Free childcare for working parents
Free early learning and childcare hours are available for children from the ages of 9 months for working parents. Find out how to apply.
What you can get
How many free early learning and childcare hours you could get depends on the age of your child from now until September 2025 as the amount available for eligible working parents is changing.
Free hours are available:
- from the start of the term after your child turns the relevant age by 31 March, 31 August, or 31 December.
- for 38 weeks a year but some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ the hours over more weeks, meaning you'll use fewer hours each week
Children from 9 months
- From September 2024: 9 months to 2-year-olds can get 15 hours a week free (570 hours a year).
- From September 2025: from 9 months until children start school, you can get 30 hours a week free (1,140 hours a year).
2-year-olds
- From April 2024: 2-year-olds can get 15 hours a week free (570 hours a year).
3 and 4-year olds
- 3 and 4-year-olds can get an extra 15 hours on top of the 15 hours available to every 3 and 4-year-old.
Eligibility
Check you're eligible for free childcare if you're working.
If you have questions about your eligibility, please contact the HMRC Childcare Service Customer Centre Interaction Centre on 030 0123 4097.
If you are getting certain benefits, and if you're working, your household income is less than £15,400 per year, check if you're eligible for the free early learning and childcare for 2-year-olds instead.
How to apply
- Check your eligibility. If eligible, you will receive a working parents code. Each individual child will have their own code, for example if a parent has twins, they will receive two codes.
- Take your code to a childcare provider of your choice. The provider will let you know if they provide free places for eligible working parents. If the provider does provide these places, they will validate the code. This means that the provider can now offer a place. Providers may ask parents for their National Insurance number and the child’s date of birth to verify the code.
- HMRC will remind you to reconfirm their eligibility every three months and to tell them of any changes to your circumstances.
- You can access your childcare account at any time after you have applied.
Reconfirm your working parents code
You get a unique working parents code to apply for your free hours.
It is your responsibility to reconfirm your working parents code every three months. You should receive reminders from HMRC every three months to reconfirm your eligibility, but it is important to keep your own reminder to do this.
Find a provider
To find a place for your child, contact each provider and fill in their application form. The free hours will be arranged for you by the provider.
Find out more about the providers that offer free early learning and childcare on the Islington Directory, or contact the Family Information Service on 020 7527 5959.
- Many places are oversubscribed, so you may not get your first choice.
- Free early education and childcare is usually available term time only but some providers including childminders, can offer flexible hours across holiday periods.
When to apply
| Date closest to when your child turns the relevant age | Date when child is able to get free places | When best to apply |
|---|---|---|
| 31 December | 1 January (spring term) | 15 October to 30 November |
| 31 March | 1 April (summer term) | 15 January to 28 February |
| 31 August | 1 September (autumn term) | 15 June to 31 July |
More about free hours, other schemes and providers
Find out more about free hours early learning and childcare, and Tax-Free Childcare by visiting the Government's Childcare Choices website.
Complaints
If parents are not satisfied that their child has received their free entitlement in the correct way, they should ask their provider for their complaints procedure. Further information about the complaints process is outlined in the complaints section of the Early Years Free of Charge complaints procedure.
Read more about free early learning and childcare
Application process
- Parent checks their eligibility and if successful, they will receive an eligibility code. There will be an eligibility code per parent/child combination. Each individual child will have their own code, e.g. if a parent has twins, they will receive two codes, one for each child.
- Parent takes their eligibility code to a childcare provider of their choice. The provider will inform the parent whether they provide places for the 30 hours. If the provider does provide 30 hours places, the provider will validate the eligibility code. Once the code is validated providers can offer a 30 hours place.
- Providers may ask parents for their National Insurance number and the child’s date of birth to verify the code.
- HMRC will remind parents to reconfirm their eligibility every 3 months and to declare any changes to their circumstances.
- Parents can access their childcare account at any time after they have applied.
How do I reconfirm my eligibility at the end of the three month period and what happens if my circumstances have changed?
HMRC will send out reminders to parents about the need to reconfirm their eligibility before the end of the three month validity period and how to do this. Parents will be able to reconfirm their circumstances and declare any changes after receiving the reminder from HMRC. The eligibility code for a parent / child combination will not change over time even if its validity ends and a new application is submitted.
If a parents circumstances change and they are no longer eligible for the 30 hours of free childcare, a grace period will apply so that children can continue with their free place for a short period of time. If a parent’s circumstances change again whilst they are in the grace period, they may reapply and become eligible again.
If you pass the end date of the grace period and you have not regained eligibility your child will stop receiving 30 hours and go back to the universal 15 hour offer. If you regain eligibility after this, you will need to reconfirm your eligibility. If you are successful your child can receive 30 hours from the start of the following term.
Losing your eligibility
What if I or my partner loses our job – does my child stop receiving the additional hours?
If you or your partner lose a job and no longer meet the eligibility criteria, you will enter a grace period. During this time your child will continue to receive 30 hours. Once the grace period has ended, your child will go back to receiving the universal 15 hours free childcare. However, if you find a new job during the grace period and meet the eligibility criteria again, you can continue to receive the 30 hours provided you confirm your eligibility again using the eligibility checker.
How long is the grace period?
The length of the grace period depends on when in the year you lose eligibility. This is because local authorities have to conduct audit checks at specific points in the year.| Date parent receives ineligible decision on reconfirmation | Local Authority audit date | Grace period end date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January - 10 February | 11 February | 31 March |
| 11 February - 31 March | 1 April | 31 August |
| 1 April - 26 May | 27 May | 31 August |
| 27 May - 31 August | 1 September | 31 December |
| 1 September - 21 October | 22 October | 31 December |
| 22 October - 31 December | 1 January | 31 March |
How can I use funded hours?
Do I have to take up all of the funded hours?
No, you can take as many funded hours up to the limit as you like. Discuss what suits your family with your chosen childcare provider to see if they are able to accommodate your request.
When can I use the funded hours?
The hours can be taken over no fewer than 38 weeks of the year.
Parents can ‘stretch’ their free childcare over the full year if this is what is required and providers can accommodate this.
The funded hours could be used from 6am to 8pm.
There is no minimum session length; however, the maximum session length is 10 hours.
Providers and parents are best placed to agree the appropriate amount of time a child can spend in a provision.
Children can access a maximum of two sites on any one day.
All registered childcare providers, including schools, private day nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are able to deliver the funded entitlement.
Can I use the funded hours to pay for a nanny?
No, the funded entitlements have to be taken at a childcare provider who is registered to deliver the early education entitlement and nannies are not registered to do so.
My relative is a childminder. Can they claim for funded hours?
No. Early years provision by a childminder for a related child does not count as childcare in legal terms. Government funding cannot be claimed by, or spent on, childminders providing childcare for their own child or a related child, even if they are claiming for other children.
However, a local authority can choose to fund the parent providing childcare for their child but this would have to be from other local authority funds.