Childcare on the Brink: Stop the 2026 Cut That Will Push Childminders Out
From April 2026, the Government plans to remove the 10% wear and tear allowance for childminders. This single decision risks tipping an already fragile childcare system into crisis.

Childminders provide high-quality, home-based childcare by opening their own homes to children every day. Unlike other childcare settings, our “workplace” is also our family home. The wear and tear allowance exists to recognise the very real, unavoidable costs that come with this: constant use of furniture and equipment, higher heating and electricity bills, daily washing and cleaning, and the gradual deterioration of homes used intensively for childcare. Many of these costs cannot be broken down into receipts, but they are essential to safe, professional care.

Removing this allowance is not a technical tax adjustment - it is a direct cut to childminders’ already low incomes.

In recent days, childminders have also learned that this change goes further than the removal of the 10% wear and tear allowance. From April 2026, allowances for household costs such as gas, electricity, water, and council tax will also be affected. Childminders will instead be expected to calculate and evidence a percentage of household use for childcare; for example, which rooms are used, for how many hours, on which days.

In reality, this system is unworkable. Childminding does not happen in fixed rooms or fixed patterns. Children move freely through homes, gardens, kitchens, bathrooms, and living spaces. Some days are spent indoors, others outside or on outings. Expecting childminders to evidence exactly which rooms are used, for how long, and to prove this to HMRC creates confusion, fear of audits, and an impossible administrative burden for a workforce that is already overstretched.

This shift replaces a simple, fair allowance with complex calculations and uncertainty, placing childminders at risk of making innocent mistakes and being penalised for them. For many, this added pressure will be the final reason to leave the profession.

The impact will be immediate and far-reaching:

• More childminders will be forced to leave the profession
• Fewer people will be able to afford to become childminders
• Parents will face longer waiting lists and fewer childcare options
• Families will lose trusted, consistent carers
• Childcare costs will rise as remaining providers struggle to survive
• Government childcare expansion plans will fail due to lack of providers

For parents, this decision threatens access to flexible, affordable childcare especially for babies, siblings, children with additional needs, shift workers, and those needing school wraparound care. For childminders, it sends a clear message that the true costs of providing childcare from home are being ignored.

The childminding workforce is already shrinking due to rising costs, increased paperwork, and years of underfunding. Removing the wear and tear allowance will accelerate this decline and leave families with fewer choices and less stability.

Childminders play a crucial role in children’s early learning, safeguarding, development, and emotional wellbeing. We support parents to work, sustain local economies, and give children the best possible start in life. Policies that make our work financially unsustainable put all of this at risk.

We call on the Government to:

• Halt the removal of the 10% wear and tear allowance
• Recognise the real costs of home-based childcare
• Commit to a fair and sustainable funding model for childminders

If this change goes ahead, childcare places will be lost, families will be left without support, and children will pay the price.

Parents, childminders, and supporters of early years education: sign and share this petition. Protect local childcare before it disappears.