Family
Nursery Extras on Funded Hours: What UK Providers Can Charge
By Claire Dunn · Money & Deals Editor
“Free childcare” invoices confuse everyone. The funded hours are free. The extras are where settings test what parents will absorb. DfE statutory guidance (updated after the February 2025 High Court clarification) is clearer than nursery Facebook myth.
What must be free?
The entitlement hours themselves. Government funding is meant to deliver 15 or 30 hours of free early education/childcare. There must not be mandatory charges that block access to those hours.
What can nurseries ask you to pay for?
Providers may charge for extras that funding is not meant to cover — if charges are voluntary and alternatives exist:
| Extra | Allowed as voluntary charge? | Alternative if you opt out |
|---|---|---|
| Meals / snacks | Yes | You provide a packed lunch / snacks |
| Nappies, wipes, sun cream | Yes | You supply your own |
| Trips / celebrations / optional clubs | Yes | Child does not attend that optional activity |
| Extra hours beyond entitlement | Yes | Only pay for hours you book |
| Mandatory “consumables fee” to unlock free hours | No | Raise with the provider, then the council |
Transparency rules tighten further: providers are expected to publish extras costs and issue itemised invoices (DfE timing pointed at January 2026). Ask for the written extras policy before you accept a place.
What should you do if extras are “compulsory”?
- Ask for the charging policy in writing.
- Request the free-hours-only alternative (your own food/nappies).
- If refused, contact your local authority Family Information Service / early years funding team.
- Do not sign a contract that ties free hours to a paid package you did not agree to.
Pair this with our childcare funding tools hub for codes, Tax-Free Childcare and the GOV.UK calculator.
Can Tax-Free Childcare pay nursery extras?
Often yes, for approved childcare costs billed by a signed-up provider — including some extras and additional hours — subject to the scheme rules. It cannot fix an illegal mandatory charge on free hours; that is a council issue.
If you supply your own nappies at nursery, bulk deals help — supermarket baby events first, or tagged Amazon options like Pampers Baby-Dry and sensitive baby wipes when you need a top-up delivery. Check live prices on Amazon before buying.
What do UK parents actually say about this?
The parents who keep bills lowest ask for the extras menu before deposit day. Threads regularly show “£45/week consumables fee or no funded place” offers — and equally regularly show councils confirming that structure is not how the entitlement is meant to work.
Who should skip signing today?
Skip signing if free hours are only offered inside a compulsory extras package, invoices are not itemised, or the setting will not allow you to provide meals/nappies. Get the policy in writing first.
What we’d change: stop calling every nursery invoice line “the cost of free hours”. Separate entitlement hours from optional extras every time.
What questions come up most?
Can a nursery refuse a funded place if I will not pay for lunches?
They should offer a reasonable alternative such as you providing food. Funded hours must remain accessible without mandatory charges. If they refuse, contact your local council.
Are consumables fees illegal?
Voluntary, clearly itemised charges for meals or nappies can be lawful. Making those fees compulsory to unlock the free hours is not how the entitlement is meant to work.
Sources & further reading
Keep reading
UK Childcare Funding Tools: 15/30 Hours, Tax-Free & Calculators
UK childcare funding toolkit: 30 hours for working parents, universal 15 hours, Tax-Free Childcare, and which GOV.UK calculators to run first.
Choosing Childcare: Nursery vs Childminder vs Nanny
A practical guide to UK childcare — the real differences between nursery, childminder and nanny, what to check on a visit, and red flags to walk away from.
Wraparound & Holiday Childcare in the UK: What's Available and What It Costs
A practical guide to UK before/after-school and holiday childcare — Tax-Free Childcare, wraparound childcare, and the Holiday Activities and Food scheme.