How parents on Universal Credit can get a £1,769 boost towards childcare

PARENTS on Universal Credit can get a £1,769 monthly boost towards the cost of childcare.

Anyone claiming the benefit and working or who has been offered paid work can get up to 85% of costs refunded or paid up front.

The boon comes via the childcare element of Universal Credit, with parents eligible for different amounts based on their circumstances.

The childcare element rose on April 7 by 1.7% – those with one child can now receive up to £1,031.88, from £1,014.63 before.

Meanwhile, those with two or more children can now get £1,768.94, up from £1,739.37 previously.

Of course, the amount you can get off the cost of childcare every month varies depending on your income during each assessment period.

If you earn more than usual during one assessment period, the amount you get may go down.

You can use a free benefits calculator to find out how much you might get via www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators.

Previously, everyone on Universal Credit had to pay for childcare up front then claim it back.

However, since June 2023, you can claim the childcare element costs up front if you are looking to increase your working hours or are starting employment.

The Government brought in the change in a bid to get more parents back into work.

How the childcare element of Universal Credit works

You can use the childcare element of Universal Credit to cover the cost of holiday clubs, after-school clubs and breakfast clubs.

If you live with a partner, both of you need to be working for you to be eligible for help.

If you can’t get the childcare element paid up front you have to pay for any childcare costs yourself.

You then have to report them back to Universal Credit and it will pay some of the money back.

You can do this via your Universal Credit account.

You will need to have proof of your childcare provider and payments when reporting any costs via Universal Credit.

As proof of your provider, you need a contract, invoice or letter from them showing all of these:

• their name, registration number, address and phone number
• the names of your children that they look after
• the type of childcare, for example after-school or nursery care

You only need to do this once per provider.

Universal Credit might also ask to see proof of your payment showing the dates of childcare you paid for, how much you paid and the date you made the payment.

OTHER HELP FOR PARENTS

If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four, you may be able to get help buying food and milk through the Healthy Start scheme.

Families on Universal Credit can apply online if their take-home pay is £408 or less from employment.

If you get Child Tax Credit, you may be eligible for Healthy Start if:

• your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less
• you do not get Working Tax Credit

You can check out the full list of support by clicking the link here.

You might also be eligible for a Sure Start Maternity Grant if you’re a new or expectant mother.

You also have to be on a host of benefits. The full list is:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Working Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
• Universal Credit

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