Weekly hours split
Funded versus paid childcare hours.
Hours
Childcare Hours Calculator
Plan weekly childcare hours, funded hours, wraparound hours, and out-of-pocket costs.
Weekly childcare need34 hrs
Paid hours19 hrs
Annual cost£7,296
Hours breakdown
Work hours30 hrs/week
Commute and handovers4 hrs/week
Funded hours used15 hrs/week
Weekly cost£152
Assumptions
Calculation notes
- This is an hours and budget planner, not an eligibility checker.
- Provider sessions, minimum days, meals, deposits, school holidays, and local authority rules can change the final cost.
- Pair this with the childcare eligibility and nursery cost calculators for a fuller estimate.
Hours planning
How childcare coverage is compared
The tool turns headline funded hours into a practical weekly coverage view.
Coverage method
The calculator compares required childcare hours with funded hours and any paid wraparound hours entered by the user.
It highlights the weekly and term-time pattern so parents can understand how hours translate into practical childcare coverage.
Hours pathrequired hours - funded hours - covered hours -> remaining paid or uncovered hours
Weekly pattern example
Example: funded-hours planning
- Required childcare: 30 hours a week
- Funded hours: 15 hours
- Weeks pattern: selected by user
Result: The calculator shows the remaining hours that still need paying for or covering another way.
This helps separate headline funded hours from the actual weekly childcare pattern needed by the household.
Finding the uncovered hours
- Funded childcare rules depend on age, eligibility, provider participation and term-time versus stretched-hours arrangements.
- Use provider invoices and official eligibility guidance to confirm the final cost.
Content reviewed: 7 September 2026.
Guide
Childcare Hours Calculator notes
Estimate how work hours, commute time, funded childcare hours, and hourly rates combine into a weekly childcare plan.
Review the calculation notes where rules, tax years, thresholds, or eligibility affect the result.
FAQs
Childcare Hours Calculator FAQs
What is the Childcare Hours Calculator for?
Estimate how work hours, commute time, funded childcare hours, and hourly rates combine into a weekly childcare plan.