Is it worth going back to work after maternity leave?

For most families it pays, though the first year can be tight. Before funded hours start, childcare for a baby can take most of a part-time salary. From the term after 9 months, working parents in England get 30 funded hours a week, and the sums usually improve sharply.

When do the 30 funded hours start?

In England, working parents can use them from the term after their child turns 9 months (terms start in January, April and September) until the child starts school. You have to apply and get a code before the term starts.

Can I get Tax-Free Childcare and funded hours together?

Yes. Funded hours reduce the hours you pay for, and Tax-Free Childcare then adds 20% towards the rest, up to £2,000 a child a year. You can't use Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as Universal Credit childcare costs or childcare vouchers.

Does going back to work affect Child Benefit?

Only if the higher earner in your household has income over £60,000. The High Income Child Benefit Charge then claws back 1% for every £200 over, all of it at £80,000. If going back makes you the higher earner above £60,000, the calculator counts the extra charge.

Back to Work Calculator

Is it worth going back to work after having a baby? Take-home pay minus childcare, after funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare, commuting and other costs, now and as your children grow.

The job

Full-time salary, before tax

Days a week

Paid pro rata: £24,000 a year

Children who need childcare

Ages today. Leave it empty if there are none.

Child 1
Years
Months

Partner's income, before tax

I live in Scotland

Scottish tax bands, 1,140 funded hours a year for every 3 and 4 year old, and Scottish school start dates

Nursery, per hour

Hours a working day

Weeks charged a year

School clubs, per day

Holiday club, per day

Holiday weeks covered

£7.60 an hour is about the 2026 average for under-twos in England (Coram Childcare Survey). Most nurseries charge 51 weeks a year. School clubs cover breakfast and after school on your working days; holiday weeks are the school holidays you and your partner can't cover with leave.

Commute, per day

Commute, hours a day

Other costs, a month

Benefits you'd lose, a month

Other costs: lunches, work clothes, and the meals and extras nurseries charge during funded hours. Universal Credit isn't worked out here: if you claim it, put what you'd lose in benefits, and remember UC can pay up to 85% of childcare costs instead of Tax-Free Childcare.

Your pension, %

Employer's, %

Auto-enrolment minimums: 5% from you and 3% from your employer, on pay between £6,240 and £50,270.

Repayment plan

Postgraduate loan

6% of earnings above £21,000, on top of any plan

Going back leaves you better off by

£1,310/mo

£13.29 for each hour at work or travelling · plus £118 a month into your pension

2026/27England rules3 days a weekTax-Free Childcare

Take-home

£1,674

of £2,000 a month

Childcare

£198

£969 before help

Commute and costs

£166

a month

Average, 6 years

+£1,315

a month, as children grow

You keep£1,310/mo65.5%

Tax and NI£252/mo12.6%

Pension£74/mo3.7%

Childcare£198/mo9.9%

Commute and costs£166/mo8.3%

Better off each month, over the next 6 years

Better off

Childcare

Today's pay and prices throughout. Jumps are funded hours starting (the term after 9 months and after 3 years) and school starting (the September after the fourth birthday).

Childcare this month

Child	Before help	Funded hours	Tax-Free Childcare	You pay
Child 130 funded hours a week, term time	£969	−£722	−£49	£198

Better off+£1,310/mo

This calculator works out whether going back to work pays once childcare is counted. It takes your take-home pay from the job, then subtracts the childcare you'd need, the commute and other costs of working. Funded childcare hours and Tax-Free Childcare are applied automatically when your family qualifies. It also shows how the answer changes over the next six years as your children reach funded-hours ages and start school.

The first year back is usually the hardest. For a baby under 9 months you pay the full nursery rate. From the term after 9 months, working parents in England get 30 funded hours a week, and the bill often drops by more than half.

