You could get extra tax credits to help pay for some of your childcare costs while you’re working.

You could get:

• up to £122.50 a week - for 1 child
• up to £210 a week - for 2 children or more

You can’t get 100% of the costs and how much you get depends on things like:

• your income
• how often you’ve paid for childcare

Childcare vouchers

If you get childcare vouchers from your employer the amount of tax credits you get can go down.

Use the childcare voucher calculator to see how childcare vouchers from your employer affect your tax credits.

Usually, you’ll qualify for tax credits to help with childcare if:

• you qualify for Working Tax Credit
• your child is under 16 - or under 17 if they’re disabled
• you’re responsible for the child
• the childcare you pay for is registered or approved
• you work the right number of hours for childcare tax credits

Registered or approved care

The childcare must be registered or approved (the carer can confirm this). Childcare can include care provided at home, in school or another place by a childminder, playscheme, nursery or club etc.

Foster carers

Foster carers need to be registered or approved unless the care is outside the child’s home and the child is:

• in Wales and aged 8 to 16
• in Northern Ireland and aged 12 to 16

You can't claim for caring for your own foster child.

Schools

The care must be outside of school hours and on the school’s premises - unless your child is under 5 and in England.

Relatives or partners

You can’t claim for childcare provided by your partner.

You can claim for childcare provided by a relative if they’re registered and care for your child outside your child’s home.

In Wales or Northern Ireland they must be approved by a home childcare approval scheme and also care for at least 1 child who’s not related to them.

Hours you work

You must work at least 16 hours a week. You might still qualify if you’re on leave from work, eg maternity leave or sick leave.

Couples usually have to work at least 16 hours a week each. Only 1 of you has to work these hours if the other is:

• entitled to carer’s allowance
• in hospital or prison
• getting certain benefits or credits for disability or illness - eg Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or a disability premium for Housing Benefit

Use the tax credit calculator to check if you qualify.

Contact the Tax Credit Helpline for a claim form if you’re new to tax credits. It takes up to 2 weeks to arrive.

Call the Tax Credit Helpline to update your claim if you're already claiming tax credits - you don’t need a claim form.

Tax Credit Helpline
Telephone: 0345 300 3900
Textphone: 0345 300 3909
Find out about call charges

What you need to know

You can claim at any time of the year and up to 7 days before you start using childcare (if you’re already getting tax credits).

You can’t claim online or download a claim form.

Keep records about the carer’s registration and the money you pay them (eg receipts or invoices) to help support your claim.

Report any changes to your childcare because they can affect how much money you get. For example, if you start paying more for your childcare.

Use the childcare costs calculator to work out which weekly costs to claim if you're claiming for the first time or your costs have changed.