You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year).

The way this scheme works, is that you set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your provider.

You can get Tax-Free childcare at the same time as 30 hours free childcare if you’re eligible for both. You can use Tax-Free Childcare to pay for:

• childminders, nurseries and nannies
• after school clubs and play schemes

If your child is disabled

• You can use the extra Tax-Free childcare money you get to help pay for extra hours of childcare. You can also use it to help pay your childcare provider so they can get specialist equipment for your child such as mobility aids. Talk to them about what equipment your child can get.

You are eligible:

• if you are working (or on maternity/paternity/adoption leave)
• if your income (and your partner’s income, if you have one) exceeds the National Living Wage for 16 hours per week
• if your child is 11 or under and normally lives with you