Help with 3 yr olds Nursery fees

cr1mson

No idea where you are in the country but where I am you have to use a partnership provider or local authority nursery so worth checking that out.

embob74

jjj1980 wrote: »

Also, I have read somewhere that the allowance is also split over 5 days so if you only have 4 days in nursery, you would get 12 hours reduction rather than 15. I'll try to find the page again.

My 2.5 yr old has just started nursery (which we pay for) and we were told that when he gets the 3 yr old funding we can choose how we want it - 5 half days or 2 and a half days. No mention was made that it has to be over 5 days.

harry7075

When a child reaches 3 they're entitled to 15 hours a week, during term time, free nursery care. The funding will start at the start of the next full term. So you should get funding from January.

notanewuser

Just to clarify that the above advice is only valid in England. If you are in Wales you are entitled to 10 hours per week during term time for the Spring and Summer terms after your child turns 3. If there is a space at a suitable school nursery you are expected to take that. Only if there is no suitable state nursery provision will private nursery fees be paid.

harry7075

embob74 wrote: »

My 2.5 yr old has just started nursery (which we pay for) and we were told that when he gets the 3 yr old funding we can choose how we want it - 5 half days or 2 and a half days. No mention was made that it has to be over 5 days.

You can take the hours in away that is convenient to you. You can also continue to claim the child care element of working tax credits for any addition hours. You will need to contact HMRC though to report a change of circumstances.

mysk_girl

My LA pays £3.73 an hour for 15 hours a week for 38 weeks a year. If you are full time in a private nursery, this equates to around £177 per month (spread over the year) discount on your bill. I help run a community preschool, so we aren't open all year, but I have friends who have children in the local private one and this is how they apply the funding.

I think the maximum claim is 6 hours per day? So you need to have a child in a minimum of 3 days to get the full funding. However, each LA has different rules, this is what applies by me.