Funded childcare cost calculator UK
Calculate childcare costs after confirmed funded hours. Compare annual and monthly bills using your provider’s hours, weeks, hourly prices and extras.
Enter your figures
Estimated annual childcare bill after funded hours
Inputs changed. Select Calculate result to update your estimate.
Cost planner for one child with confirmed entitlement and a provider-agreed schedule, not a childcare eligibility checker. Funded hours must be hours that actually replace paid care in this booking; exclude nursery or education hours used elsewhere. Funding weeks must fall within the care weeks. England’s 30 × 38 example is not a UK-wide entitlement. Use your confirmed local arrangement for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Assumes the same care hours and unfunded hourly price each care week. Monthly result is a budgeting average, not a provider invoice. Excludes Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit and NI childcare subsidies; do not deduct the same support twice. All prices and extras are editable illustrations.
How much childcare will you still need to pay for?
Funded hours do not always cover the hours and weeks a family books. This calculator turns a provider-agreed schedule into an annual bill and a monthly budgeting average. It is for one child; calculate different children or schedules separately.
Match funding to the care you actually book
Enter the hours you book each care week, the number of care weeks and the funded hours that can be used within that booking. Keep the number of funded weeks separate. A term-time offer and a year-round nursery booking should not both be entered as 52 funded weeks.
If funding is stretched across more weeks, use the provider’s confirmed stretched hours and matching funded weeks. Do not subtract a nursery education session that takes place elsewhere from this provider’s paid care.
Choose the correct UK country
England’s working-parent offer, Scotland’s funded early learning, the Childcare Offer for Wales and Northern Ireland’s pre-school provision are different schemes. Country selection identifies the relevant guidance; it does not award hours or decide eligibility. Use confirmed hours for your child’s age, approved start date and provider.
Include agreed extras without counting support twice
Enter the price for additional hours and any agreed optional weekly extras or annual charges. The result is before Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit or another subsidy. Check which further support applies to the bill you actually pay, and avoid deducting the same help twice.
The monthly figure divides the annual estimate by 12. Your nursery may invoice by term or by booked month, so the amount on an individual invoice can be different.
How the funded childcare cost calculator uk works
Annual booked hours = hours per week × care weeks. Covered hours = usable funded hours per funded week × funded weeks. Annual bill = (booked hours − covered hours) × paid hourly price + agreed weekly extras × care weeks + other annual charges. Monthly budget = annual bill ÷ 12.
UK data and rules
2026/27 data · Checked 17 October 2026. Rules are a dated snapshot, not a live feed.
- GOV.UK — Funded childcare for working parents in England
- mygov.scot — Funded early learning and childcare
- Welsh Government — Childcare Offer for Wales
- nidirect — Funded pre-school education places
Read about data coverage and updates
Worked example: childcare cost after funded hours
This illustration uses the calculator’s example inputs. It is not a quote or a recommended financial decision.
- Booked care hours per care week
- 40
- Weeks of care in the year
- 52
- Confirmed usable funded hours per funded week
- 30
- Funded weeks within those care weeks
- 38
- Hourly price for hours you must pay for (£)
- 8
- Agreed optional extras per care week (£)
- 15
- Other agreed annual charges (£)
- 0
- Country for tax purposes
- England
- Eligibility and relevant date checked
- Yes — eligibility and the stated scope are confirmed
Estimated annual childcare bill after funded hours: £8,300.00
Annual booked hours = hours per week × care weeks. Covered hours = usable funded hours per funded week × funded weeks. Annual bill = (booked hours − covered hours) × paid hourly price + agreed weekly extras × care weeks + other annual charges. Monthly budget = annual bill ÷ 12.
Childcare cost after funded hours: questions answered
Is 30 hours of funded childcare the same across the UK?
No. Eligibility, education provision, hours and weeks differ by country. The prefilled England illustration is not an entitlement statement for another country.
Can I calculate stretched funded hours?
Yes, if your provider confirms the arrangement. Enter the lower funded hours per week and the larger number of funded weeks actually used within your booking.
Does the remaining bill include Tax-Free Childcare?
No. This tool subtracts usable funded hours only. Check eligibility and qualifying costs before using the separate Tax-Free Childcare calculator for additional support.
Using your result
Example inputs are a starting point. Replace them with your figures and select Calculate result. Results are rounded for display; calculations use unrounded values.
Explore all 205 UK calculators