Expansion of Childcare Support

Starting from April 2024, existing childcare support will be expanded in phases. By September 2025, most working families with children under the age of 5 will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare support. 

New Early Years Funded Entitlements for working parents

From April 2024 2 year olds may be entitled to up to 15 hours

From September 2024 children over 9 months old may be entitled to up to 15 hours

From September 2025 all children over 9 months old to statutory school age may be entitled to up to 30 hours

Visit our website for up-to-date advice on childcare funding and paying for childcare. 

You could get the Early Years Funded Entitlements if you and your partner (if you have one) work full or part time hours. You could still be eligible, even if you are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, or if you are unable to work due to sickness or caring responsibilities. 
 
Visit the Childcare Choices website and use their eligibility checker to find the right offer for you. 

Visit our website to find out more about the offers and apply. 
 
We recommend you apply no more than 2 months before you are eligible to claim. Otherwise, your code may expire before you claim your funding. You must apply in good time to take your eligibility code to your childcare provider before the deadline. Many parents applying for this funding will get a reply immediately to say if they are eligible and receive a code the same day, but this can take up to seven working days. Some parents will need to provide more information for their application, which may mean they will receive their code at a later time, so it is important to allow enough time to apply. 

From 2 years old

From 9 months old

*We recommend you apply no more than two months before you are eligible to claim, otherwise your code may expire before you claim your funding.

The Early Years Funded Entitlement is calculated overs 38 weeks of the year. For the 15 hour offer this is calculated at 570 hours per year, and for the 30 hour offer, is 1140 hours per year. This means that, for the 30 hour offer, if you take up your full 30 hours per week, government funding will only cover this for 38 weeks of the year. 

However, your provider may choose to deliver a ‘stretched offer’. This means you can use fewer hours per week over more weeks of the year, but your child may not be able to access their full entitlement. For example, if your child is entitled to 30 hours, they may access 22 hours of funded childcare per week over 51 weeks of the year. This means you will access a maximum of 1122 hours over the year.  

Although stretching your child’s entitlement will give you greater flexibility, your child may not be able to access their full entitlement. 

Speak to your chosen childcare provider to find out if they are signed up to offer the funded entitlements. If they are, you can then find out more about how they offer the funded hours and if it meets what is best for you and your child.

When you apply for you code it is important to remember you need to reconfirm your code every three months.  

Your chosen childcare provider should check your code is valid before you start. When they do this, they can see the Start Date, End Date and Grace Period that relates to your code. So, what does this mean? 

• Start Date - is when the code was issued (applied via the HMRC application process), but this is not the date that a child can access their funding. The start date of a code must always be before 31 of March, August or December. 
    
• End Date - is the date a parent needs to reconfirm their code by. The code enters its ‘Grace Period’ the day after. 
   
• Grace Period – is the period of time where a code is still able to be used to access funding. But it can only be used if a funded place is already being accessed. The code is valid at the child’s current provider up until the ‘Grace Period End Date’. 
   
• Grace Period End Date - is the potential date that the child could be funded up to if they fall out of eligibility, such as if your working hours change. It is important to note you only use your code during its Grace Period if you are already accessing a funded place. You cannot access funding at a new provider. 
   

It is important you provide your chosen childcare provider with your code as soon as possible. For more information on codes and how to claim 15 hours childcare read the Education Hub blog post. 

High quality early childhood education and care gives children the best start in life. It provides important opportunities to learn and develop. Early childhood education and care can help your child make friends, develop independence and learn new things. It can also support their transition to school as they begin to socialise with their peers. 

Visit our website to find out about the different types of childcare and the benefits. 

Tax-Free Childcare and the childcare element of Universal Credit can help you pay for the costs of childcare. They can be used alongside the Early Years Funded Entitlements. However, you cannot access Tax-Free Childcare and the childcare element of Universal Credit at the same time, you will only be able to use one of these offers to help with childcare costs. 

Tax-Free Childcare 

Tax-Free Childcare is available for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability. You can receive up to £2,000 per year, per child and up to £4,000 if the child has a disability. 

When you apply for an Early Years Funded Entitlements code via the government gateway, you will also be provided with a Tax-Free Childcare code.  

Visit the Government's 'Tax Free Childcare' page to find out more. 

Universal Credit 

If you are working, Universal Credit can help with the costs of childcare, no matter how many hours you work. You may be able to claim up to 85 per cent of your childcare costs if you are eligible for Universal Credit and meet some additional conditions. The amounts you can receive in childcare costs are: 

• a maximum of £951 per month for one child 
• a maximum of £1630 per month for 2 or more children 

Visit the 'Understanding Universal Credit' website to find out more. If you are on Universal Credit and you need help with upfront childcare costs, contact your local Job Centre. 

• Search for childcare on our website
• When can I apply for 15 hours free childcare? - The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)