If you’re childminding without being Tusla registered, you’ve probably wondered what the actual path looks like. It’s not one form. It’s a sequence, and knowing the order matters as much as knowing the rules.
Most guidance about becoming a Tusla registered childminder explains individual rules in isolation: the exemption threshold, the registration process, the cost. Almost none of it walks through the actual order these things happen in, or what happens to your existing income and families while you’re mid-sequence. That gap is what this page fills.
The full sequence, in order:
- Check whether you’re actually required to register yet
- Decide why you’re registering
- Complete Garda vetting and training
- Apply to Tusla and pass a premises inspection
- Apply separately for National Childcare Scheme approval
- Tell your existing families what’s changing
Key Takeaways
- Becoming a Tusla registered childminder is a sequence of steps, not a single application.
- Most childminders aren’t required to register yet, but many choose to anyway.
- Registration and National Childcare Scheme approval are two separate steps, not one.
- Your existing families are affected too, not just you.
Step 1: work out whether you actually have to become a Tusla registered childminder yet
Before you do anything else, check whether you’re actually required to register right now. If you mind 3 or fewer preschool children and 6 or fewer children in total, you’re currently exempt. This transition period runs until September 2027, per gov.ie’s 2024 Childminding Regulations announcement.
Full detail on the exemption threshold is covered on our page on whether childminders have to be registered, including whether your own children count. This page assumes you’ve already checked that, and decided to move ahead regardless.
Plenty of childminders in this exempt category still choose to become a Tusla registered childminder early. There’s no penalty for registering before you’re required to, and doing so opens options the exemption alone doesn’t. It’s worth thinking of the September 2027 deadline as a backstop, not a target date.
There’s also a middle group worth naming explicitly: childminders who are close to the exemption threshold but not quite over it. If you regularly consider taking on one more child, it’s worth checking the numbers now rather than crossing the line accidentally and finding yourself required to register on short notice.
Step 2: decide why you’re registering
Most people move toward becoming a Tusla registered childminder for one of three reasons. They want to open National Childcare Scheme access to families. They’ve grown past the exemption threshold. Or they simply want the credibility of registered status.
None of these reasons is required to register early. Knowing your own reason helps you plan the rest of the sequence. It especially shapes the timing around telling existing families what’s changing.
If NCS access is your main driver, plan for the fact that registration alone doesn’t unlock it. You’ll need a separate NCS approval step too, covered further down this page. If it’s the exemption threshold, double-check the actual numbers rather than assuming you’ve crossed it. If it’s simply credibility, there’s no urgency, so you can take the sequence at whatever pace suits your existing families.
Steps 3 to 6: Garda vetting, training, application, inspection
Once you’ve decided to become a Tusla registered childminder, four practical steps follow in roughly this order.
Garda vetting and training
Garda vetting comes first, since it can take time to process. Start it as early as possible in the sequence, since delays here delay everything after it.
Training requirements run alongside or shortly after vetting, depending on what you’ve already completed. Some childminders already hold relevant qualifications from previous childcare work; others need to complete training from scratch.
Application and inspection
Once vetting and training are in hand, you apply to Tusla’s Early Years Inspectorate. A pre-registration premises inspection follows before you’re added to the register.
The inspection covers the same ground as any home-based premises check: safety, space, hygiene, and outdoor access. Our page on childminder own home requirements covers exactly what’s assessed. Read it before the inspector arrives, not during the visit.
Full detail on the registration process itself lives on our Tusla childminder registration page. We won’t repeat every step here.
What it costs to make this move
Becoming a Tusla registered childminder from an unregistered start isn’t free, but it’s also not the barrier many people assume. Our page on how much it costs to register breaks down the real figures. It also covers grants that can offset some of it.
Registration isn’t the same as NCS approval: the step after
Here’s the nuance most guides on becoming a Tusla registered childminder skip. Becoming a Tusla registered childminder doesn’t automatically mean families can claim National Childcare Scheme subsidies against your hours. Registration and NCS provider approval are two separate steps, confirmed via NCS.gov.ie’s own FAQ.
You need both. A childminder who registers with Tusla, but never applies for NCS approval, is still unable to pass the subsidy on to families. Plan for this at the same time as registration itself, not as an afterthought once you’re already on the register.
If NCS access for families was your reason for registering, this step is what actually delivers it, not Tusla registration alone. Build the NCS approval application into your timeline from the start.
What changes for families once you’re a Tusla registered childminder
Becoming a Tusla registered childminder changes something for the families you already work with too, not just for you. Once you’re a Tusla registered childminder and NCS-approved, they may become newly eligible for subsidy support they weren’t eligible for before. Some families will actively welcome this news, since it can materially reduce their weekly childcare cost.
It’s worth telling existing families you’re going through this process, even though nothing legally requires you to. A short, honest update covering what’s changing, and roughly when, goes a long way toward keeping trust intact during a process that can take weeks.
Once you’re findable as a registered childminder, families searching specifically for registered options can find you too. Our page on finding a registered childminder covers that side of things.
Weighing up the tax side of self-employment at the same time? Our page on self-employed childminder tax covers the €15,000 exemption and Class S PRSI, separately from anything covered here.
Ready to put your registered status in front of families? Find a care job on TrustedCarers once you’re through the sequence.
FAQ
Q: Is it illegal to be an unregistered childminder in Ireland right now?
A: Not for most childminders. Those minding 3 or fewer preschool children, and 6 or fewer in total, are exempt during the transition period. That runs to September 2027, after which registration becomes mandatory for everyone.
Q: Once I’m a Tusla registered childminder, can families start claiming NCS immediately?
A: Not automatically. Tusla registration and National Childcare Scheme provider approval are two separate steps. You need both before families can claim the subsidy against your hours.
Q: How long does the whole sequence take?
A: It varies, mostly based on Garda vetting turnaround and inspection scheduling. Our dedicated registration-process page covers the step-by-step timeline in detail.
Q: Do I have to tell the families I already mind for that I’m registering?
A: It’s worth telling them. Registering may make them newly eligible for NCS support. That’s worth flagging, even though it isn’t a legal notification requirement.
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