Childcare grant income threshold and award

I am starting teacher training in September and am in the process of applying for a childcare grant to help with the cost of childcare for my two children while I study. My wife will be the sole income for the household while I study and I have been told the upper income threshold to qualify for the grant is £28,900; my wife earned just over £18,000 in the 2017-18 tax year the application asks for. Does this mean we qualify for the full 85% contribution to childcare costs or is it a sliding scale of different percentages according to how far below the threshold our household income is?

Hi Erin,Thanks for getting back to me.Does that mean that if we qualify for the childcare grant because of my wife’s income we will get 85% contribution per week? Is there any way it would be less than 85% because of certain factors?ThanksJoe

Hi Joe,

There shouldn't be any factors to getting less than the 85% of the costs, once we have the income details our assessment team will be able to review this and see exactly what childcare amount you are eligible for.

Thanks, Erin

Hi,

I understand it’s paid as 85% of childcare costs or the maximum amounts indicated, whichever is less. The reason I mention 85% is this applies to our childcare costs, it being the lower amount of the two. I assume this is what you mean when you say assessing which ‘amount’ we are eligible for, though I’m not sure how they decide this without knowing our childcare costs as these are not part of the application evidence. From what you’ve said and the application itself I don’t see any obvious reason we won’t be awarded the childcare grant, which is good news.

Thanks
Joe

Hi can you say how many children you were claiming for and what your household income is as im worried we might not get any, my household income is 17000, with two children.