Childcare guides
Plain-English explanations of the rules that decide what you pay. England, 2026/27.
High Income Child Benefit Charge: the £60,000 rules
Between £60,000 and £80,000 you keep as little as a quarter of each extra pound. How the charge works and the opt-out mistake that costs State Pension.
Read the guide →Reduce adjusted net income before 5 April for childcare
Near £60,000 or £100,000, the weeks before 5 April decide the year. The marginal rates, what moves adjusted net income, and the limits to check.
Read the guide →Childcare funding when your child has SEND
The Disability Access Fund, the SEN Inclusion Fund, the doubled Tax-Free Childcare cap to age 16, and why your provider cannot bill you for SEND support.
Read the guide →30 hours free childcare when you're self-employed
The earnings test looks forward, your first year is exempt and income means profit. How free childcare works with irregular income.
Read the guide →Childcare after maternity leave: the decisions, in order
Six childcare decisions that interact, most with deadlines and one you cannot reverse. The order to take them when going back to work.
Read the guide →Stretched or term-time free childcare: which is better?
Stretched hours are the same annual total spread over more weeks. Which model suits which families, and why your nursery may not offer the choice.
Read the guide →Nursery fees going up? What they can and can't charge
Some parts of a nursery bill can rise and one part cannot. A five-minute check on a fee increase, and what to say to your provider.
Read the guide →How to read a nursery invoice, line by line
A 2026/27 nursery invoice must show five separate lines. What each should say, how to check the funded-hours arithmetic, and which charges to query.
Read the guide →When to apply for 30 hours free childcare
Free childcare hours start at the next term, not at the qualifying age. The three deadlines, the one-day trap that costs a term, and how to keep them.
Read the guide →Tax-Free Childcare vs childcare vouchers: which pays more?
Vouchers closed in 2018 and swapping to Tax-Free Childcare is irreversible. What each is worth in 2026/27 and which wins for your family.
Read the guide →The £100k childcare cliff edge, explained with numbers
Earn £1 over £100,000 and you lose Tax-Free Childcare and the 30 free hours outright. What counts as income, and how pension contributions change it.
Read the guide →What nurseries can charge on top of 30 hours free childcare
Nurseries cannot charge top-up fees on free childcare hours in England. What meals and consumables charges are allowed, and how to challenge an invoice.
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