Childcare support from your employer
Employees should seek advice from their employer in the first instance about the following support
Employees should seek advice from their employer about the following support:
- childcare voucher schemes (now closed for new applicants)
- employer subsidised childcare
- National Health Service employees childcare allowance
- Service children – Wraparound childcare (WAC)
- Childcare voucher scheme
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Employers can assist their employees with the costs of childcare. Childcare vouchers are exempt from National Insurance Contributions (NIC) for employers and from tax and NIC for employees.
Vouchers are offered usually as part of a salary sacrifice scheme.
The vouchers pay for Ofsted registered or approved childcare and can be saved up to pay for summer holiday care as well spent throughout the year.
The Childcare Vouchers Calculator helps parents to decide whether they would be better off receiving tax credits or childcare vouchers.
- Employer subsidised childcare
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Some employers own and run or commission an organisation to run a childcare facility, for example a workplace nursery. They offer places for employee's children at subsidised costs.
- National Health Service employee childcare allowance
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If you work for the NHS and you have dependent children, you may be able to receive the NHS Bursary Childcare Allowance.
How much you get depends on your circumstances and your household income.
- Service children – Wraparound childcare (WAC)
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Eligible Service personnel (Tri-Service) can register for up to 20 hours per week, per child, term time only (39 weeks per year) of wraparound childcare funding for 4- to 11-year-old children (4- to 16-year-old if in receipt of certain disability benefits) attending before and after school childcare in the UK.
Service families can check if they are eligible and how to claim WAC funding by visiting the Discover My Benefits website.
