Official Statistics

Universal Credit childcare element statistics, March 2021 to May 2024

Published 13 August 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Main stories

The main stories are:

• in May 2024, 183,000 households received the Universal Credit (UC) childcare element, of which 148,000 were single households and 35,000 couple households

• the average amount of childcare element received was £400 in May 2024. This was higher in London (£610)

• in May 2024, 3% of childcare element households received the maximum amount of childcare element available. This proportion has fallen from 12% since May 2023, reflecting the recent increases in maximum childcare amounts

• in May 2024, 30% of households on Universal Credit with pre-school children and in which all claimants had earnings received the childcare element. For households on UC whose youngest child was primary school age, the proportion was lower (11%), and for households whose youngest child was secondary school age, it was lower still (less than 1%). Overall, 14% of households with children and in which all claimants had earnings received the UC childcare element in May 2024

What you need to know

Universal Credit (UC) childcare element reimburses up to 85% of eligible childcare costs, up to a maximum amount. The maximum amount increased in June 2023, from £646.35 to £950.92 for one child and from £1,108.04 to £1,630.15 for two or more children. It increased again in April 2024 to £1014.63 for one child and to £1,739.37 for two or more children.

To qualify for the childcare element, the claimant (or, where a couple is claiming, both claimants), must usually be in paid work or have accepted an offer of paid work and pay for childcare for the relevant child or young person.

UC households can also make use of other types of childcare, which do not require the childcare element. These include the wider government offer of free childcare for pre-school children.

Further information on the childcare offer for UC claimants can be found in the Universal Credit: childcare guide.

Households receiving the childcare element

Figure 1: Universal Credit households receiving childcare element, May 2022 to May 2024

In May 2024, 183,000 households received the childcare element, of which 148,000 were single households and 35,000 were couples. The number of UC households receiving childcare element has increased by 12% since May 2023, reflecting the overall increase in the number of households on UC.

In June, July and August and again in November and December, in both 2022 and 2023 the number of households receiving the childcare element fell slightly. This is in line with similar falls in previous years and is likely to be because households use childcare less during holiday periods.

Figure 2: Universal Credit households receiving childcare element, by age of youngest child, May 2024

Nearly half of households receiving the childcare element have a youngest child aged between 1 and 3 years, with the number of households decreasing as the age of youngest child increases.

Average amount of childcare element

Figure 3: Mean amount of Universal Credit childcare element, May 2022 to May 2024

In May 2024, the average (mean) amount of childcare element was £400. This has increased from £350 in May 2023, which is likely to be due to the rise in the maximum amounts in June 2023 and April 2024 and also childcare costs increasing.

Figure 4: Distribution of Universal Credit childcare element amounts, May 2024

In May 2024, over half of households receiving the childcare element received £300 or less.

Figure 5: Mean Universal Credit childcare element amount by age of youngest child, May 2024

The average amount of childcare element varied with the age of the youngest child in the household. In May 2024, the average amount was highest for households with older children, especially aged from 12 to 16. Amounts were also high for very young children, especially aged from 1 to 2.

Figure 6: Mean Universal Credit childcare element amount by region, May 2024

The average amount of childcare element was higher for households in London (£610). This amount has increased by 22% since May 2023 in London, compared to an increase of 13% in Great Britain as a whole which is again likely to be due to the rise in the maximum amounts in June 2023 and April 2024 and childcare costs increasing.

Households receiving maximum childcare element amounts

Figure 7: Universal Credit households receiving the maximum amount of childcare element as a proportion of households receiving childcare element, by month, May 2022 to May 2024

In May 2024, 3% of households receiving the childcare element received the maximum amount. This has fallen from 12% in May 2023, which is likely to reflect the rises of maximum childcare element amounts during this period.

In May 2024 in London, 7% of households receiving the childcare element received the maximum amounts in May 2024. This has fallen from 26% in May 2023 (see table 12, supplementary data), which is again likely to reflect the rises of maximum childcare element amounts during this period.

Usage of the childcare element

We can compare the number of households receiving the childcare element to an estimate of the number who might be able to claim it. This estimate is the number of Universal Credit households with children aged 16 or younger in which all claimants are earning.

Figure 8: Universal Credit households receiving childcare element as a proportion of households where everyone is earning with a child aged up to and including 16, May 2022 to May 2024

In May 2024, 14% of UC households with children and in which all claimants were earning received the childcare element. This proportion has remained broadly consistent since May 2023. There have been small dips during holiday periods, reflecting the drop in households receiving the childcare element during these periods, as discussed above.

This figure was similar for single households and couples (15% and 13% respectively) and is broadly similar across all regions of the UK (see table 11, supplementary data tables).

This percentage does not represent the proportion of UC households that use childcare, since it is likely that some households make use of other forms of childcare that do not require the childcare element. These include the wider government offer of free childcare for  pre-school children and friends and family helping with childcare.

Figure 9: Universal Credit households receiving childcare element as a proportion of households where everyone is earning with a child aged up to and including 16, banded by age of youngest child, May 2024

In UC households with children of pre-school age (aged 4 or younger), 30% of households with everyone earning received the childcare element. For households whose youngest child was of primary school age (5 to 11), the proportion was lower (11%). For households whose youngest child was of secondary school age (12 to 16), the proportion was lower still (less than 1%).

Figure 10: Universal Credit households receiving childcare element as a proportion of households where everyone is earning with a child aged up to and including 16, by age of youngest child, May 2024

The proportion receiving the childcare element was highest for households whose youngest child was two years old. For households with older children, the proportion was progressively lower as the age of the youngest child increased.

About these statistics

These statistics have been classed as official statistics in development.

All figures in this publication are derived from Universal Credit administrative data.

Figures are provisional and may be subject to minor change. This is partly because a household may claim childcare for previous months. This means that a household could still claim childcare for any of the months listed in this publication, so that the number of recipients for any given month may increase slightly when revised in subsequent releases. For the same reason, the figures listed in this publication have changed slightly (and usually increased) compared to those in previous publications.

All figures are for Great Britain only and include only households where Universal Credit was in payment.

Figures are rounded according to the following convention: numbers between 0 to 1,000 are rounded to the nearest 10, numbers between 1,001 to 10,000 are rounded to the nearest 100, numbers between 10,001 to 100,000 are rounded to the nearest 1,000 and numbers between 100,001 to 1,000,000 are rounded to the nearest 10,000. In the case of broad ranges, a single convention is used. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 1%. For this reason, totals may not add up exactly.

Childcare element is paid for childcare for children aged up to and including 16. It is theoretically possible for the childcare element to be received for a 17-year-old: this happens when the child turns 17 in the last assessment period for which they are eligible. We expect this number of cases to be very small and we have excluded any such cases from our data.

For each month, the number of households receiving the childcare element is defined as the number of households who received some amount of childcare element for an assessment period that started in that month. An assessment period is one calendar month in duration starting from the date of which a UC claim is made. By counting households this way, rather than counting when a household is paid, the statistics more closely reflect when childcare is used.

When the maximum amount of childcare element increased in June 2023, it increased for assessment periods starting in June 2023.

When information is given for regions of Great Britain, this is derived from the claimants’ residential address. Not all claimants have a valid address listed, which means that a small number of households have “Unknown” region information.

For the full data, see the supplementary data tables.

Further information and feedback

Lead Statistician: Graham Walmsley  

Analyst: Thane Than  

Email: ucad.briefinganalysis@dwp.gov.uk