Funded childcare hours in England explained

The entitlements

Funded hours in England depend on your child’s age and your circumstances. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run different schemes ⁵.

• Working parents, 9 months to 4 years: up to 30 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year ². The statutory guidance describes this as 1,140 hours a year for children aged 9 months and above, from 1 September 2025 ⁷.
• All 3 and 4 year olds: 570 hours a year, usually taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks ⁵. It starts the term after the child’s 3rd birthday, on 1 January, 1 April or 1 September ⁵.
• Two year olds with extra support: 15 hours a week for 38 weeks if you or your child meet one of the qualifying routes ⁶. Qualifying routes include getting Universal Credit with household income of £15,400 a year or less after tax, or getting Income Support ⁶.

A child can qualify for both the two year old and the working parent entitlements. The local authority must then fund the first 15 hours under the two year old entitlement ⁷.

Who qualifies as a working parent

Your child must usually live with you, and you or your partner’s expected adjusted net income must not be over £100,000 for the current tax year ¹. Over the next three months, each parent must expect to earn at least the equivalent of about 16 hours a week at the National Minimum or Living Wage ¹.

The GOV.UK page gives these figures for the three months. They are tied to the wage rates, so check the page for the current numbers ¹:

• over 21: £2,643.68 (£203.36 a week);
• 18 to 20: £2,256.80 (£173.60 a week);
• under 18 or an apprentice: £1,664 (£128 a week).

You can also qualify while on sick or annual leave, or on maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave ¹. Dividends, interest, property income and pension payments do not count towards the earnings test ¹.

Codes and reconfirmation

You apply through a childcare account. If approved, you get an 11-digit code that proves you are eligible, and you give it to your provider ⁴. You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old ³.

Hours start on set dates. For example, if your child turns 9 months old between 1 January and 31 March, hours start on 1 April, and you apply by 31 March ³.

You must sign in to your childcare account every three months to confirm your details are up to date ⁴⁷. If you stop meeting the working parent rules at reconfirmation, the local authority should keep funding the place for a limited grace period ⁷. How long it lasts depends on when in the funding period your eligibility ends ⁷. Somerset Council’s page for providers says parents may keep a place for a short time but does not say how long ⁸.

Term-time or stretched

The standard pattern is 38 weeks of the year ²⁵. Some providers let you take fewer hours over more weeks. GOV.UK says to check whether your provider offers this ².

The statutory guidance says places can be delivered over up to 52 weeks if a parent stretches their entitlement ⁷. The hours cannot be compressed ⁷. Providers do not have to be open for at least 38 weeks or offer every entitlement unless the local authority requires it ⁷.

What providers can charge for

The free hours must be free. The guidance says there must not be any mandatory charges for parents in relation to them ⁷. Providers may charge for consumables, meals, snacks and optional extras, but these charges must be voluntary ⁷. GOV.UK gives these examples of possible extra costs ²:

• meals and nappies;
• hours beyond the free hours;
• extra activities, such as trips.

A chargeable extra must not be a condition of getting a free place ⁷. The guidance says local authorities must take all steps available to ensure providers do not charge a non-refundable registration fee as a condition of taking up a free place ⁷. If you do not want to pay for extras, your provider should agree an alternative, such as you bringing food or nappies yourself ².

Where to get help

If a provider insists on payment and refuses an alternative, contact your local council ². Local councils also handle applications for the two year old entitlement through their early years team or Family Information Service ².