The size of the subsidy depends on your monthly childcare expenses but can at most be 75% of your expenses for private care. The subsidy is reduced on the 1st of the month when the child turns 3 years old.

The childcare subsidy is based on full-time care, meaning 40 hours per week and above. A reduced subsidy is provided for part-time care. In addition, sibling allowance is also provided.

The subsidy can be applied for through Minpladsanvisning, but there are some requirements that must be met before you can receive the subsidy.

If you have more than one child enrolled in a municipal/self-owned daycare, after-school care (SFO)/club, private institution, or private care, you automatically receive sibling allowance. There are specific rules regarding the calculation of the sibling allowance.

According to the Daycare Law, economic free place subsidy cannot be provided for private childcare.

The subsidy is tax-free for you, but for the private childminder or the private care arrangement, the full amount is taxable income. The earnings are classified as B-income, and it is Esbjerg Municipality that reports the income to the tax authorities (SKAT).
 

Subsidies for private care are provided for children aged 0 to school start. However, none of the parents should be on full-time parental leave for the child.

Your application will be processed within 10 business days after we receive the information we need. Please note that the application cannot be approved until we receive a signed care agreement, and it is approved by consultants from Children & Pedagogy (Børn & Pædagogik).

An approved private care arrangement receives written approval from the municipality, and if the caregiver wishes, they will be listed on the municipality's website in the section "Contact Information for Private Childminders." You can ask to see the approval letter. If the childminder is not registered, you can contact consultants for Children & Daycare (Børn & Dagtilbud).

No, the subsidy for private care cannot be used for the care of your own children.

You can apply for a subsidy for the care of your own children.

No, the subsidy cannot be used for payment of childcare abroad.
 

Yes, your child is allowed to be cared for by an approved private childminder from another municipality. The private care must be approved by Esbjerg Municipality following the same principles as other private care arrangements.
 

Subsidies cannot be paid if full-time parental leave is taken for the child for whom the subsidy is sought. However, parents on part-time parental leave can still receive the subsidy.
 

There is no limit to how many children you can apply for subsidies for.
 

The municipality can refuse to approve the care agreement if it is deemed that the physical conditions or the person the parents want to enter into an agreement with are not suitable for the task. Similarly, approval of a care agreement can be revoked if circumstances change—such as if you move from the municipality. This will result in the subsidy not being paid out.
 

The subsidy is paid monthly in advance and is deposited into your NemKonto on the first banking day of the month. The first time the subsidy is to be paid out, the payment date is conditional on your approval being formed in time. If your approved subsidy does not make it by the 1st of the month your child starts, the payment will be made on the next 1st.

If your subsidy is revoked, you will have received a letter from Children & Daycare in your e-box, stating the reason for the revocation.

You can have 75% of your expenses covered; however, there is an annual maximum subsidy set. You need to submit a new signed care agreement, which must be approved, and you will receive a new approval.

If your child turns 3 during the care period, your subsidy will decrease on the 1st of the month your child turns 3.

The subsidy is adjusted every year on January 1st.

It is the specific care agreement entered into between you and the childminder that determines how long you should continue to pay wages during illness. Only in very special cases and after a specific assessment can the municipality revoke the approval of the private care arrangement. This happens only if the basis of the agreement ceases to exist.
 

No, there is no subsidy for au pairs because they only have a residence permit and not a work permit.