Calcora

Nursery Cost Calculator UK

Turn a nursery quote into a realistic weekly, monthly and annual childcare budget after funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare.

England funded-hours model  ·  UK Tax-Free Childcare  ·  Last reviewed: August 2026

Your nursery arrangement

Enter the normal fee before funded hours or Tax-Free Childcare.

Many full-year nurseries charge for 50 or 51 weeks.

For example meals, nappies, consumables or activities. Check which charges your provider treats as eligible childcare.

Your estimated parent cost

Average per month£805.67
Average per week paid£189.57
Standard annual fees£18,870.00
Estimated funded-hours value−£9,975.00
Tax-Free Childcare top-up−£2,000.00
Estimated parent cost a year£9,668.00

This is a planning estimate. Ask your provider for a personalised funded-hours invoice.

The standard £2,000 annual Tax-Free Childcare top-up cap has been applied.

Check your official eligibility

How this nursery cost estimate works

The calculator first estimates an hourly rate from your normal weekly fee and booked hours. It values a 15-hour entitlement at up to 570 hours a year, or a 30-hour entitlement at up to 1,140 hours a year. It never deducts more funded hours than the childcare hours entered.

Tax-Free Childcare is then estimated against the remaining childcare bill. The government top-up represents 20% of the amount paid to the provider, capped at £2,000 a year for most children. This is the same as the government adding £2 for every £8 a parent deposits.

Because providers can structure funded places differently, the result is a budget—not a quotation. Meals, consumables and optional activities may be charged separately, and a provider's funded hourly value may differ from its private hourly rate.

Funded hours: term-time or stretched

1

30 × 38 weeks

The full working-parent entitlement is 1,140 hours a year, commonly taken as 30 hours during 38 term-time weeks.

2

About 22 hours × 51 weeks

If stretched across 51 weeks, the same 1,140 hours averages about 22.35 funded hours each week—not 30.

3

Extra charges remain

Funded provision covers eligible childcare. Providers may charge for meals, consumables, extra hours and optional services.

A practical example

A nursery charges £350 a week for 40 hours across 51 weeks, plus £20 in weekly extras. The implied childcare rate is £8.75 an hour. A 30-hour entitlement is worth up to £9,975 across 1,140 annual hours. After adding £1,020 of extras, the remaining estimated bill is £8,895. Tax-Free Childcare could add an estimated £1,779 top-up, leaving approximately £7,116 for the parent over the year.

Your provider may use a different funding formula, so compare this estimate with its fee schedule. If you do not yet know when your entitlement starts, use Calcora’s Free Childcare Hours and start-date calculator. To see how the parent-paid amount affects earnings, use the Return to Work After Childcare Calculator.

Childcare cost calculator FAQs

Multiply the weekly fee by the number of weeks you pay for, then divide by 12. Deduct the funded-hours value and any Tax-Free Childcare top-up for which you qualify.

The entitlement is 1,140 hours a year, normally described as 30 hours for 38 weeks. A provider can stretch the same annual total across more weeks, which means fewer funded hours in each week.

Yes. If eligible, you can use Tax-Free Childcare for approved childcare costs remaining after funded hours. You cannot normally combine Tax-Free Childcare with Universal Credit childcare costs. Compare Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit before changing an existing claim.

Providers decide how to schedule funded hours and may charge separately for meals, consumables, extra hours or activities. Always use the provider's written quote for your final budget.

Sources and method

Rules are based on official Free Childcare for Working Parents, Tax-Free Childcare and childcare support calculator guidance.

Method: annual standard fees = (weekly fee + weekly extras) × attendance weeks. Funded value = the lower of annual booked hours and the selected annual entitlement, multiplied by the implied hourly fee. Tax-Free Childcare top-up = 20% of the remaining estimated eligible bill, limited to £2,000 a year. Calcora is independent and provides general guidance only.