How many free childcare hours am I entitled to?
The scheme works your hours out from one parent's working hours plus two allowances. Enter those hours and this page shows the sum, step by step, so you can check it against what your centre tells you.
Use Parent 1's hours — the mother's
The scheme counts only one parent's hours: those of the mother, or “Parent 1” on the application. Not both parents added together, and not the father's hours if he works more. Working it out from the wrong parent's hours is the most common mistake families make, and the number comes out materially wrong.
Where this comes from
Formula: A Guide to the Free Childcare Scheme, Jobsplus / Free Childcare Scheme Unit, Q15, “How is entitlement calculated?” — “average monthly working hours (86.7 hrs) + 10% (8.67) + 20 hrs = 115 hours”. Checked against the brochure currently linked from freechildcare.gov.mt on 30 Aug 2026. We also read every circular in the Compendium of Circulars issued by the Free Childcare Scheme Unit (revision of 6 Aug 2026); none changes how entitlement is calculated, and one from December 2025 still describes bookings as capped at “the entitled hours of Parent 1”.
childcare.mt is independent and not affiliated with Jobsplus or any government body. Rules can change; before you book, confirm your figure with the Free Childcare Scheme Unit on 153 ext. 18 (2220 1137 / 2220 1138) or freechildcare@gov.mt.
Questions parents ask about the hours
Why only one parent's hours?
Because that is how the rule is written: “only hours of the mother/parent 1 are taken into consideration”. The scheme was designed to help mothers return to work, and the entitlement tracks the hours of the parent it was designed around. Both parents still have to be working or studying to qualify at all — the second parent's hours just don't change the number.
Parent 1 works more than 40 hours a week. Is there a cap?
The published rules don't state one. The formula simply keeps going: 45 hours a week gives 235 hours a month. In practice most centres are open roughly 10–12 hours a day, so what you can book is limited by the centre's hours before the rule limits it. The “210 hours” reported in 2026 is the full-time result, not a ceiling we can find in writing — if you'd be booking more than that, ask the scheme office.
I'm a student. What am I entitled to?
20 hours a week if you study part-time, 40 if full-time — as a fixed figure, whatever your timetable. What the brochure doesn't say is whether the 10% and 20-hour allowances are added on top; the calculator shows both readings and we recommend you confirm.
My hours change every week.
Give the centre the average number of hours you'd normally expect to work in a month (brochure Q16). You can change your booked hours from month to month — tell the centre in the previous month, and note that centres have a submission deadline around the middle of the month for changes taking effect on the 1st of the next.
Do I have to book all my hours?
No. The scheme sets no minimum; you can book anything up to your entitlement. Some centres set their own minimum as a commercial policy — that's a different question, and worth asking about directly.
What if my child is sick?
Sick days come off the same 25% absence entitlement, certified or not. Tell the centre straight away; after more than three days' illness you'll need a medical certificate saying the child is fit to return. Holidays are different — tell the centre the month before and it reduces your booked hours, so nothing is deducted.
What if we go over?
Government pays the centre in full for booked hours and up to 10% over them. Beyond that, or once your 25% absence entitlement is used up, the centre charges you at its own rate.