Navigate UK childcare
funding with confidence
Free calculators that help you claim every penny of childcare support you're entitled to — from free hours to tax-free top-ups to pension planning.
Explore toolsOur tools
Everything you need in one place
Childcare Eligibility Checker
Find out exactly which free hours, Tax-Free Childcare, and funded places your child qualifies for — based on their age, your income, and your employment status.
Open toolTax-Free Childcare Optimiser
Calculate the optimal monthly contributions to your Tax-Free Childcare accounts. Maximise the £500/quarter government top-up across multiple children while avoiding overfunding.
Open tool£100k Childcare & Tax Trap
Earning near £100k? You could lose Tax-Free Childcare, 30 free hours, and pay 60% marginal tax. See how pension contributions can keep you below the threshold.
Open toolPrivate by design
All calculations run in your browser. We don't collect, store, or send your financial data anywhere.
Works on any device
Fully responsive — use it on your phone, tablet, or desktop. No app to download.
Based on GOV.UK rules
Eligibility criteria and tax thresholds sourced from official government guidance.
Why we built this
UK parents face a maze of childcare funding schemes — 15 free hours, 30 free hours, Tax-Free Childcare, the 2-year-old offer — each with different eligibility rules, application windows, and income thresholds. Getting it wrong means leaving money on the table.
Meanwhile, the pension system quietly claws back your personal allowance once you earn over £100,000, creating an effective 60% marginal tax rate that catches thousands of parents by surprise every year — and costing them their childcare benefits too.
We built these tools because the information exists on GOV.UK, but it's spread across dozens of pages with no easy way to model your own situation. Every calculator here runs entirely in your browser — your data never leaves your device.