Holiday, Half-Term & Wrap-Around Costs

Just like nursery fees, wraparound childcare costs vary widely by location and provider. But school-based options often aren’t as expensive as you might expect. Breakfast clubs can cost anywhere from £2 to £7 per session, while after-school care typically falls between £12 and £20 per day. With around 195 school days to cover each year, though, these costs can quickly add up.

For school holidays and half-terms, expect to pay between £25 and £55 per day depending on what's included (like meals or extended hours). Many families try to share the load by tag-teaming childcare and utilising grandparents, which is why our calculator asks how many days you actually need, rather than assuming you’ll need full-time coverage every holiday.

The tax part of tax free childcare assumes that you are a basic rate tax payer, and also ignores national insurance, or student loans (if you have them). For people that are higher rate tax payers or have student loans to pay, this won't feel like tax free childcare. It's best to ignore the name and focus on the fact that the govenment wants to pay 20% of your childcare bill (up to a limit, see the calculator above).

If you have pre-school aged children, then tax free childcare can help significantly with your bill. However, it is still available for school aged children, whether it's holiday clubs, wrap around childcare or breakfast/after school clubs. The childcare you are using simply has to be registered with the scheme; so ensure you ask your provider!

There is a £500 top up cap each quarter for non-disabled children (£1,000 for disabled children) so if your bills  will be seasonal, it may be worth topping up more in months when you use less childcare to get maximal savings for the months where you need more.

Some months you'll find school is there for nearly all working days, while others may sting you with almost a whole month of childcare to find. This is where you may want to consider using your tax free childcare account as a savings account. You could transfer your child benefit straight into your account by direct debit as soon as you receive it, which would be £1,331 per year for your first child (£882 for any subsequent children). Or use our top-up calculator to help you work out how much you should transfer each month if you want stable costs per month, using the total annual cost you've estimated on this page. 

Ensure you don't wait until the day your invoice is due to top up your account. It normally takes a few hours, or even up to 24 hours for the government top up to show up. If you've used our top-up calculator to work out exactly how much you need to top up, you can always schedule your payment to your provider for the following day knowing that the government top up will be there in time.