Are Nannies included in the 15/30 Hours Free Childcare Scheme?
During the 2023 Spring Budget, former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced expansion of the 15/30 hours free childcare scheme, proposing to extend the 30 hours free part of the scheme to children as young as 9 months by September 2025.
Since then, concerns have been raised about the scheme and the impact this will have on the childcare industry. There has also been some confusion around which childcare providers eligible parents can claim their free hours through.
Let’s talk about it.
What is the 15/30 hours free childcare scheme?
The 15/30 hours free childcare scheme is a government initiative to help parents with reducing the cost of childcare by offering a number of free hours per week.
The number of free hours you can claim depends on the age of your child.
- If your child is aged between 9 months and 2 years old, you can get 15 hours of free childcare per week
- If your child is 3 to 4 years old, you can get 30 hours of free childcare per week
Who is eligible for the scheme?
The number of free hours you are entitled to is dependent on the age of your child, but there are other factors which can affect your eligibility, such as:
- Your employment status
- You and your partner’s income
- Your immigration status
Which childcare providers are included in the scheme?
The 15/30 hours free scheme can be used towards nursery fees, for after-school clubs, and with childminders.
Are nannies included in the scheme?
No, nannies are the only childcare provider currently excluded from the Government’s 15/30 hours free childcare scheme. As a result, many families are prevented from accessing this flexible form of childcare.
How does this impact parents?
“It makes absolutely no sense to exclude nannies from 30 hours free. Nannies aren’t only used by high net worths who would be ineligible for the scheme anyway. There’s also huge demand from middle income professionals, many of whom don’t work regular 9-5 hours. Our clients include NHS workers who work 12-hour or night shifts, or three days on, three days off. Nurseries simply don’t cater for these families.” – Frankie Gray, Director of nanny agency Harmony at Home
We asked our Nannytax customers to share their stories about their experiences, why they rely on a nanny, and how being excluded from the 30 hours free scheme has impacted them. Read their stories below.
Nanny Sharz is a nanny, parent coach and childcare expert, with 19 years’ experience.
She says,
“Just like teachers and teaching assistants, and early years and nursery practitioners, nannies are a critical part of the childcare and early years sector, offering flexibility in terms of where and when we work that other providers cannot. We all do similar childcare tasks and work to provide an enriched learning experience for children. Therefore I believe it is both unfair and a huge disservice that we are not included in the 30 hours free scheme. During the pandemic lockdowns I gave away over 150+ of free nanny childcare hours to single-parent households. One of the topics that kept coming up when I spoke to single parents was why nannies were not included in 30 hours free and how helpful this could be for their families. The high-quality childcare and flexibility that we could offer more parents through the scheme would be hugely beneficial to families and help ease some of the childcare challenges that families face in finding suitable childcare for their children.”
Nanny Fizz is a Norland nanny with nine years of experience and has worked with more than 20 families.
She says,
“The family I currently work for tell me they would like to have me for more hours throughout the week if they were able to use free hours towards my pay but, as this is not an option, they have signed their child up for nursery part time to save money on childcare. They’d rather not send her to a nursery but it is the best option to suit their finances. It’s a shame that childcare decisions always have to be price-led, rather than what’s best for each family. In this case, the parents both work from home, and would like to see their child on their breaks, but they can’t afford that option. Many nurseries are now operating waiting lists and there are mothers that cannot go back to work because they can’t secure places in time. If nannies were included in the 30 hours free scheme, we’d have more work, children would benefit from the one-to-one, tailored care we can provide, and parents would have the luxury of choice and greater availability, be that nursery, childminder or nanny.”
How has expansion of the scheme impacted nannies?
Confusion around where parents can claim their free hours has made it difficult for some nannies to find employment, with parents expecting nannies to be included in the scheme.
“I am a qualified, very experienced nanny, who has worked with some wonderful families, here in the UK and abroad, and I have lovely references from each of them, yet I cannot find work. This is due to the total confusion around the Government’s 15/30 hours of funded childcare. Many parents I have spoken to during my job hunt think that nannies can accept this funding; but very sadly they can not. I know there are thousands of extremely confused parents, and nannies up and down the country who are desperate for clarity.” – Nannytax Nanny
What other options are there to help with the cost of employing a nanny?
If you’re feeling worried about how much your nanny is going to cost, you’re certainly not alone. The good news is there are some other ways you can save on your childcare, such as Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit.
Who are Nannytax?
Nannytax are the UK’s original & leading nanny payroll experts with 30 years of experience.
We work to save families precious time by removing the hassle of payroll, tax and various ongoing legal admin involved when employing a nanny. We also offer additional services such as Employers Liability Insurance and Nanny Pensions.
