How your child can receive up to 15 or 30 hours a week funded childcare
All 3 and 4-year-olds get 15 hours funded early education a week for 38 weeks a year.
Working families of 3 and 4-year-olds may get another 15 hours childcare a week. That's up to a total of 30 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year.
Working families of 2-year-olds may get 15 hours childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year.
From September 2024, working families of 9-month-olds may get 15 hours of funded early education a week for 38 weeks a year.
From September 2025 this will expand to 30 hours.
How to apply
- Apply through the government's Childcare Choices website.
- If successful you will get a code (an 11 digit number).
- To book a place take the code to your childcare provider with your child's birth certificate and proof of address.
Guide to how it works
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A child turns 9 months and the working parent/carer gets a code between these dates:
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Up to 15/ 30 hours childcare starts from:
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1 January to 31 March
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1 April
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1 April to 31 August
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1 September
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1 September to 31 December
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1 January
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Tax-free childcare
You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year).
- For working families, including the self-employed, in the UK
- Earning under £100k and at least £167 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage) each
- Who aren't receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers
- With children aged 0-11 (or 0-16 if disabled)
- For every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year
What you can use Tax-Free Childcare for
You can use it to pay for approved childcare, for example:
- childminders, nurseries and nannies
- after school clubs and play schemes
Your childcare provider must be signed up to the scheme before you can pay them and benefit from Tax-Free Childcare.
