A MUM-OF-THREE has revealed how she saves £750 a year on childcare through a little-known scheme.
Childcare can be a costly headache for parents, especially in the school holidays.
The average cost of sending a child under the age of two to nursery is over £7,000 a year, according to the government.
And with the country still in the midst of a cost of living crisis, childcare can become unaffordable for some families.
But Zoey Iwuala, who lives in London, has managed to save money by taking advantage of a scheme launched by her employer.
The engagement and culture manager at VertoFX – an international payment company – can access 50 hours of free childcare each year.
It available to all 70 of the company’s employees that are based in the UK and is run through an app called Bubble.
It helps connect parents with babysitters and nannies in their local area, but it also works with employers to offer free childcare to workers.
Staff are given an allowance amount and a choice of local childcare providers to choose from.
Zoey told The I that the scheme has helped her to secure care for her children over the Easter break and the upcoming summer holidays.
She added that with the average babysitter charging around £15 an hour, the 50 free hours are worth up to £750 a year.
She told the newspaper that as well as helping to save cash, her three daughters are thrilled with the arrangement.
“My children loved it. It wasn’t just someone sitting in my house watching them,” she said.
“The babysitter took them to the park, on scooter rides and they did dance competitions and baking.
“They keep asking me: ‘When is the babysitter coming again?'”
For workers who don’t have children, the hours can also be used to cover pet care.
Zoey’s company isn’t the only one to offer its employees help with childcare costs, although what you get varies by workplace.
The app is also working with Uber to give parents 10 hours of free childcare.
Everything to know about child benefit:
How much is child benefit and when does it stop?
How long does child benefit take to claim and is it means-tested?
What age do child benefits stop and can I claim for a third child?
Are child benefit payments going up and how much more will I get?
The National Gallery in London offers parents 30 hours of free childcare through Bubble too.
Other companies offering similar schemes include insurance companies Vitality, charity TeachFirst and online marketplace for buying and selling cars Carwow.
Ari Last, founder and chief executive of Bubble. told The I that the number of companies signing up to offer childcare as a perk was rising by 50% each year.
It’s also worth checking to see if your company offers childcare as part of its package of perks and benefits.
For example, some companies will let you buy extra annual leave – which is worth asking about if you need additional time off for childcare.
Some workplaces even have onsite nurseries, including tech giant Cisco’s headquarters in London and First Direct in Leeds.
But if you can’t get childcare help through work then don’t worry, there other ways families can slash their childcare costs this summer.
Ministers are extending free childcare to hundreds of thousands of mums and dads in a three-phase approach.
Eligible working parents of two-year-olds have been able to apply for 15 hours free childcare since April.
Thirty hours free childcare will be available to working parents of children aged nine months to three years old from September 2025.
Phase two, the latest phase, will see 15 hours free childcare extended to eligible working parents of children aged nine months to three years old, with applications opening on May 12.
You can apply for 15 hours free childcare from when your child is one year and 36 weeks old.
Meanwhile, you can apply for 30 hours from when your child is two years and 36 weeks old.
Once you’ve applied via the gov.uk website you’ll be issued a code which you have to give to your childcare provider alongside your National Insurance number and child’s date of birth.
You have to apply for a code by the end of the month before a new term starts.
For example, if the term starts on September 1 you need to apply by August 31.
You should also check with your provider the exact date your free childcare kicks in.
It should take around 20 minutes to apply for a code, and can take up to seven days to find out if you’ve qualified.
The code will be sent to you once your application has been approved.
You have to reconfirm your eligibility for free childcare every three months on your online account.
Therefore, if you are a working parent of a nine-month-old and applying for 15 hours free childcare around the May 12 date, you may need to reconfirm your code to ensure you can start using your free hours from September.
Parents living in England and claiming any of the below benefits can access some free childcare for two-year-olds:
Two-year-olds can also get free childcare if they:
You may have to pay for extra costs like meals, nappies or trips.
Those not on Universal Credit or Tax Credits might qualify for tax-free childcare.
For every £8 you pay into the account, the Government will pay you £2.
You can get up to £500 from the Government every three months – up to a maximum of £2,000 a year – for each of your children.
If your child is disabled, you can claim more – £1,000 every three months, up to £4,000 maximum per year.
Anyone eligible can sign up by creating an online childcare account via the Government’s website.
You can claim tax-free childcare at the same time as 15 or 30 hours free childcare hours.
You can get child benefit if you’re responsible for a child aged under 16, or if they are under 20 and in approved education or training.
Child benefit is currently worth £25.60 a week for the eldest child or only child. For each subsequent child, parents get £16.95 a week.
The cash is paid every four weeks and there’s no limit to how many children you can apply for.
Bear in mind though, those who earn more than £60,000 a year have to start paying back some of their child benefit through the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC).
If you or your partner earns £80,000 or more, you have to pay all your entitlement back.
You have to pay the HICBC to HMRC through self-assessment.
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