Childcare for Service children
Source: gov.uk (2025-09-04)

Information on childcare for Service families within the UK and overseas.

Wraparound Childcare

Known as ‘Out of School Care’ in Wales and ‘School age childcare’ in Scotland.

Childcare is a concern that continues to be raised on behalf of Service families by the Families Federations and other stakeholders. The concern has been reflected in recent surveys carried out by the Families Federations, the wider Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) and the Families Continuous Attitude Survey (FAMCAS).

Feedback from AFCAS and FAMCAS highlighted that a lack of good-quality, enriching and appropriate childcare has a significant impact on partner employment, which can influence Service personnels’ decisions on whether to stay in or leave the Armed Forces.

In recognition of the issues that some Service families face when trying to access wraparound childcare and its potential negative impact on retention, Defence launched the Wraparound Childcare (WAC) Scheme in September 2022.

Eligible Service personnel (Tri-Service) can register for up to 20 hours a week per child during term time only (39 weeks per year) of wraparound childcare funding for 4 to 11-year-old children (4 to 16 years if in receipt of certain disability benefits) attending before and after school childcare in the UK or eligible overseas locations.

WAC funding does not provide childcare spaces, it is funding for costs incurred when eligible families pay for before and after school childcare.

Eligibility criteria for WAC
- The scheme is open to regular and full-time reserve service (FTRS) (all commitment types) personnel. Service personnel will be eligible following their completion of Phase 1 training until their termination date.
- The Service person must either be assigned within the UK, overseas within the European Economic Area and Switzerland (EEA&S), overseas using a Defence Children Services (DCS) childcare provider, or unaccompanied in other overseas locations with their family remaining in the UK, the EEA&S or an overseas location using a DCS provider for before and after school childcare.
- The child for whom the Service person has parental responsibility must be aged 4 to 11 years (4 to 16 years if in receipt of certain disability benefits), must attend school (including home education) and be living with the serving person for at least 50% of the time unless separated due to Service commitments (deployment, residential courses), or when serving on unaccompanied assignments overseas with the family remaining in the UK, EEA&S or overseas location and using a DCS provider for before and after school childcare.
- An active Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) account must be set up with HRMC for each child that a Service person wants to claim funding for. Active means that you reconfirm your account every 3 months and receive the 20% top-up from HMRC when you add money into the account and when using UK or DCS childcare providers, or receive the 20% top-up from the manual TFC process if using host nation childcare providers within the EEA&S.
- The childcare provider must either be: located in the UK and be OFSTED-registered (or equivalent) and accept TFC payments; a DCS childcare setting which accepts TFC payments; or located overseas in the EEA&S and is registered, regulated and inspected by host nation authorities.
- The Service person and their partner (or a sole parent in a single parent family) must be in paid employment, self-employed, starting or re-starting work within the next 31 days, and have a weekly income equivalent to at least 16 hours at the UK National Minimum or Living Wage (https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates).
- Both parents (or a sole parent in a single parent family) must each have an adjusted net income of £100,000 or less per annum.
How to claim

Service families can check if they are eligible for WAC and find out how claim funding by searching ‘Wraparound Childcare’ on the Discover My Benefits (https://discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk/) website.

Contact
- Contact your unit HR team or admin office for queries about claims.
- For policy questions, email: xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)
For more information on WAC visit: Defence childcare information (https://modgovuk.sharepoint.com/teams/310794) (accessible by MOD personnel only) or Defence Connect (https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/groups/wraparound-childcare-portal/content?filterID=contentstatus%5Bpublished%5D&sortKey=contentstatus%5Bpublished%5D~recentActivityDateDesc) (sign-in required).

United Kingdom (UK)

There are a number of childcare options for parents to choose from. Parents should go to the Best Start in Life website (https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/) for further information and guidance on all available government childcare schemes.

England

For the current offer in England and guidance, parents should visit the Best Start in Life website (https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/).

You can also check to see if you’re eligible for Tax-Free Childcare (https://www.gov.uk/get-tax-free-childcare) (TFC). You can get TFC at the same time as 15 or 30 hours’ free childcare if you’re eligible for both.

Scotland

For the current childcare offer in Scotland and information about early learning and childcare (ELC), parents should visit: Parent Club (https://www.parentclub.scot/articles/early-learning-and-childcare-thats-free-you).

Wales

For the current childcare offer in Wales, parents should visit the Welsh Government website (https://gov.wales/help-paying-childcare).

