Raising a child to 18 in the UK costs around £250,000 for a couple and around £290,000 for a lone parent, according to the Child Poverty Action Group's Cost of a Child report published in October 2025. Those figures are based on a minimum acceptable standard of living, include housing and childcare, and are far higher in the years when you pay for nursery.
The headline number is useful for context, but what most families need is to know where the money goes and which support they could be claiming. This guide covers both, with the 2026/27 rates for the main payments.
What the £250,000 figure means
CPAG's estimate draws on the Minimum Income Standard research by Loughborough University, which asks members of the public what a household needs for a minimum socially acceptable standard of living. It is not what an average family spends: many spend more, and families on low incomes often manage on less by going without.
The total is higher for lone parents because some costs, such as housing and childcare, are not shared with a second adult. CPAG's report also found that families on low incomes, including many in work, fall well short of this minimum. If your own costs feel nothing like a neat yearly average, that is normal: spending is lumpy and front-loaded.
Where the money goes by stage
Costs change sharply as children grow. Rather than budgeting for an average, plan for the stage you are in and the one coming next.
| Stage | Main costs | Biggest lever |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnancy and first year | Equipment, lost earnings on leave | Buy second-hand, claim maternity pay |
| 1 to 4 years | Childcare, often the largest bill | Free hours, Tax-Free Childcare |
| Primary school | Wraparound care, clubs, holidays | Holiday clubs, uniform swaps |
| Secondary and teens | Food, phones, travel, activities | Pocket money budgets, travel passes |
Childcare is usually what makes the early years so expensive, which is why claiming every scheme you qualify for matters more than any amount of coupon-clipping. Our guide to saving money with kids covers the everyday costs.
Support many families do not claim
Some of the most valuable support is not automatic. These are the payments and schemes worth checking, with rates for 2026/27:
- Child Benefit: £27.05 a week for the eldest child and £17.90 for each other child. Claim it even if you earn over £60,000 and opt out of payments, because registering gives a non-working parent National Insurance credits towards their State Pension and makes sure your child gets a National Insurance number at 16. The High Income Child Benefit Charge claws it back at 1% for every £200 of income between £60,000 and £80,000. See our Child Benefit guide
- Statutory Maternity Pay: 90% of average weekly earnings for six weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% of earnings if lower for 33 weeks. Statutory Paternity Pay and Shared Parental Pay are paid at the same weekly rate
- Sure Start Maternity Grant: a one-off £500 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland if you get certain benefits and it is your first child (Scotland has the Best Start Grant instead)
- Tax-Free Childcare: the government adds £2 for every £8 you pay into the account, up to £2,000 a year per child (£4,000 if disabled). Read how Tax-Free Childcare works
- Free childcare hours: in England, eligible working parents can get up to 30 funded hours a week (term time) from the term after a child turns 9 months until they start school. Rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Universal Credit: includes a child element for each child (£303.94 a month for most children, more for a first child born before 6 April 2017) and up to 85% of childcare costs. The two-child limit ended on 6 April 2026, so families with three or more children should check whether their entitlement has changed
- Free school meals: from September 2026, every child in England whose household gets Universal Credit qualifies, regardless of income. All infants in reception to year 2 at state schools already get them
Budgeting for a child month by month
A child's costs are easier to manage when you separate regular costs from irregular ones.
- List regular monthly costs (childcare, food, nappies or school dinners, clubs) and build them into your budget planner
- Create sinking funds for predictable irregular costs: school uniform each summer, birthdays, Christmas and school trips. Divide the yearly total by 12 and save it monthly
- Keep an emergency fund that reflects your larger household. Our emergency fund calculator helps you size it
- Review the budget at each transition: return to work, starting school, starting secondary
Saving for your child's future
Once day-to-day costs are under control, a small regular amount for your child can grow considerably over 18 years. A Junior ISA lets family members pay in up to £9,000 a year tax-free; the child can take control at 16 and withdraw at 18. A children's savings account is more flexible, but if money you give your child earns more than £100 interest a year, the whole amount is taxed as your income.
Use our compound interest calculator to see what £25 or £50 a month could grow to, and read our Junior ISA guide to compare cash and investment options. If you want a daily habit for putting small amounts aside, SYM can set the pace for a child's savings goal.
Ways to cut the biggest costs
A few decisions save far more than lots of small economies.
- Check your childcare options against free hours and Tax-Free Childcare before deciding how many days to work
- Buy prams, cots and clothes second-hand or accept hand-me-downs; children outgrow things in months
- Use school uniform swaps and plain non-branded items where the school allows it
- Plan school holidays early: holiday clubs, family swaps and splitting annual leave between parents
- Run a benefits check whenever your income or family changes, using an independent calculator such as Turn2us or entitledto
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about the cost of raising a child in the UK.
How much does it cost to raise a child in the UK?
What is the most expensive age for a child?
Should I claim Child Benefit if I earn over £60,000?
Can I get help with childcare costs if I work?
Has the two-child limit been removed?
- cost of a child
- family budget
- Child Benefit
- childcare
- UK parents