💷 Childcare cost calculator

What will nursery actually cost me?

A rough estimate of monthly nursery cost in 2026 after UK free hours and Tax-Free Childcare. Built for parents trying to budget before they tour.

Child's age

Are you a working parent?

Both parents earning roughly £9.5k–£100k each (or lone parent in that range) = "working parent(s)" for the 30h scheme.

Childcare hours wanted 40h/week

5h (one short day)50h (5 long days)

Nursery hourly rate £14/hour

£9 (rural / cheap)£14 typical London£22 premium

Use Tax-Free Childcare

Government adds 20p for every 80p you pay, capped at £2,000/year per child. Most working parents qualify.

Your estimated cost

£883/month

£10,600/year

You'd save

£17,960/year

vs. paying full price (£28,560/year)

🎟️ Free hours: 30h/week term-time (≈22.4h/week if stretched all year)

💷 You'd pay for: 17.6h/week at £14/hour

🏛️ Tax-Free Childcare savings: £2,000/year

⚠️ This is a rough estimate

Nurseries vary in how they "stretch" funded hours and what they charge for meals/extras.
Funded-hours eligibility depends on each parent's earnings — check childcarechoices.gov.uk for the official check.
Some nurseries charge extra for meals, nappies or wraparound care.
Tax-Free Childcare and the 30h scheme can be combined; Universal Credit's childcare element is a separate calculation not covered here.

Now find a nursery that fits

Filter Ofsted-rated nurseries by which funded-hours schemes they accept.