What childcare costs can I claim for?

You can claim for any childcare costs you incur with a registered provider throughout the full 52 weeks of your academic year, including holiday periods. Your child must be under 15 years of age before the beginning of the academic year or under 17 if they have special educational needs.

The academic year dates you can claim between are as follows:

• 1 September to 31 August, if your academic year begins in the Autumn

• 1 January to 31 December, if your academic year begins in the Winter

You can't claim costs incurred outside of your course dates or during any interruptions to your course, for example, if you've withdrawn from your course or you're on maternity leave.

You can also claim childcare costs if the main purpose for your child attending is for extra curricular support, however, you can't claim any private school fees or any costs already covered by the free early years education provisions.

The childcare provider you use must be OFSTED registered (or the equivalent in Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales) and must not have parental responsibility for your child. Costs can however be claimed if the provider is a relative without parental responsibility for the child providing they are registered, the childcare is not provided in the child’s home and the care is not solely for the related child or children.