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Not sure if you're aware but it's only 30 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year, i.e., term time. You can stretch it for the whole year (if your nursery allows it though most do), which makes it 20.96 hours a week I think. Most settings usually charge a little top up for the funded hours as well. We pay £1 for each funded hour. There's also the tax free scheme where the government will pay 20% of your fee up to a maximum of £2000 a year. You can apply for that straight away as long as both of you are working and earning at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at minimum wage. I also have a 3 years and 8 months boys X
Also worth noting nurseries are not required to accept the free hours, or can accept as few of them as they want.
We’re looking at childminders for our baby. Much more flexible for hours and cheaper if required to pay outside of term time. I’m also using all my annual leave so I don’t go back to work til September when the 30hours kicks in. Anything I do have to pay for, I will use my tax free childcare account. Think it works out to 20% off. Defo use this if you’re not already!
Thanks everyone. My mat leave ends this week, and I'm starting a new job with more hours. Obviously more hours, means more childcare costs, i just didn't expect it to be so much. 😭The nursery bill is approx two thirds of my wages for my new role, I'm now deeply regretting resigning last week from my previous job, where the bill would have probably been half what it is going to be! We currently received funding for our 3 year old, but wasn't sure what the eligible criteria was. I was getting confused reading online. I actually wonder if we would be better off me not working!! I feel so so sick and stressed out. What free hours do you receive for a 3- 4 year old, if only 1 parent is working full time?
Everyone gets 15 hours for 3-4 year olds. If you and your partner work , you can get 30 hours depending in your circumstances. So if only one of you work, you get 15 hours
I think if both parents work 16 + hours you will get 30 hours for 3/4 yrs old now. And 15 hrs when your July baby is 9 mths, (however we miss out so it’s September for us) and 30 hrs from September. We only get our funding from September anyway so will automatically be entitled to 30 free hours for July baby’s. So from September both your kids will be entitled to 30 hours funded hours Right now you will have to pay for your youngest, but your 3 year old is entitled to 30 hours My boys are 3 and 8 months too x