Funded childcare for 2 year olds

1 Overview

Funded childcare is available through the local authority for 2 year olds who meet certain criteria. In West Sussex this is referred to as the 2 year old Local Authority (LA) issued Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE). It is applied for directly through the LA you live in.

Families who meet the eligibility criteria can claim up to 15 hours of funded childcare per week for 2 year olds.

The table below shows the date a child is born between and when they might become eligible for 2 year old LA issued EYFE.

2 2 year old LA issued funded hours income based benefits eligibility criteria

To access the 2 year old LA issued funded hours, your child will need to be of eligible age and you and your partner (if you have one) receive one or more of the following benefits or income criteria:

• Income support
• guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related employment and support Allowance
• support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Universal Credit and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
• Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit (or both) and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for working tax credit) and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax

If you meet the income based benefits eligibility criteria, applications can be made online.

3 2 year old LA issued funded hours other eligibility criteria

Your child of eligible age may also access the 2 year old LA issued funded hours if:

• they are a Child We Care For by West Sussex
• they are adopted*
• they have a Special Guardianship Order*
• they have a special educational need or a disability (SEND), whereby your child is eligible if they either:
• receive Disability Living Allowance*
• has a current Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan*

Alternatively, your family must:

• have no recourse to public funds (NRPF)** (subject to a maximum annual household income threshold of £26,500 for families with one child and £30,600 for families with two or more children), which includes children of:
• Zambrano carers (persons from a non-EEA state whose residence is required in order to enable a child or dependant adult, who is British, to live in the UK)
• families with no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private or family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights
• families receiving support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are also subject to a no recourse to public funds restriction
• those who have claimed asylum in the UK and are waiting for a decision (known as ‘part 6’)
• a subset of failed asylum seekers supported under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Chen carers
• families holding a BN(O) passport
• spousal visa holders
• work visa holders
• student visa holders
• those with no immigration status
• those with a UK Ancestry Visa
• those with temporary protection status under Section 12 of the Immigration and Nationality Act
• those with pre-settled status who do not meet the qualifying right to reside test

*You will need to provide evidence when you apply.

**You will need to provide evidence of a Biometric Residence Permit, or your online immigration status share code. Proof of income is also required.

If you meet the income based benefits eligibility criteria, applications can be made online.

4 Application guidance

When you apply for the 2 year old LA issued EYFE, you will be asked for:

• your name
• your address
• the name, gender and date of birth of each child
• the relevant eligibility criteria you are applying under and evidence, where requested
• your National Insurance Number or National Asylum Seeker's Service Number

You will be sent confirmation if your application for 2 year old LA issued EYFE is successful. Your child can start their funded place at any time in the term after the confirmed start date.

If your application is unsuccessful, we recommend checking your eligibility against the criteria and, if applicable, re-apply in the future.

Applications may take up to 21 working days to be processed. If this period has elapsed, or you have lost your letter from us, email free.childcare@westsussex.gov.uk for help. Check your spam or junk folder before getting in touch.

Once your child is eligible for 2 year old LA issued EYFE, they remain eligible, even if your circumstances change. They can continue to access a funded place until the term after their third birthday. They could then access 3 and 4 year old Universal EYFE.

Visit our EYFE page for information on accessing your awarded EYFE, other types of EYFE and support to find suitable childcare.

5 Additional information

If your childcare costs stop or your average weekly costs go down by £10 or more, let HMRC know as soon as possible when accessing the 2 year old LA issued EYFE.