Early learning and childcare workers: minimum pay

From 1 April 2025, the minimum rate of pay for childcare workers delivering funded early learning and childcare (ELC) in Scotland is £12.60 per hour. This is in line with pay rates for adult social care workers and children’s social care workers.

If you are eligible, your pay should be backdated and provided for all hours worked from April 2025. 

If your pay has not increased, there is information below on what you should do.

Who is eligible

If you are employed to provide direct care to children who are receiving funded hours you should be getting paid at least £12.60 per hour. This is regardless of your qualifications, the age of the children being cared for, or the setting in which the care is delivered.

In line with the requirements for Living Wage accreditation, apprentices do not have to receive the real Living Wage – this is in recognition that, particularly in the earlier stages, apprentices may spend more time training than working.

If you are not getting paid the minimum amount

Speak to your employer

If you think that you qualify for the higher minimum rate, and your pay has not increased, the first thing you should do is speak to your employer.

Speak to your trade union

You may also want to contact your trade union if you are represented by one. If you are not, you can get more information from unions that represent workers, such as:

• GMB Scotland
• UNISON
• Unite

If you cannot resolve the issue with your employer

If you are not able to resolve the issue with your employer, and you think that you are eligible for this uplift, you can contact your local authority commissioning team who will look into this for you. Please note, they will only be able to do this if there is a contractual relationship between your employer and the local authority.

Contacting your local authority commissioning team

When contacting your local authority commissioning team, you should title your email 'Early Learning and Childcare Pay Uplift Enquiry' and include:

• the name of your employer and the specific setting if appropriate
• your job role 
• the type of service you work in 
• your current rate of pay
• any information your employer has given as to why you are not receiving £12.60 per hour

Scottish Government role

National and local government have a long-standing commitment to the principles of Fair Work for the children and young people workforce. We are fully committed to improving the experience of the social care workforce, including increasing levels of pay, as we recognise and value the work that they do.

We provide funding to local authorities to ensure that childcare workers delivering funded ELC are paid a minimum rate of pay. Local authorities commission these services through providers, including nurseries and childminders.

We do not have a direct relationship with employers, so any issues relating to implementation of the policy by an employer must be raised directly with your local authority.

We expect that any provider that has committed to pay the higher hourly rate should pass this on to the workforce. 

We cannot get involved in any disputes between workers and employers.  It is also not appropriate for us to determine the management of local contractual relationships.