North

• There is comprehensive information about childcare in Northern Ireland on the NI Direct website – Childcare . It includes information on Choosing Childcare  and Help Paying For Appproved Childcare
• Childcare Partnerships offer information and support to childcare providers, parents and employers. Their aim is to increase the number of childcare places and to ensure high quality affordable childcare for parents across Northern Ireland.  For further information please see the Childcare Partnership Website.

Tax-free childcare

You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year). If you get Tax-Free Childcare, you’ll set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your provider.

You can use it to pay for approved childcare, for example:

childminders, nurseries and nannies

after school clubs and play schemes

For more information please visit: – https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

The Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme is delivered by the Early Years Organisation on behalf of the Department of Education. Childcare providers and parents can register for the Scheme at –  NICSS – Early Years 

The Scheme is focused on working parents, based on Tax Free Childcare (TFC) eligibility with children below primary school age. It provides a 15% subsidy towards parents’ bills (paid directly to providers to reduce upfront costs).  The parent can then claim 20% TFC on the remaining bill. You must also have a TFC account for your child.

Cross-border issues

Living South

If you are living in the South, working in the North and your approved childcare provider is the North , you can avail of the scheme.

You may also be able to avail of the scheme if you are paying a provider based in the South. Contact HMRC to check.

Living North

If you live in the North and work in the South, make sure you report your income to HMRC via self assessment to ensure that you can avail of the scheme.

For more information on the above please visit : https://www.employersforchildcare.org/video/tax-free-childcare-advice-for-cross-border-workers/

If your child was born in the Republic of Ireland and there is no claim to UK Child Benefit, you should contact The Childcare Service Helpline  for advice and support as you will need to submit proof of the child’s identity manually.

Universal Credit

If you are working, Universal Credit can help with the costs of childcare, no matter how many hours you work.

You may be able to claim up to 85 per cent of your childcare costs if you’re eligible for Universal Credit and meet some additional conditions.

Source: Understanding Universal Credit – children and childcare

Cross border issues

You can get help with the costs of a childcare provider based in the South. Claimants need to provide evidence that the childcare provider is appropriately registered in the Republic of Ireland. This may not be straightforward and you should seek specialist advice.

Source: https://www.adviceni.net/policy/publications/universal-credit-support-childcare-costs-and-changes-meaning-relevant-childcare

South

• The Citizens Information website contains comprehensive information on childcare in Ireland.   For further information please visit Citizens Information– Childcare options.
• Childminding is the largest sub-sector within childcare in Ireland, and is generally undertaken by self-employed people in their own homes. Childminding is legislated for by the Childcare Act 1991, which is interpreted by the Childcare (Pre-School Services) Regulations 2006.  For further information please visit the National Childminding Association of Ireland.
• For more information on the National Childcare Scheme in RoI you can contact the National Childcare Scheme Parent Support Centre. Call (01) 906 8530 or 0044 19068530 from outside RoI  (9am – 5pm Monday to Friday).

See also:

• Border People – Universal Credit 
• National Children’s Nurseries Association
• The Childcare Directory Ltd
• The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
• NICMA, the Northern Ireland Childminding Association
• Employers for Children – A Comprehensive Guide to Tax free Childcare

Page last checked: September 2024

This webpage is for general information purposes only and while we endeavour to keep it up-to-date, errors may occur. It is very important that you check with the relevant body to ensure the information is current and is applicable to your situation.

If you would like to suggest amendments or highlight new information that could be useful to others please don’t hesitate to get in touch.