Advice for Providers
The Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) is a Department of Education initiative aimed at reducing childcare costs by 15% for eligible working parents of qualifying children. The Minister for Education has announced that the scheme will continue from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2026
The subsidy scheme targets working parents who are eligible for Tax Free Childcare (TFC) and have children who have not yet started primary school. Any parent receiving TFC for a child who has not yet enrolled in primary school will be eligible to participate in the scheme provided their childcare provider is signed up with HMRC as a TFC provider.
As a provider you have a key role in implementing the scheme and administration the discount for the parent.
For more information on how providers implement the scheme see below.
Next Steps for Providers
If you are eligible and would like to register to participate in the Northern Ireland Subsidy Scheme, please complete the form below:
Walk through Videos
As a provider you can watch below video and see how to complete the registration process:
As a provider you can watch the below video and see how you can use the portal to process claims:
Watch the short video below to see how you can update your fees on the portal:
Provider Documentation
Download the below invoice templates that have been designed to assist with creating an invoice -
Download the below templates if you have a child with TFC disability -
Contact Us
If you need to need to reach out to Early Years for any further information, you can contact us through Email or Telephone
E: nicssprovider@early-years.org
E: nicsschildminder@early-years.org
T: +44 (0)28 9066 2825 (Option 5)