Before you quit work over childcare costs, look up the help that exists

The childcare bill is large next to your pay, and one question keeps coming back: is it even worth working? Some people say that if one parent quits, the family can lose more in pay than it saves on childcare, once tax and travel are counted. Either way, the working-out can leave out one thing: the help that exists to bring the bill down.

Before you quit work or turn down childcare because of the cost, look up the official help where you live, because several kinds of help depend on you working.

This page covers the US and the UK. The rules, amounts and limits differ by place and change each year, so it points you to the office that decides your case. It cannot tell you what you would get. If you are not working at the moment, or your child is older, the last section and the questions at the end say what changes.

Why look before you decide

Some people say help with childcare can stop at an income line, or can need a minimum number of work hours, so that a small rise in pay or a cut in hours leaves a family worse off. Some people point out that families who assume they are over the limit may find help if they check their own state’s programs. One person says to count the tax savings when you work out the real yearly cost of care.

Several of the schemes below depend on you working. Some also count a parent who is in training or school, or looking for work. That is why quitting first can cost you help you would have had. There is a page here called A tax bracket cannot make a raise cut your take-home pay about asking the office what a raise would change before you say no to it.

In the United States

The US government’s childcare.gov site lists the main kinds of help. Eligibility is decided state by state.

• A childcare subsidy through your state, also called a voucher or certificate. childcare.gov says states and territories get federal money to help families with low income pay for child care “so they can work or attend school.” The federal rules, as the government’s guide for states sets them out, are that the child is younger than 13 when you apply (a state may raise this to under 19 for a child who cannot care for themselves or is under court supervision), lives with a parent who is working, in job training or in school (or the child receives or needs protective services), and lives in a family whose income is no more than 85 percent of the state’s median income for a family that size, with assets of no more than $1,000,000. A state can set stricter rules, and the starting limits differ a lot from state to state. Child Care Aware (1-800-424-2246) or 211 can point you to the office in your state.
• If you already get the subsidy: the federal rule (45 CFR 98.21) says a state must keep a child eligible for at least 12 months between checks, even if family income rises, as long as it stays at or below 85 percent of state median income. A state with a lower starting limit must use a second, higher limit when it rechecks. If a parent’s work, training or school stops for more than a temporary break, a state may end the help, but must first continue it, at least at the same level, for at least three months so the parent can look for work, or go back to training or school. Ask your state agency for the rest.
• Head Start and Early Head Start. Head Start says these programs give low-income families free learning and development services for children from birth to 5. Its page says a family qualifies if household income is at or below the poverty level, and that families who get public assistance (TANF, SSI or SNAP), and those with children in foster care or children who are homeless, also qualify regardless of income. You apply through your local program, and its page gives a toll-free number to help you find one, 1-866-763-6481, Monday to Friday, 12 pm to 6 pm Eastern. Ask the program how many hours a day it runs, because a program may not cover a full work day.
• State prekindergarten. childcare.gov says some states offer programs for children between 3 and 5 at low or no cost, part-day or full-day.
• Local help and discounts. childcare.gov says local nonprofits and individual providers may offer fee assistance or scholarships, some providers give sibling discounts, and some employers and colleges offer childcare or discounts.
• At work. childcare.gov says an employer may offer a Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, and that the money you put into it is not subject to payroll taxes. The IRS says that for 2026 the limit is $7,500 ($3,750 if married filing separately). Ask your human resources office whether your employer has one.
• At tax time, the Child and Dependent Care Credit. The IRS says you may be able to claim it if you paid for the care of a qualifying person so that you (and your spouse, if you file jointly) could work or actively look for work, and that care of a child under 13 counts. The credit is a percentage of up to $3,000 of expenses for one qualifying person, such as a child under 13, or $6,000 for two or more, and the IRS says those limits stay the same for 2026. It says the percentage depends on your income. It says that beginning with tax year 2026 the maximum rate rises from 35 percent to 50 percent. The IRS also says the credit is limited to your tax: you cannot get a refund for any part of it that is more than the tax you owe. The IRS also says that money you exclude from your income under an employer plan has to be subtracted from that dollar limit. childcare.gov says IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance gives free tax help to eligible low-income taxpayers.

In the United Kingdom

GOV.UK sets out the help below. Figures are the ones its pages showed in October 2026. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own schemes for free hours, so use the pages for your nation.

