Childcare Grant

How much you get will depend on your household income, how many dependent children you have and what your childcare costs are.

You’ll have to cover any remaining childcare costs yourself. If you’re a part-time student, your CCG will be calculated based on your study intensity.

2023 to 2024 academic year

You could get 85% of your childcare costs up to a maximum of:

• £187 per week for 1 dependent child
• £321 per week for 2 or more dependent children

If you don't have a childcare provider at the time you apply, you can still get CCG, but this will be capped at £144 per week or 85% of actual costs, whichever is lower. Once you supply childcare provider details, we’ll recalculate your funding for the higher amount.

If you’re a parent of a child between 3 and 4 years old, you may be eligible for further childcare support from the Welsh Government under the Childcare Offer which has recently been expanded to include students who are parents. 

2022 to 2023 academic year

You could get 85% of your childcare costs up to a maximum of:

• £184 a week for 1 dependent child
• £315 a week for 2 or more dependent children

If you don't have a childcare provider at the time you apply, you can still get CCG, but this will be capped at £141 per week or 85% of actual costs, whichever is lower. Once you supply childcare provider details, we’ll recalculate your funding for the higher amount.

If you’re a parent of a child between 3 and 4 years old, you may be eligible for further childcare support from the Welsh Government under the Childcare Offer which has recently been expanded to include students who are parents. 

You can apply for CCG if you:

• have at least one child under 15 who depends on you financially, or under 17 if they have special educational needs
• are using a childcare provider registered by Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW)
• are attending a full-time or part-time course (including a distance learning course) and getting undergraduate student finance that depends on your household income

You cannot apply if you:

• claim the childcare element of Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit
• get tax-free childcare from HM Revenue and Customs
• are paying a relative to care for your child only
• or your partner are receiving funding from the NHS

You should apply after you’ve applied for your main student finance by submitting an application form to estimate your childcare costs:

• Childcare Grant application form - 2023 to 2024
• Childcare Grant application form – 2022 to 2023

If you told us you wanted to apply for CCG when you applied for your main student finance, we’ll send you the form automatically.

You only need to give us evidence of your children in the first year of your course. You should upload a copy of one of the following:

• birth certificate for each child
• certificate of naturalisation for each child
• Home Office document confirming each child’s name and date of birth

You also need to prove your children are dependent on you. You need to submit a copy of one of the following:

• all pages of your most recent Tax Credits Award Notice naming you and all your children
• all pages of your most recent Universal Credit Award Notice naming you and the number of children on your claim
• all pages of your most recent Child Benefit letter naming all your children (this can be in your name or your partners)

We can accept downloads or screenshots of your Universal Credit statement or Child Benefit letter from your online account if you don’t have a paper copy. All pages must be clear and present.

You should upload all your documents at the same time to avoid any delays with your application.

For more information on sending us evidence, check out our dedicated evidence guidance page.

You and your childcare provider must confirm your childcare costs 3 times a year. We’ll send you a form each time you need to do this:

• Confirmation of childcare payments form - 2023 to 2024
• Confirmation of childcare payments form – 2022 to 2023

If you’ve been paid too much, we’ll deduct this amount from your next payment. Find out more about what happens when you’ve been overpaid CCG.

If you’ve not been paid enough, we’ll pay anything owed to you as soon as possible.

If you don't confirm your costs, your CCG will be stopped and you'll have to pay back anything you’ve already been paid.

We’ll pay your money into your bank account, usually 3 times a year at the start of each term. You can then use it to pay your childcare provider.

For more information on getting paid, check out our dedicated payment guidance page.