Funded childcare hours calculator (England)
Estimate funded hours in England and the potential bill reduction over 38 weeks.
Calculator guidance reviewed
Your details
Start with your figures.
Change the numbers below to see how they affect your estimate. Nothing needs to be saved.
Your next step
What else could you work out?
Explore a related question using another free calculator.
Nursery cost calculator
Estimate the annual and monthly cost of nursery care and compare it with any support you expect to receive.
Try this calculatorTax-Free Childcare calculator
Estimate how much government support you could receive through the Tax-Free Childcare scheme based on your childcare costs and remaining allowance.
Try this calculatorChildcare cost calculator
Estimate your average weekly, monthly and annual childcare budget and compare it with any support available.
Try this calculatorAbout this calculator
Estimate funded hours in England and the potential bill reduction over 38 weeks.
How to use this calculator
Who this calculator is for
This England-only tool is for parents and carers with a confirmed 15-hour or 30-hour childcare provision who want a simple estimate of how it could reduce a 38-week childcare bill. It is not an eligibility checker or a statement of the funding paid to a provider.
What information to enter
Select the provision you have confirmed. Enter the weekly bill before funding but excluding extras, weekly attendance hours on a 38-week pattern, and the provider's hourly charge that funding removes. Do not select a provision until you have confirmed the code, start term and place with the provider.
How the result is worked out
The calculator uses the lower of weekly attendance hours and the selected 15-hour or 30-hour limit. It multiplies those hours by the entered hourly charge and 38 weeks, caps the reduction at the pre-funding bill, and subtracts it. The universal entitlement is 570 hours a year, usually 15 hours for 38 weeks; eligible working parents can receive 30 hours a week for 38 weeks.
Worked example
With a confirmed 15-hour provision, 20 weekly care hours, a £6 hourly charge and a £120 weekly bill, the calculator uses 570 funded hours. It estimates a £3,420 reduction from the £4,560 bill for 38 weeks, leaving £1,140 before extras.
What this calculator leaves out
It does not assess eligibility, model support for two-year-olds receiving additional help, stretch hours over more than 38 weeks, or cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Meals, nappies, consumables, trips and privately purchased hours are excluded. Providers may price sessions or apply hours differently from this simple comparison.
What to do next
Use the GOV.UK links alongside this explanation to check the relevant provision and deadlines. Confirm the code and start date, then ask the provider for a written offer showing the attendance pattern, funded hours, optional extras and the charge you will actually pay.
Frequently asked questions
Do these figures guarantee eligibility?
No. Universal provision is 15 hours a week for 3 and 4-year-olds in England from the term after their third birthday. Eligible working parents can receive 30 hours in total for children aged 9 months to 4 years, including any universal hours. Confirm eligibility, start dates and reception or compulsory-school-age cut-offs before choosing a provision. There is no general school-age entitlement under these schemes.
Does the estimated bill reduction include extras?
The estimate compares funded hours with your entered hourly cost over 38 weeks. Meals, consumables and other charges can remain payable. Check your provider’s invoice and funding arrangements before using the estimate as a budget.
Can I use this calculator outside England?
This model is for England. Childcare funding arrangements differ across the UK, so use the official guidance for the country where your child receives care.
Does the calculator stretch funded hours across the whole year?
No. It uses the selected weekly provision over 38 weeks. Some providers offer fewer funded hours each week across more weeks, so ask your provider how a stretched arrangement changes your invoice.
Why might my provider’s bill differ from this estimate?
Providers can apply funded hours through different attendance patterns, and meals, consumables or additional sessions may still be charged. The calculator uses your hourly cost as a planning comparison rather than reproducing a provider’s funding agreement.
Guides for your next step
- Funded childcare hours in England: term-time and stretched offers explained
Understand the 15-hour and 30-hour childcare offers in England, when they start, what extras can cost and how stretched provision changes a budget.
- How to compare nursery costs beyond the advertised daily rate
Turn nursery quotes into comparable annual costs by checking paid weeks, session rules, extras, deposits, funding and notice periods.
- How to build a childcare budget that survives irregular bills
Build an annual and monthly childcare plan that includes paid closures, deposits, extras, changing support and a realistic contingency.