News item | 15-09-2025 | 13:13
In 2029, the cabinet will enter almost free childcare for working parents. For parents this means that working will pay more. They also have more certainty and considerably lower costs for childcare. For childcare organizations there is the guarantee for stable financing. To ensure that childcare remains affordable, there will be rules about overcase and excessive salaries in the sector.
In the new system, working parents only have to pay a small part of the costs for childcare. The government pays the government directly to the childcare organization. As a result, the childcare allowance and recoveries will soon be a thing of the past. This makes it a lot easier for working parents. It also no longer matters how much they earn: the government pays the same part for everyone. As a result, more hours of work will work more. The bill with which this is arranged will be public next month.
Spend tax money on working parents
The contribution that the government pays to affordable childcare is going up sharply in the new system, to around € 9 billion a year. That is more than one and a half times as much as now. There is a risk that this will lead to price increases. The cabinet wants to prevent this. It believes it is necessary that tax money benefits working parents. The future financing of childcare organizations also affects the European rules for state aid. In order to prevent unauthorized state aid, the government considers it inevitable to regard childcare in the new system as a service of general economic interest (DAB).
To prevent excessive overwhelms, rules are laid down in the new system. The cabinet believes it is of great importance that entrepreneurs in childcare can continue to realize and innovate reasonable returns. They are also crucial for good care in the new system. The starting point is that entrepreneurs must keep the freedom to do business and invest in good and accessible childcare. The cabinet therefore wants to shape the interpretation of the SGEI in such a way that it fits in well with the entrepreneurial nature of the sector. The government will actively involve the childcare sector in the further elaboration to ensure that the SGEI continues to stimulate entrepreneurship and does not produce unnecessary administrative pressure.
State Secretary Jurgen Nobel: “Childcare is almost free for working parents. I will continue to do so without prejudice. We are now taking steps to keep childcare affordable for working parents. Certainly now that the government is going to invest so much more in childcare, this tax money has to end up with them. That is why we have to stay with extra rules. That is why they can continue to do the driving force. Wages and childcare must remain affordable. “
Due to the high degree of public financing and the public task that childcare organizations perform, childcare will soon also fall under the Top Income Standardization Act. This prevents possible excessive rewards to drivers.
Increasing question
Because childcare becomes cheaper, demand can increase sharply. This can lead to higher prices and longer waiting lists. That is why the cabinet gradually makes childcare more affordable. The first steps for this have already been taken this year. In this way the supply can adapt to the increasing demand. In addition, the government monitors the price development. The cabinet also focuses on reducing the staff shortage. For middle incomes, almost free childcare already means a significant fall in costs. In addition, municipalities are given more opportunities to reimburse the personal contribution of working parents with a low income.