The Childcare Offer Wales

1. The Childcare Offer for Wales: help with childcare costs for eligible parents of 3 to 4 year olds

2. Who can apply? Am I eligible

3. What’s included in the Offer? How many hours am I eligible for under the Offer?

4. Choosing a childcare setting

5. Charges for food, transport and activities

6. School holiday entitlement

7. Effect on benefits

8. How and when can I apply?

9. Registering your Childcare Setting

10. Help

Page Menu

Who can apply? Am I eligible

To be eligible for the Childcare Offer, each parent must:

Live in Wales
Have a child aged 3 to 4 years old (The Offer will begin from the term following your child's third birthday until the term following their fourth birthday when they enter full-time education)
Earn less than £100,000 per year

You must also meet one of the following criteria:

be employed and earn at least, on average, the equivalent to working 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage
be on Statutory Pay and Leave (Sick, Maternity, Paternity, Parental Bereavement and Adoption Leave)
be enrolled on either an undergraduate, postgraduate or further education course that is at least 10 weeks in length

If you have a partner who lives with you, they must also meet one of these earnings or education criteria.

Foster carers and kinship carers (relative or friend who is not a child’s parent) may be eligible.

Before applying check if you're eligible for the Childcare Offer for Wales (opens in a new tab).

Parents can take up the childcare offer at any point during this time period, so long as they are eligible to do so. Parents should be able to access the offer from whichever point they wish during that term, providing their child was eligible from the beginning of that term, or earlier. This includes parents who move into the county or gain employment.

ID: 7217, revised 19/09/2024