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Working parents could claim up to £1,739 every month

by DD Staff

April 27, 2024

key takeaways

Parents are facing difficult financial times at the moment, and creche expenses can be very expensive for certain households. On the other hand, working parents who receive Universal Credit may be reimbursed for up to 85% of their child care expenses.

Up to £1,014.63 for one child or £1,739.37 for two or more children can be claimed by parents each month. According to the Mirror Online, you can get assistance with the expense of creche for any children under 16 that you are responsible for.

If you live with a partner, you both need to be in paid work to claim back childcare costs, unless your partner cannot work. There is no limit on how many hours you have to work, it just has to be paid work - so you wouldn’t be eligible if you’re doing unpaid volunteering.

Those who are starting a job in the next month may also be entitled to claim back childcare costs. You may also be eligible if you’re getting statutory sick pay, or if you’re claiming statutory maternity pay, statutory paternity pay, statutory shared parental pay, statutory adoption pay or maternity allowance.

Childcare claims have to be made through your Universal Credit account - but you’ll only get the money back once the childcare has actually happened. You’ll need to provide evidence of the payment, such as a receipt or bank statement, or an invoice from the childcare provider, to put in your claim.

You can claim back up to three months of past childcare costs at a time - but the Gov.uk website warned you might not get all the money back if you’re claiming for more than one month. This means it’s best to get your claim in as soon as possible.

You can also claim back up to three months of future childcare costs at a time, but this will be paid back month by month, not in one lump sum. Your childcare must be with a registered childcare provider, which can include nurseries, preschools, after-school clubs, breakfast clubs, childminders, nannies and holiday clubs.