Need help with childcare costs?

You could be eligible for thousands of pounds a year – read on to find out more

WHAT IF YOU COULD access thousands of pounds of support with childcare costs? Did you know that the Government offers thousands of pounds of support through their Tax-free Childcare scheme? Not enough parents are aware of the financial support they could be getting, meaning it’s well worth reading on to find out if you could be getting more help, like Jenna Goodfellow.

Jenna Goodfellow, 35, is a housing officer who didn’t know she was eligible for support worth thousands of pounds and is now urging other parents to see what they could get. Jenna, mum of Florence, four, and Jesse, two, said, ‘I was really surprised to find out that we were eligible for help with our childcare costs as both me and my partner work full time. Applying was easy and setting up the accounts for my children was straightforward.’

If each parent earns less than £100,000 a year and at least £152/week (and aren’t receiving tax credits, universal credit or childcare vouchers), your family could be eligible for Tax-free Childcare worth £2,000 a year, rising to £4,000 for children with disabilities. For every £8 you pay into an online account, the Government will add £2 – and that includes ages 0-11, or 16 for children with disabilities. What many parents aren’t aware of, is that childcare doesn’t stop when kids hit school age – it can be used for everything from breakfast and after-school clubs to holiday clubs and play schemes.

Additionally, working parents with children aged three or four who meet the same income criteria could access up to 30 hours of childcare for 38 weeks a year,

‘The 30 hours offer is absolutely crucial to our family, as without it, I wouldn’t be able to afford to work,’ says Jenna.

Check eligibility and the range of offers available at childcarechoice.gov.uk