Tools

What will nursery actually cost?

Every 3 and 4-year-old in Scotland gets 1,140 funded hours of early learning and childcare a year — universal, with no work test. What you pay is whatever sits beyond those hours, minus any UK-wide help you claim. Enter your nursery’s own hourly rate and your weekly pattern to see the real bill.

Your child

Every 3 and 4-year-old in Scotland gets 1,140 funded hours a year — no work test, no income cap. Some 2-year-olds qualify too (through benefits or care experience).

Your nursery’s hourly rate

£/hour

From your nursery’s own price list. If they quote a daily rate, divide it by the hours in their day (a £55 full day of 10 hours is £5.50/hour).

Hours per week

Weeks per year

38 weeks is term-time only; most year-round places run 48–51 weeks.

Help with the bill (UK-wide schemes)

You can only hold one at a time — opening a Tax-Free Childcare account switches the Universal Credit childcare element off, and for households on UC the element is almost always worth more.

Your council (optional)

Your cost after funding and help

£455

per month — £5,460 a year

Without the funded hours and help, the same year would cost £13,440.

How the year breaks down

Childcare used (40 hrs × 48 wks): 1,920 hrs
Full price for the year: £13,440
Funded hours (1,140 of 1,140): −£7,980
You pay: £5,460/yr

The hourly rate is yours to enter from your nursery’s own price list — nurseries set their own fees, so no average can price your place. The funded entitlement (1,140 hours/year), the Tax-Free Childcare top-up and the Universal Credit childcare caps are the current published rates, verified against mygov.scot and gov.uk. Funded hours reduce the hours you pay for; how they map onto your weekly pattern depends on your provider’s sessions.

Early years

Funded-hours deadlines and childcare help by email

When council nursery applications open, rate changes when they land, and the payments young families can claim. One short weekly email, no spam.