Written question asked by Amanda Hack (Labour) on Friday, 5 December 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 9 December 2025. It was answered by Olivia Bailey (Labour) on Wednesday, 7 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.
Students: Childcare and Social Security Benefits
- Question
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To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) treating stipends for PhD students as income for the purposes of calculating benefit entitlement and (b) not treating when calculating entitlement to free childcare hours on PhD students.
- Answer
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It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
Student parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
Students who work in addition to studying may be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if they meet the income requirements. PhD stipends are non-taxable income and therefore do not count towards the income requirements of the 30 hours childcare entitlement.
Students in full time higher education are eligible for the childcare grant to support childcare costs for children under 15, or under 17 if they have special educational needs. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/support-while-you-study.
Parents eligible for Universal Credit childcare offer can be reimbursed up to 85% of registered childcare costs each month, up to the maximum amounts (caps).
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 97687
- Session
- 2024-26
- Related items
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Giving every child the best start in life
Monday, 7 July 2025
Command papers
House of Commons
House of Lords
- Subjects
- Childcare Fees and charges Social security benefits Students Postgraduate education
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-03-02 11:32:11 +0000
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2024-26/97687
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- In Solr
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