What childcare really costs in Malta: a parent's guide

Ask ten Maltese parents what childcare costs and you'll get ten different answers — from "nothing, it's free" to a monthly figure that made someone's eyes water. Confusingly, they're all telling the truth.

Childcare costs in Malta depend on a handful of things: whether you qualify for the Free Childcare Scheme, how many hours you need, which centre you choose, and a collection of smaller extras that rarely appear in the headline price. None of it is complicated once it's laid out — it's just rarely laid out in one place.

So here it is: the honest picture, from genuinely free to fully private, including the bits people forget to budget for.

Start here: the Free Childcare Scheme

Malta's Free Childcare Scheme, launched in 2014 and administered through Jobsplus, provides free childcare for children from a few months old until they move up to kindergarten — at both government-run and participating private centres. It's the single biggest factor in what your family will pay.

The essentials:

• Who qualifies: parents or guardians who are in work and paying social security contributions, or in education leading to a recognised qualification. Single parents and foster parents are covered, and the scheme can extend to some parents who cannot work due to serious illness.
• How many hours you get: your free hours are linked to the hours you work or study — the scheme confirms your allocation in writing once your application is approved.
• How you apply: through the childcare centre itself, with documents such as recent payslips and an employer's declaration. The centre submits the application to Jobsplus.

We've written a full walkthrough in our guide to understanding the Free Childcare Scheme in Malta — including eligibility details and how to apply.

The key nuance: "free" covers your allocated hours at a participating centre. It doesn't automatically cover everything else, which brings us to the next section.

What "free" doesn't always include

Even families fully covered by the scheme usually pay something. Ask any centre for its full fee schedule in writing, and look out for:

• Registration fees and deposits. Many centres charge a one-off registration fee when a place is confirmed (amounts vary by centre — as an example, one private centre lists €150), and some ask for a refundable deposit.
• Meals. Some centres include lunch; many charge a daily rate or ask you to send food. Small amounts, but they add up over a month.
• Hours beyond your allocation. If your free hours run out before your working day does — commutes are real — extra hours are typically billed at the centre's normal hourly rate.
• Consumables and extras. Nappies, sunscreen, outings, activity fees. Policies differ widely.
• Holidays, absences and notice periods. Check what you pay when your child is sick or on holiday, and how much notice you must give to leave. These clauses matter more than they seem.

None of these are red flags — they're normal. The flag is a centre that won't put them in writing.

Paying privately: what fees look like

If you don't qualify for the scheme, need hours it won't cover, or choose a non-participating centre, you'll pay private fees. There's no regulated price list in Malta, and fees genuinely vary — by locality, hours, age group and facilities — so treat any single figure with caution and always ask centres directly.

To give one verifiable public example: the University of Malta's childcare centres charged €200 per month for five mornings a week (07:30–13:30), or €120 per month for three mornings, in the 2024–25 scholastic year. Full-day places at private centres cost more, and fees differ enough between centres that it's worth comparing several before you decide. Babies under 12 months sometimes cost more than toddlers, because Malta's national standards require one educator for every three babies under one — closer care, higher staffing costs.

When comparing, always convert to the same unit — a full month, for your actual hours, extras included. A centre that looks cheaper per hour can cost more per month once meals and registration are counted.

The tax deduction most parents forget

If you pay private childcare fees, Malta offers an income tax deduction of up to €2,000 per child per year — you deduct the lower of €2,000 or the fees you actually paid, for children under 12 attending eligible registered centres. Keep your receipts, check the current rules and the list of eligible centres on the Commissioner for Revenue's website (cfr.gov.mt), and claim it in your tax return. Over a couple of years of childcare, that's real money.

Worth knowing about too: Jobsplus also runs a separate Childcare Subsidy Scheme alongside the free scheme — if your circumstances don't fit the standard rules, it's worth asking Jobsplus (freephone 153) what support applies to you.

What happens after age three

Costs change dramatically at kindergarten age. State kindergarten in Malta is free, and children typically move up around their third birthday — since a June 2025 amendment to the national standards, children may also stay on at their childcare centre until the first October intake after they turn three. Church and independent school kindergartens have their own arrangements and fees.

If you're weighing up the options, our guide to the difference between nurseries, childminders and kindergartens breaks it down.

A simple budgeting checklist

Before you commit to a centre, make sure you can answer all of these:

1. Does the centre participate in the Free Childcare Scheme, and how many of my hours will be covered?
2. What is the registration fee, and is there a deposit?
3. What do meals cost, or what do I need to send?
4. What's the hourly rate for extra hours beyond my allocation?
5. What do I pay during holidays, sickness and settling-in weeks?
6. What's the notice period if we leave?
7. Am I claiming the tax deduction on any private fees?

Ten minutes with this list — and everything in writing — will save you surprises later.

Find your childcare with Niboo

Compare licensed nurseries, childminders and kindergartens across Malta and Gozo at niboo.mt/childcare — then ask each shortlisted centre for its full fee schedule.