Is there a minimum number of hours for free childcare in Malta?
Centres give parents opposite answers to this. The scheme itself sets no minimum — but individual centres often do, and that distinction matters.
Ask two childcare centres whether there's a minimum number of hours you must book to use the Free Childcare Scheme and you can genuinely get two different answers. Both may believe they're right. Here's why.
The scheme sets no minimum
The official Jobsplus brochure answers this directly:
“You are entitled to book any amount of hours that does not exceed the total amount you are entitled to… The scheme does not impose a minimum number of booked hours per month.”
Free Childcare Scheme brochure, Jobsplus — question 17
There is no government-mandated floor. If a centre tells you otherwise, that part isn't correct.
But centres often set their own
Plenty of centres do require a minimum — a set number of hours or days per week — as their own booking policy. This is real, and Jobsplus has acknowledged it in public, referring to “minimum hours policies imposed by centres” (reported 11 July 2026).
It's a commercial decision, not a regulatory one. It's legal, it varies between centres, and it's usually explained verbally rather than published — which is exactly why parents get inconsistent answers.
Why they do it
Because centres are paid for booked hours, not attended hours. Their income for your child's place is fixed when you book. A child booked for a handful of hours occupies a place while generating little income, so many centres set a floor to make places viable.
Understanding this also explains the rest of the system's odd edges: it's why absence still costs you, and why over-booking is penalised.
The trap: don't over-book to meet a minimum
Your yearly absence entitlement is capped at 25% of your booked hours, and the brochure is explicit that “if you book more hours than you intend to utilise, the overbooked hours will be deducted from your yearly absence entitlement.”
So inflating your booking to clear a centre's minimum quietly eats the allowance you'd want for real illness. If a centre's minimum is more than you need, that's a reason to compare centres rather than to over-book.
How to get a straight answer
Ask in a way that separates centre policy from scheme rules:
- “What is your minimum booking — hours or days per week?”
- “Is that your policy, or a scheme requirement?”
- “What happens to my place if I reduce my hours later?”
- “Am I charged for booked hours my child doesn't attend?”
Minimums differ between centres, so if one doesn't suit you, another may. Compare centres near you.
Scheme rules quoted from the Jobsplus Free Childcare Scheme brochure. The statement about centre-imposed minimums is from Jobsplus as reported in July 2026. childcare.mt is independent and not affiliated with Jobsplus or any government body — confirm your own entitlement with the scheme directly.
Last updated 23 Aug 2026. childcare.mt is independent and not affiliated with any government body.