Northern Ireland

For the current childcare offer in Northern Ireland and guidance, parents should contact 38 (Irish) Brigade at xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Returning from overseas or moving within the UK

30 hours’ free childcare codes are not valid overseas.

If you are returning from overseas or moving within the UK, please visit the Best Start in Life website (https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/) to find out what is available in your area. The application process and deadlines may vary.

Moving to England

It’s not possible to apply for additional funded childcare online when you are outside the UK. If you are due to return to England after a term deadline, you can call the Childcare Service Helpline on xx-xxxx-xxxx to apply for a free childcare code and request a manual application.

Information on term deadlines and when to apply can be found in DIN - Funded childcare entitlements and processes for overseas Service personnel and UK-Based Civil Servants (UKBCs) with accompanying pre-school-aged children. Search for the DIN on defnet (https://modgovuk.sharepoint.com/sites/DINs/SitePages/DINS-Search.aspx?filters=%5b%7b%22n%22%3a%22RefinableString10%22%2c%22t%22%3a%5b%22equals%28%2701%20Personnel%27%29%22%5d%7d%5d&xsdata=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&sdata=Y29SS2gyZ1RrcUtUTVplazNHSjZDVHM1ZllEUnozaFhXeDJBYlVWK3k0TT0%3D&ovuser=be7760ed-5953-484b-ae95-d0a16dfa09e5%2COlivia.Humphry100%40mod.gov.uk&OR=Teams-HL&CT=1755092286716&clickparams=eyJBcHBOYW1lIjoiVGVhbXMtRGVza3RvcCIsIkFwcFZlcnNpb24iOiI0OS8yNTA3MTcxNDgxMiJ9) or Defence Connect (https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/login.jspa?referer=%252Fgroups%252Fdins) (accessible by MOD personnel only).

Moving to Scotland

Funded early learning and childcare is free to all parents and is funded by the Scottish Government. You can get up to 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare per year (around 30 hours a week in term time) if your child is 3 or 4 years old. Some 2-year-old children are also eligible.

For more information, please visit Help paying for childcare (https://www.mygov.scot/childcare-costs-help).

Moving to Wales

Wales provides a minimum of 10 hours per week of nursery education for all children aged 3 to 4 years; up to an additional 20 hours per week of funded childcare for eligible parents of 3 to 4-year-old children during term-time, rising to 30 hours of funded childcare for up to 9 weeks during school holidays.

Find your local family information service here (https://gov.wales/find-your-local-family-information-service).

Moving to Northern Ireland

Parents of children aged 3 and 4 years can apply to receive 12.5 hours a week of free, also known as ‘funded’ pre-school education. This allocation can only be taken over 2.5 hours per day, 5 days a week during term time.

Places are provided by nursery schools, primary schools with nursery units and some voluntary and private providers. The places cannot be provided by childminders.

For more information, please visit NI Direct (https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/parents/childcare).

Overseas

In overseas locations, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides services (or access to services) that, so far as is reasonably practicable, conform in type, scope and standard to that required by legislation in England.

15 and 30 hours’ free childcare

From September 2025 in DCS-provided settings overseas, parents with children aged 9 months to school starting age can access 15 or 30 hours’ funded childcare (depending on eligibility).

To apply for 15 or 30 hours’ funded childcare, search for the DIN: ‘Funded childcare entitlements and processes for overseas Service personnel and UK Based Civil Servants (UKBCs) with accompanying pre-school aged children’ on defnet (https://modgovuk.sharepoint.com/sites/DINs/SitePages/DINS-Search.aspx?filters=%5b%7b%22n%22%3a%22RefinableString10%22%2c%22t%22%3a%5b%22equals%28%2701%20Personnel%27%29%22%5d%7d%5d&xsdata=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&sdata=Y29SS2gyZ1RrcUtUTVplazNHSjZDVHM1ZllEUnozaFhXeDJBYlVWK3k0TT0%3D&ovuser=be7760ed-5953-484b-ae95-d0a16dfa09e5%2COlivia.Humphry100%40mod.gov.uk&OR=Teams-HL&CT=1755092286716&clickparams=eyJBcHBOYW1lIjoiVGVhbXMtRGVza3RvcCIsIkFwcFZlcnNpb24iOiI0OS8yNTA3MTcxNDgxMiJ9) or Defence Connect (https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/login.jspa?referer=%252Fgroups%252Fdins) (accessible by MOD personnel only).

