Useful next calculations
Rates and sources, from Sep 2025 / 2026/27
England funded hours from September 2025: 30 hours a week over 38 weeks for eligible working parents from the term after 9 months, plus 15 universal hours for all 3 and 4 year olds. Tax-Free Childcare is a 20% top-up on remaining qualifying costs, capped at £2,000 a year per child.
| Band or figure | Rate |
|---|---|
| Working parent hours | 30 hrs/wk over 38 weeks |
| Universal 3–4 year old hours | 15 hrs/wk over 38 weeks |
| Stretched 30 hours | ≈21.9 hrs/wk over 52 weeks |
| Tax-Free Childcare | 20% up to £2,000/child |
Source: GOV.UK — Free childcare if you are working. Source checked for from Sep 2025 / 2026/27.
When to use this calculator
- When you need a fast estimate before making a bigger decision.
- When you want to compare a few scenarios using the same assumptions.
- When you need a clearer starting point before using a detailed quote or formal document.
- When you want to sanity-check a figure you have seen elsewhere.
A worked example
These are the example figures the calculator opens with.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Child's Age | 3 or 4 years old |
| Childcare Hours Per Week | 40 |
| Hourly Rate Charged by Provider (£) | £8 |
| Eligible working parent? (you and partner, if you have one) | Yes — working parent entitlement |
For those figures the calculator returns:
- Funded hours: 30.00 hrs/wk over 38.00 weeks
- Paid hours: 10.00 hrs/wk
- Annual cost before TFC: £3,040.00
- Value of funded hours: £9,120.00
- Tax-Free Childcare: £608.00
- Net annual cost: £2,432.00
How to read your results
Tax-Free Childcare
Review this figure alongside your gross income so you can understand deductions before the tax year closes. It is a planning estimate, not a filed return.
Method & assumptions
From September 2025, eligible working parents in England can get 30 funded childcare hours a week for 38 weeks of the year from the term after their child turns 9 months until school age. All 3 and 4 year olds also keep 15 universal hours a week in term time, whether or not their parents work. This calculator applies those weekly amounts, then lets you take them over 38 term-time weeks or stretch the same annual hours over 52 weeks (30 hours becomes about 21.9 hours a week). Remaining paid hours are costed at the provider rate you enter. Tax-Free Childcare is modelled as a 20% contribution on that remaining cost, capped at £2,000 a year per child, only when you select the working-parent entitlement.
The tool is a budgeting estimate for England, not an eligibility check. Funded hours start the term after the relevant birthday, need a valid 11-digit code, and must be reconfirmed every 3 months. Providers may charge extras and may not offer stretched hours. Check GOV.UK Childcare Choices and your local authority or provider before you rely on a figure.
Common mistakes
- Using optimistic assumptions without testing a more cautious scenario.
- Comparing outputs from different tools without checking that the inputs match.
- Treating the result as a final quote instead of a planning estimate.
- Rounding inputs too aggressively.
What to do next
- Try at least one more scenario so you can compare a realistic range.
- Use the related calculators below to cross-check the decision from another angle.
- Write down the key outputs from your best scenarios before you decide.
- If the result surprises you, change one input at a time to isolate the driver.