Nursery cost calculator
Plan the true cost of nursery care across a year, including any support you expect to receive.
Calculator guidance reviewed
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Start with your figures.
Change the numbers below to see how they affect your estimate. Nothing needs to be saved.
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Try this calculatorAbout this calculator
Plan the true cost of nursery care across a year, including any support you expect to receive.
How to use this calculator
Who this calculator is for
This tool is for parents and carers comparing a nursery quote or turning a weekly charge into an annual household budget. It can include a known amount of support, but it does not decide which childcare scheme you qualify for.
What information to enter
Enter the weekly nursery charge, the number of weeks the provider charges each year, and any confirmed annual support. If you want an hourly comparison, also enter the annual care hours. Include compulsory extras in the weekly figure, or keep them separately, but use the same approach for every provider you compare.
How the result is worked out
Weekly cost is multiplied by paid weeks. Annual support is capped at that cost and subtracted, so the amount left cannot be negative. The monthly planning figure is the amount left divided by 12. The hourly comparison is the cost before support divided by annual care hours.
Worked example
A nursery costing £250 a week for 48 paid weeks totals £12,000. With £2,000 annual support, the estimated amount left is £10,000 a year, or £833.33 a month as a planning average. At 1,200 annual hours, the cost before support averages £10 an hour.
What this calculator leaves out
It does not model deposits, invoice dates, refunds, fee rises, provider closures, session pricing, quality of care, tax or benefit interactions, or eligibility for support. A monthly average is not a prediction of an individual invoice, and funded provision may be applied differently by each provider.
What to do next
Ask each provider for a written, itemised quote showing charged weeks, deposits, extras and how funded hours are applied. Check the official childcare-support options linked alongside this explanation, confirm any support before relying on it, and compare the estimate with the provider contract and actual payment timetable.
Frequently asked questions
What does this calculator include?
It estimates the total cost of nursery care, monthly cost and any remaining out-of-pocket amount after any support or funding you enter.
How is the annual nursery cost calculated?
Weekly cost is multiplied by the number of weeks you pay for. For example, £250 a week for 48 weeks is £12,000 before support. Enter paid weeks, which may differ from the weeks your child attends.
Should I enter annual or weekly support?
Enter annual support in this calculator. Support applied is capped at the annual nursery cost, so the remaining cost cannot fall below zero. Any hourly comparison uses the annual hours you enter.
How many paid weeks should I enter?
Enter the number of weeks your provider charges for, including any paid closures or holidays stated in your agreement. This may be different from the number of weeks your child physically attends.
Is the hourly cost shown before or after support?
It is the annual nursery cost before support divided by the annual care hours you enter. This keeps the provider cost separate from funding or support that reduces what you pay.
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.