Nursery fees

Monthly nursery fees from 1 September 2024

Children at our three day nurseries are cared for and educated by qualified, knowledgeable staff.

All meals, snacks, drinks, trips and activities are included in your fees – but we do ask parents and carers to provide nappies and wipes. Some optional activities incur an additional charge.

Booking pattern

Full price fees

Working parent entitlement

Universal funding

Working parent entitlement + Universal funding

Full time

£1377.00

£1,061.13

£1061.13

£745.25

4 days

£1,224.00

£908.13

£908.13

£592.25

3 days

£918.00

£602.13

£602.13

£286.25

2 days

£612.00

£296.13
(Not applicable for 3 and 4-year-olds)

£296.13

Not applicable

Working Parent Entitlement = Available to eligible parents the term after your child reaches 9 months old (15-hour offer)

Universal Funding = Available to parents of 3 and 4-year-olds (15-hour offer)

Working Parent Entitlement + Universal Funding = Available to eligible parents of 3 to 4-year-olds (30-hour offer)

Any casual days are charged at a rate of £72 per day.

Children must attend a minimum of 2 days.

Fees are annualised (with the exception of your first month’s payment) and billed monthly in advance. For more details, read our full terms and conditions.

All parents will receive a personalised fee summary sheet for the funding year, along with a parent declaration form.

University of Birmingham Staff

If either parent/carer works at University of Birmingham, please check the staff intranet.

Find out what free childcare you’re entitled to

The Government helps eligible parents with childcare costs up to £2,000 per year.

Please note: all funding is stretched over 51 weeks of the year. We do not offer term time-only funding.

Working Parent Entitlement

Eligible working parents of children aged nine months old by 31 August can receive 15 hours’ free childcare from September 2024.

First, find out if you’re eligible, using the Government’s Childcare Choices website.

Next, apply for an eligibility code.

Working Parent Entitlement is subject to your child’s eligibility, nursery availability and funding terms. For more information, please speak to your nursery office.

Universal Funding

All three and four-year-olds are eligible for a funded early education place, for either:

15 hours a week for 38 weeks per term (term time only)

  • The equivalent 570 hours stretched over the whole year
  • This applies from the term after the child’s third birthday and is regardless of the immigration status of the child or their parents.

No eligibility code is needed.

Are you eligible for tax-free childcare?

Check to see if you’re also eligible for tax-free childcare here.

Please be aware that if you use any of your funding entitlement elsewhere then these fees may not apply at Birmingham Day Nurseries.

Registration fee

Registration costs £60.

You will also need to pay a £250 deposit to secure your child’s place; both payments are required to process the application. The deposit fee of £250 will be refunded to you as a deduction from your first month’s nursery invoice. Unfortunately, if you later choose not to take up the allocated place, then this fee is non-refundable.

How are payments made into the account?

Fees are annualised (with the exception of your first month’s payment) and billed monthly in advance. For more details, read our full Terms & Conditions .

Payments into the childcare account can be made by direct debit, standing order or bank transfer. Payments cannot be made by credit card. Money deposited in the childcare account, along with any Government top-up, should be visible straightaway but takes one working day before any amount paid in is available as cleared funds and show in the ‘available funds’ column on the childcare account balance screen.

How are payments made to childcare providers?

Once claimants have set up their childcare account and have available funds, including the Government top-up contribution, paid in by HMRC, they can pay their childcare provider using their childcare account.

Once you have been issued with your unique TFC reference number, please email us with the details so that we can share them with the finance team and support account matching. Email the TFC code to [email protected], and include your child’s nursery, full name and playroom.

Reconfirm your details every 3 months

You must confirm your details are up to date every 3 months by logging into your account.

Once you have your Working Families entitlement and 30 hours funding forms alongside a fee summary sheet, you’ll need to return your form to nursery along with a copy to your child’s birth certificate and proof of address.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to come and speak to us in the nursery office and we will do our best to help.

Here you’ll find more details about how to pay your nursery fees, and the answers to some of the most common queries we get. You’ll also find who to contact if you can’t find the information you need here.

What are my payment options?

Here are the ways you can pay your nursery fees.

Online

Make payment directly to us in our online payment portal

Bank transfer

Pay by bank transfer to the bank details shown at the bottom of your invoice. Make payment in Pound Sterling (GBP).

Quote your customer number or invoice number as the payment reference.

Tax-Free Childcare account

To pay fees using your Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) account, let the nursery know what your Tax-Free Childcare reference is. This allows us to identify your payments when they are made to us.

  • Your TFC code will be in the form of four letters and five numbers – for example, ABCD12345.
  • Email this reference to [email protected], and include your child’s nursery, full name and playroom.

Find out how to open a Tax-Free Childcare account at Tax-Free Childcare – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Childcare vouchers

Childcare vouchers are being phased out. Find out more at Help paying for childcare: Childcare vouchers and other employer schemes – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you have a query about paying with childcare vouchers, contact [email protected].

What happens to my nursery deposit?

If you’re paying monthly by invoice

The £250.00 deposit for your Nursery place will be held on your unique Nursery customer account with the University. This will be shown as a deduction on your first invoice.

If you’re a University of Birmingham staff member paying monthly by Salary Sacrifice

The £250.00 deposit will be accounted for in your salary sacrifice calculations.

What is my nursery account balance?

You can request an account statement any time by emailing [email protected].

Common invoice queries

What charges does my nursery invoice include?

You are billed in advance for your usual sessions, and in arrears for any extras such as dance, yoga or casual sessions.

  • Example: You will receive an invoice at the start of January for all your sessions in January, and your extras incurred in December.

Your bills are annualised – so the bill is for the same amount each month, apart from any extra charges.

When you receive your invoice, any funding you receive has already been removed from it. The figure you see is the net amount that you need to pay each month.

How is my funding entitlement applied to my bill?

You’ll get a fee summary sheet for the funding year. If you’re eligible for funding, this will detail your free hours and what you will need to pay.

Can I get a further breakdown of my charges?

Your invoice shows the usage for the month, any extras charged for, and the total. For an additional breakdown, refer to your fee summary sheet – or request this from the nursery office at [email protected].

I pay my fees by salary sacrifice. Why have I received an invoice?

Salary sacrifice is for a fixed annual amount, so it cannot include any extra charges which you incur throughout the year. Any invoice that you receive will be for those specific charges only.

  • You can pay these through our Payment Portal.
  • You can’t add these ad hoc charges to your fixed Salary Sacrifice payment.

What is the charge for Bank Holidays and University closed days?

Fees are charged at the full rate for periods of holiday including Bank Holidays, staff training days and sickness, or where the nursery is closed temporarily in exceptional circumstances. You will not be charged for University closed days.

What happens if I don’t pay my nursery fees?

The University’s Finance team provides regular balance updates to Nursery staff. If you do not make payments when requested, your nursery place will be withdrawn. Unpaid charges will be referred to the University’s solicitors for collection through the courts, incurring interest and charges which you will be liable for.

Where can I find my Terms and Conditions?

Your nursery contract contains your full terms and conditions. You can also view this here: Terms and conditions · University of Birmingham Day Nurseries (bham.ac.uk).

Contact us

For payment queries, email the Finance team at [email protected].

For anything else related to the Nursery service, contact the Nursery office at [email protected].

Enquiring about a nursery place for your child is simple

Submit an enquiry online today. It’s a quick, easy process and you’ll receive a response from us very soon.