Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to review the tax-free childcare allowance with a view to increasing it from the current £2000 per child per year.

Tax Free Childcare provides financial support for working parents with their childcare costs. For every £8 parents pay into their childcare account, the government adds £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 in top up per year for each child aged up to 11, and up to £4,000 per disabled child until they’re 17. The Government spent £43 million on TFC top-up for families in March 2022 (the most recent data). The £2,000 Tax-Free Childcare top-up, which can be claimed per year and per child, was set at this level because the Government believes it strikes the right balance between helping parents with their childcare costs, and managing the public finances in a responsible way.

The Government is committed to supporting working parents and has recently announced a renewed campaign – via the Childcare Choices website - so parents who are eligible for Tax-Free Childcare but not using it yet can benefit from this support.