• Free hours for 3 and 4-year-olds in England. GOV.UK says all 3 to 4-year-olds in England can get 570 free hours a year, usually 15 hours a week for 38 weeks. It gives no work condition for these hours. You may be asked to pay for extras such as meals and nappies.
• Free hours for 2-year-olds in England. GOV.UK says your 2-year-old can get 15 hours a week if you or your child get certain benefits or support, for example if you get Universal Credit and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not counting benefit payments. It lists the other cases, such as a child with an education, health and care plan.
• Free Childcare for Working Parents (England). GOV.UK says you may be able to get 30 hours a week, for 38 weeks of the year, for a child aged 9 months to 4 years. You (and your partner, if you have one) need to be in work or about to start a job and expect to earn at least £2,643.68 over the 3 months after you apply if you are 21 or over; lower amounts apply to under-21s and apprentices. You cannot get it if you or your partner’s expected adjusted net income is over £100,000. You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old, and GOV.UK says to check the deadlines for applying.
• Tax-Free Childcare. GOV.UK says you pay into an online childcare account and the government tops it up by £2 for every £8 you pay in, up to £500 every 3 months for each child (£2,000 a year), or £1,000 every 3 months if your child is disabled. You usually need to be working, the child must be 11 or younger (16 or younger if disabled), and your provider must be signed up. You cannot get it at the same time as Universal Credit or childcare vouchers, or if you or your partner’s expected adjusted net income is over £100,000. You must sign in every 3 months to confirm you are still eligible, or it stops.
• Universal Credit childcare costs (England, Scotland and Wales). GOV.UK says that if you pay for childcare while you work, Universal Credit can pay back up to 85 percent of the cost, up to £1,071.09 a month for one child or £1,836.16 a month for two or more. You pay first and report the costs. You need to be in paid work or starting a job in the next month, with no minimum number of hours, and a partner must also be working unless they cannot look after the children. Report the costs in the assessment period you paid them or the one after, because GOV.UK says you might not get the money back if you report later. If you are starting work or working more hours, you may be able to get help with the upfront cost, which you do not repay.
• GOV.UK’s childcare calculator, at gov.uk/childcare-calculator, shows what you could get.

Citizens Advice (England 0800 144 8848, Wales 0800 702 2020, Scotland 0800 028 1456) and, in Northern Ireland, Advice NI (0800 915 4604) give advice on benefits and other money problems.

Working or staying home

Some people say staying home is the only choice that pays once childcare, tax and travel are counted. One person argues that a parent who keeps working keeps building a career, retirement savings and Social Security credits, and that quitting sets back future finances. This page does not settle it. It adds one thing to weigh: the help above, several kinds of which are paid only while you work.

If help is not enough

Some people say families can cut costs with grandparents, a parent co-op, a nanny, or by arranging work around care days. One person warns that informal childcare swaps between families may break local licensing rules and may have no insurance if a child is hurt. This page did not check those rules, so ask your state’s childcare licensing office in the US, or your local council in the UK, before you swap care. If you are worried that a child is being harmed in someone’s care, call 911 (999 in the UK) if there is danger now. Childhelp (1-800-422-4453) in the US and the NSPCC Helpline (0808 800 5000; it says it is open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday) in the UK take calls from adults who are worried about a child. Outside those hours in the UK, contact children’s services where the child lives or the police on 101.

One person says a second job or side work is better than borrowing against your home to pay for childcare, because the cost falls once the child starts school. Another warns that a home equity loan puts the home at risk if payments cannot be kept up. If bills are piling up, a nonprofit credit counselor in the US, or StepChange or National Debtline in the UK, can look at the whole budget with you.

Who this page is not for

This page is not about whether to have a child; there is a page here called Price the childcare before you decide for that. If your child is older than the ages above, the rules differ: for example, GOV.UK says Tax-Free Childcare stops at the September after the child turns 11 (16 if disabled), and that Universal Credit childcare costs can be claimed until the 31 August after the child’s 16th birthday. If your problem is a place, not a price, the waiting-list question below is where to start. And outside the US and UK, your own country’s rules apply.

If you have been turned down, ask the office for the reason in writing and how to appeal. In the US, LawHelp.org points to legal help in each state, and Child Care Aware or 211 can point you to your state’s office. In the UK, Citizens Advice gives advice on benefits.