Child care benefit on top of 15 hours free?

gilbutre

Hi everyone,

I just learnt that everybody's child having less than 4 years old is entitled to 15 hours of free child care during one year.

My question is, if I claim child care benefits (the one that can cover up to 70% of child care cost and is available depending of how many hours parents work), will this add on top of these 15 free hours?

So for example if I put my child 25 hours a week, will child care benefits cover up to 70% of 10 hours on top of 15 free?

Hope I make sense..

flutterby_lil

Hello, this is not really a child support question, but yes, you would get 15 hours free education the term after your child's 3rd birthday, so for example if your child turned 3 in August it would start in September. If your child turned 3 in September it would start in January.

For the remainder that you have to pay for, so in your case 10 hours, you can still claim the 70% from tax credits, just let them know of your reduced costs due to the 15 free hours. Most private nurseries automatically sort their monthly/weekly invoices out to accomodate the free hours.

Hope that helps.

gilbutre

Ok, thanks a lot !