16/01/2026
Childminders: We Need to Speak Up — Before We’re Pushed Out
From April 2026, the Government is planning major changes that will hit childminders’ income and sustainability. Under Making Tax Digital (MTD), HMRC has confirmed that:
The 10% Wear‑and‑Tear Allowance will be removed
Childminders have relied on this for years because it recognises the real cost of opening our homes — furniture, carpets, sofas, high chairs, everything children use daily.
HMRC has now confirmed that once we’re moved onto MTD, this allowance will no longer apply.
The simplified household‑utilities allowances will also be withdrawn
The long‑standing agreement that allowed childminders to claim set percentages for heating, lighting, water, council tax, and rent will be scrapped for anyone using MTD.
Instead, we’ll be expected to calculate and justify actual costs — a system designed for office‑based businesses, not people running childcare from their homes.
Why This Matters
Childminders already operate on tight margins. Removing these allowances:
- Increases admin massively
- Reduces what we can claim
- Makes our homes more expensive to run
- Pushes many to consider leaving the profession
Organisations across the UK — including PACEY and SCMA — have already warned HMRC that this change will force childminders out, reduce childcare availability, and hit families hardest.
And honestly? It’s hard not to feel like this is part of a wider push towards school‑based nurseries and large settings — at the expense of home‑based, flexible, family‑centred care.
How You Can Help Right Now
Sign the petition: “Childcare on the Brink: Stop the 2026 Cut That Will Push Childminders Out”
This petition calls on the Government to halt the removal of the 10% allowance and protect the future of childminding.
https://www.change.org/p/childcare-on-the-brink-stop-the-2026-cut-that-will-push-childminders-out
Write to your MP
Tell them how these changes will affect your income, your setting, and the families you support. Personal stories matter.
Share posts, talk to parents, raise awareness
Most families have no idea these changes are coming — and how much they will reduce childcare choice.
Support sector organisations
PACEY, SCMA, and others are actively challenging HMRC and need the weight of the community behind them.
We Deserve Better
Childminders provide safe, nurturing, home‑based care that families rely on. We open our homes, absorb the wear and tear, pay the bills, and give children a warm, personal environment that larger settings simply can’t replicate.
Removing these allowances is not “modernisation” — it’s a blow to a profession already stretched to breaking point.
If we don’t speak up now, we risk losing even more childminders — and families will pay the price.
