Petition · past parliament

Make Childcare a Tax-Deductible Expense for Small Business Owners

Closed 50 signatures

What the petition asks

In the UK childcare cannot be classed as a tax-deductible expense. This holds many small businesses back from growth, particularly those owned by women.

Millions of businesses could generate higher revenue with adequate childcare.
Parents pay an average of over £6,600 per year for a part-time nursery place, which is often insufficient hours for a small business owner.

There were 5.7 million SMEs in the UK in 2018, that’s over 99% of all businesses.

In many families it doesn’t make financial sense for both parents to work. Making childcare a tax-deductible expense would help to ease the pressure created by childcare costs, and be particularly beneficial for SMEs run by women who often shoulder the majority of childcare.

Timeline

25 Jun 2019 Petition opened for signatures
6 Nov 2019 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 50
Status Closed
Opened 25 Jun 2019
Closed 6 Nov 2019

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.