What kind of childcare assistance might my employer offer?

Onsite nurseries – this is where the employer provides a nursery at your place of work and is the kind of facility that tends to be offered by larger employers. Workplace nurseries have high start-up costs and some employers may offer staff subsidised places to make the childcare more affordable. Workplaces nurseries may not be the first choice of all parents, particularly those who don’t fancy the daily commute alongside their baby or toddler, and you may prefer to find childcare nearer to where you live.

Partnership schemes – this is where the employer buys a number of places with a childcare provider or nursery near the workplace. A large employer or group of smaller employers may set up a nursery for their employees to use. Demand for places at onsite nurseries and partnership schemes is usually high, so it makes sense to put your name down for a place as soon as you can.

Out of school care – this can operate in a similar way to partnership schemes, but is where the employer buys places with childcare providers before and after school, so that employees’ children of a relevant age can attend breakfast and after-school clubs. Some may even provide care during the school holidays, which can prove a particularly hard time for employees to get childcare cover. Some employers have found that the demand among their workforce for such childcare support is so great that they offer holiday or afterschool schemes on the site of the workplace.

Childcare vouchers – this is where the employer offers all employees the option of taking vouchers on top of, or instead, of a portion of their salary. These vouchers are free of tax and NICs for the first £55 every week and can be used to pay for registered childcare.