Providers
Funded hours must be used with a participating approved provider. This may include registered nurseries, preschools, childminders and some school-based settings. A provider can choose how it delivers places, subject to funding rules, staffing and availability. A valid entitlement does not guarantee that every provider will have a vacancy or offer your preferred days.
How To Use The Free Childcare UK Calculator
1. Choose Your Child’s Age
Select the age that best describes your child. The calculator will flag age combinations that may need checking, but it does not make an official eligibility decision.
2. Select The Entitlement You Want To Model
Choose 15 hours, 30 hours or no funded hours. Select the amount you have been awarded or the amount you want to compare for planning purposes.
3. Enter Booked Hours And Weeks
Use the hours you expect to book each week and the number of weeks your provider is open. A stretched arrangement can only use the annual entitlement available; it does not create additional funded hours.
4. Add Provider Fees And Extras
Enter the private hourly rate for hours outside the funded allocation. Add expected weekly charges for meals, consumables or optional services. If your provider charges per session, divide the session fee by the chargeable hours to create an approximate hourly rate.
5. Review The Result With Your Provider
Use the result to ask for a personalised invoice illustration. Confirm funded sessions, private hours, deposits, notice periods, holiday closures and whether unused funded hours can be moved.
Who May Qualify For Free Childcare UK Support?
Different schemes have different rules. The universal 15-hour offer for 3- and 4-year-olds is separate from the working-parent offer and targeted support for some 2-year-olds. Working-parent eligibility usually considers the child’s age, residence in England, employment status and the earnings of each parent or partner.
Use the official Best Start in Life childcare checker for personalised guidance. Families in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should use the childcare schemes available in their nation because the English entitlement rules do not apply in the same way.
Working Parents
Eligible working families in England may receive up to 30 funded hours from 9 months old until the child starts school.
Three And Four-Year-Olds
All 3- and 4-year-olds in England can normally access a universal funded early education offer, subject to start-date rules.
Families Receiving Extra Support
Some 2-year-olds may qualify for funded childcare because of household benefits, income or a child-related circumstance.
Other UK Nations
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate separate childcare offers, terminology and application routes.
Free Childcare Schemes Across The UK
Childcare policy is devolved, so the phrase free childcare UK does not describe one identical nationwide entitlement. England uses funded-hour offers, Scotland provides funded early learning and childcare, Wales combines early education and childcare programmes, and Northern Ireland has its own preschool and childcare support arrangements.
England
Eligible working parents may access up to 30 funded hours a week for 38 weeks from the term after a child turns 9 months until school age. All 3- and 4-year-olds can normally receive the universal 15-hour offer.
Scotland
Funded early learning and childcare is delivered through local councils. Eligibility, hours and start dates should be checked with the family’s council and chosen provider.
Wales
Families may be able to use the Childcare Offer for Wales alongside early education, subject to the child’s age, parental circumstances and local delivery arrangements.
Northern Ireland
Support includes funded preschool education and other help with childcare costs. Availability and application routes differ from the schemes used in Great Britain.
Costs Free Childcare May Not Cover
Government funding is intended to provide the funded childcare hours without a mandatory charge for those hours. However, funding does not necessarily cover meals, consumables, additional hours or optional services. Providers should explain alternatives where charges are voluntary and should not make access to a funded place conditional on purchasing optional extras.
- Hours booked beyond the funded allocation
- Meals, snacks or consumables where permitted
- Nappies, wipes or sun cream arrangements
- Optional trips, classes or special activities
- Registration, deposit or late-collection charges where applicable
- Holiday-club or wraparound care outside the early-years entitlement
Can Tax-Free Childcare Be Used With Funded Hours?
Many eligible families use funded childcare hours for part of their schedule and Tax-Free Childcare for eligible costs that remain. Do not enter the whole childcare account payment as “other support”; enter only the estimated government top-up or other contribution you expect to reduce your own cost.
Can Universal Credit Help With Remaining Childcare Costs?
Eligible households may be able to claim help with registered childcare costs through Universal Credit. The rules and interaction with other support can be complex, so check current official guidance before relying on an estimate. Compare our Universal Credit childcare guide with your personal award information.
Why Provider Quotes Can Differ From Calculator Results
Providers may allocate funded hours within fixed sessions, apply different private rates, close during some funded weeks or stretch entitlements differently. A calculator using a single hourly rate cannot reproduce every invoice model. Treat the result as a question-building tool rather than a guaranteed quote.
Related Free Childcare UK Guides
Continue planning with detailed eligibility, cost and application guidance.
15 Hours Free Childcare
Understand universal and targeted 15-hour offers, age rules and start dates.
Read The Guide →30 Hours Free Childcare
Review working-parent eligibility, applications, codes and reconfirmation.
Read The Guide →Stretched Funded Hours
See how annual funded hours can be spread across more than 38 weeks.
Read The Guide →Tax-Free Childcare
Learn how government top-ups may help with eligible costs after funded hours.
Read The Guide →Nursery Fees Explained
Compare hourly rates, sessions, extras, deposits and annualised invoices.
Read The Guide →Find A Childcare Provider
Use a practical checklist to compare availability, quality, schedules and costs.
Read The Guide →Free Childcare UK FAQs
Answers to common questions about funded hours, stretched schedules and childcare costs.
Plan Your Free Childcare UK Support
Use the calculator to compare funded and paid hours, then confirm your eligibility, start date, schedule and charges with your chosen childcare provider.
Estimate Your Free Childcare