Applications should be forwarded to the relevant setting or school for approval and recording.

Overseas Nursery Authority (ONA)

From September 2025, parents of children aged 9 months to school starting age in overseas locations where DCS schools and settings are not available can apply for reimbursement of funded childcare hours by means of ONA.

For more information, please visit Overseas Nursery Authority (ONA) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-service-personnel-and-their-families-on-child-welfare-policies/overseas-nursery-authority-ona).

Childcare vouchers

The Childcare Voucher Scheme is a salary sacrifice scheme, which closed to new joiners in October 2018.

Armed Forces families can visit the Pluxee website (https://childcare.pluxee.uk/login) to log into their Childcare Voucher account. DIN - Armed Forces Childcare Voucher Scheme (https://modgovuk.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/DINs/Archive/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7BCC87BAB8-4BB0-4E64-8863-659EC8576B74%7D&file=2017DIN01-092.docx&action=view&mobileredirect=true&DefaultItemOpen=1) applies.

MOD civilian families can contact Edenred’s customer service team by:
- phone: xx-xxxx-xxxx
- website: Edenred Childcare Vouchers (https://www.edenred.co.uk/en/reward-recipients/vouchers/childcare-vouchers/?utm_source=CCV+Holding+Page&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=CCV_Holding_Page-Parent_Carer_CTA)
In overseas locations, childcare vouchers can only be used at schools and settings that are MOD-approved, regulated and inspected.

Tax-Free Childcare

Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) is a government scheme introduced on 21 April 2017 to help working parents with the cost of childcare and will, over time, replace the Armed Forces Childcare Voucher Scheme. Parents have the option to open an online account, which they can use to pay for childcare from an accredited and registered provider.

Parents can visit the the Best Start in Life website (https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/) to register. For further information, visit Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) (https://www.gov.uk/get-tax-free-childcare). You can also use this step by step guide to claiming TFC (https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/how-to-use-tax-free-childcare/).

While overseas, TFC can only be used at schools or settings that are MOD-provided. DIN - Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) Scheme for eligible working parents (https://modgovuk.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/DINs/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7BF22EFF92-C5CD-4C78-9C10-A62F7B618CF3%7D&action=View&ClassicExperience=True&wdOrigin=TEAMS-MAGLEV.p2p_ns.rwc&wdExp=TEAMS-TREATMENT&wdhostclicktime=1759416536240&web=1) applies.

Claim for Government TFC top up

If eligible for TFC and assigned to an overseas location within the European Economic Area (and Switzerland), where there is no access to MOD-provided schools and settings, parents will be able to claim TFC top-up via a manual process.

An explanation of the process and the application form is contained within DIN - Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) Scheme for eligible working parents (https://modgovuk.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/DINs/_layouts/15/Doc.aspx?sourcedoc=%7BF22EFF92-C5CD-4C78-9C10-A62F7B618CF3%7D&action=View&ClassicExperience=True&wdOrigin=TEAMS-MAGLEV.p2p_ns.rwc&wdExp=TEAMS-TREATMENT&wdhostclicktime=1759416536240&web=1) (accessible by MOD personnel only). A copy of the application form can also be obtained by emailing xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Universal Infant Free School Meals

The Department of Education announced that from September 2014 funding would be made available to enable state funded schools in England to offer a free meal to every primary school pupil in Reception classes, Year 1 and Year 2.

Service children in schools overseas in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 or their national equivalent are entitled to a free school meal. In some locations the schools will provide the meal, but in others this may not be possible due to local conditions or restrictions. This provision is offered in line with English government legislation.

Further detail can be found on pages 21 and 22 of JSP 342 The education of service children overseas (JSP 342) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-education-of-service-children-jsp-342).

Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)

To be eligible for TFC or Free Childcare for Working Parents (FCWP), a person (and their partner if they have one) must be in qualifying paid work - either employed or self-employed. Couples where one partner is in qualifying paid work and the other receives a qualifying benefit for caring, incapacity for work or limited capability for work may also be eligible. A single person getting a qualifying benefit for caring, incapacity for work or limited capability for work won’t be eligible.

AFIP is not a qualifying benefit for caring, incapacity for work or limited capability for work when applying for TFC or FCWP. However, the parent getting AFIP may still be eligible for TFC or FCWP if they apply for contributions-based Employment and Support Allowance (https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance/how-to-claim) and receive a payment or get a nil award.