What the calculator counts

Take-home pay for the job, pro rata for the days you work, after income tax, National Insurance, pension and student loan (same engine as the UK Salary Calculator).
Childcare for each child under 12: nursery or childminder hours for younger children, breakfast and after-school clubs and holiday clubs for school children. Only the care you need because you work is counted.
Funded hours and Tax-Free Childcare, taken off the bill when your family qualifies.
Commuting per working day, plus anything else working costs you each month.
The Child Benefit charge, if going back makes you the higher earner and your income is over £60,000.
Benefits you'd lose, typed in yourself, because Universal Credit depends on too much to estimate here.

Funded childcare hours in England

From September 2025 working parents of children aged 9 months to school age can get 30 hours a week for 38 weeks a year (1,140 hours). Every 3 and 4 year old gets 15 hours a week whatever their parents do. A child can use the hours from the term after the birthday that makes them eligible: terms start in January, April and September.

Most nurseries spread the 1,140 hours across the year, so a child at nursery 51 weeks a year gets about 22 funded hours a week. The calculator spreads them the same way. Nurseries can charge for meals, nappies and activities during funded hours, so add those to other costs.

In Scotland every 3 and 4 year old (and some 2 year olds) gets 1,140 hours a year whatever their parents do, but there is no working-parent scheme for younger children. Scottish children start school in the August after they turn 4½ to 5½ (the March to February year group), which the calculator follows when the Scotland switch is on. Wales and Northern Ireland have their own schemes, which this calculator does not model.

Tax-Free Childcare

For every £8 you pay into a Tax-Free Childcare account, the government adds £2, up to £2,000 a child a year (£4,000 for a disabled child), until the 1 September after the child's 11th birthday. That's 20% off whatever childcare you pay for after funded hours.

To qualify for Tax-Free Childcare and the working-parent funded hours, you and your partner must each expect to earn at least 16 hours a week at the National Living Wage (£203.36 a week if you're 21 or over), and neither of you can have adjusted net income over £100,000. If your partner doesn't work, you usually can't get either, unless they get Carer's Allowance or certain disability benefits.

Worked example

A £40,000 full-time job worked 3 days a week pays £24,000, or about £1,674 a month after tax, NI and a 5% pension. With a 14-month-old at nursery 10 hours a day at £7.60 an hour for 51 weeks, the full bill is about £969 a month. 30 funded hours take off about £722, and Tax-Free Childcare takes 20% off the rest, leaving about £198. After a £10 daily commute and £50 a month of other costs, this parent is about £1,310 a month better off.

With a 5-month-old the same job leaves about £706 a month, because there are no funded hours until April 2027. From then it's back to about £1,310.

Beyond the monthly number

A small or negative figure doesn't settle it. While you work, you and your employer pay into your pension, and you build National Insurance years towards the State Pension (Child Benefit gives you NI credits while your youngest is under 12, so register for it even if the charge means you pay it back). Career breaks also cost future pay. Many parents accept a thin margin for a year or two because childcare costs fall sharply once funded hours and school arrive.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth going back to work after maternity leave?: For most families it pays, though the first year can be tight. Before funded hours start, childcare for a baby can take most of a part-time salary. From the term after 9 months, working parents in England get 30 funded hours a week, and the sums usually improve sharply.
When do the 30 funded hours start?: In England, working parents can use them from the term after their child turns 9 months (terms start in January, April and September) until the child starts school. You have to apply and get a code before the term starts.
Can I get Tax-Free Childcare and funded hours together?: Yes. Funded hours reduce the hours you pay for, and Tax-Free Childcare then adds 20% towards the rest, up to £2,000 a child a year. You can't use Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as Universal Credit childcare costs or childcare vouchers.
What if my partner doesn't work?: Usually neither of you can get Tax-Free Childcare or the working-parent funded hours, because both parents need to be earning at least 16 hours a week at the National Living Wage. The exceptions are a partner on Carer's Allowance or certain disability benefits. Every 3 and 4 year old still gets 15 hours.
Does going back to work affect Child Benefit?: Only if the higher earner in your household has income over £60,000. The High Income Child Benefit Charge then claws back 1% for every £200 over, all of it at £80,000. If going back makes you the higher earner above £60,000, the calculator counts the extra charge.