.svg){kind=small}
The help you can get towards childcare costs depends on the age of your child, and whether you are working, or receiving certain benefits.
Working parents can get:
15 hours free childcare a week for two-year-olds from April 2024
15 hours free childcare for nine-month-olds from September 2024
30 hours free childcare for three and four-year-olds is already available
30 hours free childcare for all under-5s from September 2025
To qualify for the new hours, the majority of parents must earn more than £8,670, but less than £100,000 per year.
Those on certain benefits can already get:
15 hours free childcare for two-year-olds
15 hours free childcare for three and four-year-olds
If you are not in work, you might still be eligible for 30 hours of free childcare if your partner works, or you receive certain benefits.
You can apply from when your child is:
To complete the application, you need to provide your name, address and national insurance number, as well as whether you expect to meet the income requirements/whether you are in receipt of any benefits.
If you live with a partner, you will need to provide their information too. This will enable HMRC to decide whether your child is eligible.
If you are eligible, you will be given an 11-digit code that you will need to take to your early years provider along with your national insurance number and your child’s birth certificate.
Your provider will then use the government’s eligibility checking system to check the code is valid. If it is, they will be able to book your child’s place.
You will need to reconfirm your eligibility every three months and will receive a reminder text message or email before the deadline.
HMRC manage the application process and send out two reminders to parents about the need to reconfirm their eligibility – four weeks and two weeks before the reconfirmation deadline. If parent’s details have not changed, they only need to tick a box in their childcare service account to confirm their details remain the same. A message will also be sent to let parents know they are no longer eligible if the deadline is not met – personal eligibility codes do not change over a period of time even if an application ends and a new application is submitted.
If a parent’s circumstances change and they are no longer eligible for the additional 15 hours of free childcare, a ‘grace period’ will apply so that children can continue with their free place for a short period of time, whilst alternate arrangements can be made. If during this grace period you should become eligible again, you can simply reapply.
If you are no longer eligible, you can still access the 15-hour universal early education entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds.
Currently, children become eligible for funded early education and childcare the term following the relevant age.
Yes – sort of. Your child's place of up to 30 hours funding per week will be completely free of charge to you – all money is paid directly from the council to the childcare provider where your child has a place, although the funding only covers the actual care and education of your child (see below). Childcare providers can also charge a refundable deposit for their funded places for two, three, and four year olds – individual local councils decide when providers refund the deposits, which should be within a reasonable time scale.
Providers are not permitted to charge ‘top-up’ fees (the difference between your fees and the hourly rate you receive from your local authority), although they are permitted to charge for meals and snacks, as well as for other consumables such as nappies and sun cream. Providers can also charge for additional activities and services such as outings and trips; activity classes, pick-ups and drop-offs and for being ‘on-call’ when a child is at another setting. However, parents must have the choice of whether or not they wish to purchase additional activities and services, and these charges cannot be a condition of taking up a funded place.
If your child is three or four and you don’t meet the criteria for the 30 hours free funded childcare, you will still be eligible for the 15-hours offer as this is universal.
If your child is two and you don’t meet the criteria for the funded scheme for working families, then you will only be eligible for 15 hours if you are in receipt of certain benefits (listed below).
If your child is under two and you don’t meet the criteria for the funded scheme for working families, then you will not be eligible for any funded care and education.
A child may also be eligible if they:
Yes. As long as you meet the earnings threshold. To be eligible for 15/30 hours free childcare for two, three or four year olds, you and any partner must each expect to earn the equivalent of working 16 hours a week at national minimum or living wage – depending on your age.
No. Offering funded places is not compulsory.
Providers who opt-out of the 30-hour scheme can still deliver the universal 15-hour offer.
Providers are also entitled to offer a limited number of funded places. The provider is allowed to adjust the number of funded places available to fit their business.
You can split your funded entitlement between more than one provider, though no more than two sites in one day. If you are splitting your offer between providers, you will need to provide your eligibility code and information to each provider.
The extended entitlement is available to families where:
If you are paying for chargeable hours in addition to your free early education entitlement there are schemes to assist with these costs:
Tax-free childcare is a government scheme to help working families with their childcare costs.
Parents can open an online childcare account to pay their registered childcare providers directly. For every £8 a parent pays into their account, the government will add £2.
To apply, you (and a partner) should:
You need to apply online by setting up a childcare account on GOV.UK:
You can do this at the same time as applying for the 30 hours of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds
You must reconfirm your eligibility/details every three months (you will receive a reminder message)
If you are working, Universal Credit can help with the costs of childcare – not depended on the number of hours you work.
You may be able to claim up to 85 per cent of your childcare costs if you’re eligible for Universal Credit and meet some additional conditions. The amounts you can receive in childcare costs are:
Childcare support is currently paid in arrears. This means that you will usually pay the costs yourself, and Universal Credit will then pay you some of that money back.
You can't claim Universal Credit at the same time as:
The government childcare eligibility website has some extra information on subjects such as immigration status and information on the schemes available in Scotland, Wales (guide available in Welsh – Cymraeg), and northern Island.
Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.
.jpg)
The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
Try every Famly feature, see what you like, and invite your staff. No commitment, no credit cards. Just a 2-week free trial.
Start free trial
