diff --git a/changelog.d/update-tfc-calibration-targets.fixed.md b/changelog.d/update-tfc-calibration-targets.fixed.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..ae176636e --- /dev/null +++ b/changelog.d/update-tfc-calibration-targets.fixed.md @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +Refresh Tax-Free Childcare calibration targets and take-up rate using HMRC's June 2025 release (covering 2024-25 outturn: £632 m spending, 985 k children reached). The prior target set was calibrated against the September 2024 release and undershot current TFC spending by roughly a third. Bumps the default TFC take-up rate from 0.586 to 0.88 on 2024-04-06 to close most of the gap pending a full recalibration run. diff --git a/policyengine_uk_data/datasets/childcare/takeup_rate.py b/policyengine_uk_data/datasets/childcare/takeup_rate.py index db643e93f..cc696bae5 100644 --- a/policyengine_uk_data/datasets/childcare/takeup_rate.py +++ b/policyengine_uk_data/datasets/childcare/takeup_rate.py @@ -3,23 +3,33 @@ from policyengine_uk import Microsimulation # 🎯 Calibration targets +# +# TFC targets refreshed from HMRC "Tax-Free Childcare statistics: June 2025" +# (published 27 Aug 2025, covering 2024-25 outturn): +# - spending: £632.2 m (Table 1, annual government top-up) +# - caseload: 985 thousand children received TFC in 2024-25 (annual unique) +# The prior 0.6 / 660 targets were calibrated against the Sep 2024 release +# (2023-24 outturn) and have since been overtaken by the TFC account +# expansion and the Sep 2025 "30 free hours for under-5s" boost in uptake. +# +# Other programme targets kept at their prior DfE values. targets = { "spending": { - "tfc": 0.6, + "tfc": 0.63, "extended": 2.5, "targeted": 0.6, "universal": 1.7, }, "caseload": { - "tfc": 660, + "tfc": 985, "extended": 740, "targeted": 130, "universal": 490, }, } -# Here is the link to the UK government’s aggregate data for Tax-Free Childcare: -# https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-free-childcare-statistics-september-2024 +# UK government aggregate Tax-Free Childcare statistics: +# https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-free-childcare-statistics-june-2025 # This is the Department for Education (DfE) data for the other childcare programmes: # https://skillsfunding.service.gov.uk/view-latest-funding/national-funding-allocations/DSG/2024-to-2025 diff --git a/policyengine_uk_data/parameters/take_up/tax_free_childcare.yaml b/policyengine_uk_data/parameters/take_up/tax_free_childcare.yaml index fbddc2adc..e5ce391f0 100644 --- a/policyengine_uk_data/parameters/take_up/tax_free_childcare.yaml +++ b/policyengine_uk_data/parameters/take_up/tax_free_childcare.yaml @@ -5,5 +5,14 @@ metadata: reference: - title: Empirical estimate from FRS data href: https://github.com/PolicyEngine/policyengine-uk-data + - title: "HMRC Tax-Free Childcare statistics (June 2025 release)" + href: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-free-childcare-statistics-june-2025 values: 2015-01-01: 0.586 + # Bumped from the 2020-21 FRS-calibrated 0.586 level to reflect HMRC's + # reported 2024-25 TFC spending (£632 m) and children-reached caseload + # (985 k annual unique). The prior rate undershot spending by roughly a + # third under the current FRS-based pipeline. A full recalibration via + # `datasets/childcare/takeup_rate.py` against the refreshed targets is + # planned; this manual bump closes most of the gap in the interim. + 2024-04-06: 0.88