Your Childcare Grant entitlement has reduced

How this has happened

The amount of Childcare Grant you’re entitled to depends on:

• the number of children who are dependent on you; and
• your household income.

Any amount of Childcare Grant paid to you in excess of your reassessed entitlement will be classed as an overpayment and will need to be repaid.

A change in your household income

A change in your household income could cause a reassessment of your Childcare Grant. For example, if you’ve previously had a Current Year Income assessment based on your estimated household income, then this may be reassessed and reduced once the actual earnings for the financial year have been confirmed by your partner.

What happens next

If you have a grant overpayment as a result of a reassessment, we’ll write to you. This will confirm the overpayment amount which you’ll be required to repay when you finish your course.

We understand you may not be able to repay any overpayment in a lump sum, so we’ll consider reasonable repayment proposals.

You will also be sent a new Notification of Entitlement letter. This will show your reduced grant entitlement.

Further information

There can be many reasons why an overpayment has happened. More detailed information based on your specific situation can be found on our other pages:

• Loan and grant overpayments
• A change in your household income has led to an overpayment
• A change in your circumstances has led to an overpayment
• Suspending and withdrawing from your course

If you’re struggling financially because you’ve been overpaid and your student finance has been reduced, find out what help may be available.