Childcare cost calculator
Your childcare cost is the hourly rate times the hours you use, scaled to a week, month and year. BabyData turns a nursery or childminder hourly or daily rate and your weekly hours into the full cost, then shows the cost after England free funded hours (15 or 30) applied over 38 term-time weeks. Average UK costs are tracked by the Coram Family and Childcare survey and funding rules are on gov.uk Childcare Choices. These are estimates, so confirm your provider's fees and what the free hours cover.
Work out your childcare cost
Weekly, monthly and annual cost, before and after England free funded hours.
How this is worked out
The weekly cost is your hourly rate times the hours you use each week. A daily rate is converted to an hourly rate by dividing by the hours in a full day:
Weekly cost = hourly rate × weekly hours
Monthly cost = weekly cost × 52 ÷ 12
Annual cost = weekly cost × 52
Free England funded hours are taken off term-time only, over 38 weeks a year (the statutory minimum). Outside term time, and for any hours above your funded entitlement, you pay the full rate. Many nurseries spread the funding across more weeks at fewer hours, and may charge for meals or consumables on funded sessions, so your bill can differ.
An estimate based on the figures you enter. Average UK costs are tracked each year by the Coram Family and Childcare Childcare Survey; eligibility and funding rules are on gov.uk Childcare Choices. Confirm your provider's exact fees and what the free hours cover.
Common questions
How do you work out my childcare cost?
The tool multiplies your hourly rate by your weekly hours to get a weekly cost, then scales it to a month (times 52 divided by 12) and a year (times 52). A daily rate is converted to an hourly rate by dividing by the hours in a full day.
How are the free hours applied to the cost?
England free funded hours are taken off term-time only, over 38 weeks a year, which is the statutory minimum. Outside term time, and for any hours above your funded entitlement, you pay the full rate. Many nurseries spread the funding across more weeks at fewer hours per week.
Why might my nursery bill be higher than the estimate?
Providers may charge for meals or consumables on funded sessions, and premium or peak-time rates can apply, so confirm your provider's exact fees and what the free hours cover. The estimate uses the single rate you enter.
Where do average UK childcare costs come from?
Average UK childcare costs are tracked each year by the Coram Family and Childcare survey, and the funding rules are on gov.uk Childcare Choices. This tool works from the figures you enter, so it reflects your own provider's rate rather than a national average.
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Editor, BabyData
Oliver Mackman is the named editor of BabyData and a director of Best Business Loans Ltd (Companies House 16833937), the company that operates the site. He is accountable for its editorial standards, sourcing and corrections, and requires every number to cite the underlying rule and the official UK dataset behind it, with pregnancy tools reviewed against NHS and gov.uk guidance before publication.
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026