Tax-Free Childcare calculator

With Tax-Free Childcare the government adds £2 for every £8 you pay into your childcare account, up to £500 per child every 3 months (£1,000 if your child is disabled). Enter your monthly childcare bills to see what you pay, what the government adds and when you hit the cap, then check that you and your partner pass the earnings and £100,000 tests for 2026-27.

Your childcare bills

The full monthly bill per child (nursery, childminder, nanny, breakfast, after-school or holiday club). Leave 0 for children you don't pay for.

Child 1: monthly bill (£)

Child 1: disabled? (gets DLA, PIP, AFIP, Child or Adult Disability Payment, or certified blind)

Child 2: monthly bill (£)

Child 2: disabled?

Child 3: monthly bill (£)

Child 3: disabled?

Are you eligible?

Do you have a partner living with you?

Your age

Your working status

What you expect to earn over the next 3 months, before tax (£)

Your expected adjusted net income for the tax year (£)

Your partner's age

Your partner's working status

What your partner expects to earn over the next 3 months, before tax (£)

Your partner's expected adjusted net income (£)

Newly self-employed (business started less than 12 months ago)? The minimum earnings test doesn't apply to you: enter the minimum for your age so it passes.

How this is worked out

The top-up: for every £8 you pay in, the government adds £2, so it pays 20% of each bill. GOV.UK's example: a £250 bill is £200 from you and £50 from the government.
The cap: up to £500 per child every 3 months (£2,000 a year), or £1,000 every 3 months (£4,000 a year) for a disabled child. A bill of £2,500 in 3 months (£833.33 a month) uses the whole £500; anything above that you pay in full. The 3-month periods run from when your childcare account started, so this calculator assumes the same bill every month.
Child's age: until the September after they turn 11 (16 if disabled).
Minimum earnings: you and your partner must each expect to earn, over the next 3 months, at least £2,643.68 if you're 21 or over, £2,256.80 if you're 18 to 20, or £1,664 if you're under 18 or an apprentice. That's 16 hours a week at the April 2026 minimum wage (£12.71, £10.85 or £8). Dividends, interest, property and pension income don't count.
£100,000 limit: you can't claim if you or your partner expect adjusted net income over £100,000 for the tax year. There's no taper: £1 over loses the lot, for every child. A pension contribution can bring you back under.
Working status: sick, annual and parental leave count as working. A partner who isn't working can still qualify if they get Carer's Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, contribution-based ESA or National Insurance credits and the other parent works.
Also: you can't get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as Universal Credit childcare or childcare vouchers, your provider must be signed up, and you reconfirm every 3 months. In England the same earnings and £100,000 tests apply to the 30 hours of Free Childcare for Working Parents (children 9 months to 4 years).

Sources: GOV.UK Tax-Free Childcare, minimum wage rates, Free Childcare for Working Parents, 15 hours for 3 and 4-year-olds, GOV.UK childcare calculator. Checked 16 October 2026. HMRC decides eligibility when you apply. General guidance only, not tax or financial advice.

Track every bill in one sheet

The Tidy Sheets UK Childcare Costs & Tax-Free Childcare Tracker 2026-27 logs every nursery, childminder and club bill for up to 6 children, works out the top-up bill by bill with the 3-month cap and age limit, checks both parents against the earnings and £100,000 rules, shows England's 15 and 30 free hours dates for each child, and gives you a month-by-month summary. Excel and Google Sheets.

Visit the shop

Close to £100,000? The pension and adjusted net income calculator shows how much a pension payment would bring you back under, and the £100,000 tax trap guide explains the childcare cliff. Getting Child Benefit too? Try the Child Benefit tax charge calculator.