Help with Childcare Costs

Eligible working families in England with children aged 9 months to 4 years can receive 30 hours of funded childcare a week for 38 weeks. The maximum each year is 1140 hours.

• check the eligibility criteria on the government website
• apply for free childcare if you are working on the government website
•  Childcare Entitlements Frequently Asked Questions on the Best Start in Life website

When can I apply and when can my child start?

You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. When you can get your hours from will depend on the date your child turns 9 months old.

How long does it take to find out if I am eligible for Working Parent Entitlement?

Most parents applying for the working parent entitlement will get an immediate determination of eligibility.  HMRC may require further information to make the decision for some parents. Therefore, you should therefore apply in good time. 

I have an eligible code, what do I do now?

1. Find a childcare provider that delivers funded early education places. You can use the childcare provider directory to find local early years and childcare providers
2. Take your eligibility code to your childcare provider
3. Ask your childcare provider how the funded hours can be taken and ask about any additonal charges that may apply in addition to the funded hours
4. Your childcare provider will ask you to complete a ‘Parent Declaration Form’. This form authorises your childcare provider to claim funding from the Council for the funded hours your child gets

How often do I need to renew my code?

To keep getting your 30 hours funded childcare or Tax-Free Childcare, you must sign in every 3 months and confirm your details are up to date. Log in to your Childcare account

What happens if my circumstances change and I no longer meet the eligibility criteria?

If your child is already in a place, a grace period for your childcare entitlement will apply. This means your child can continue in their place for a short time, but you need to reconfirm your eligibility during this period as soon as you can to keep getting the childcare entitlements and/or Tax-Free Childcare.

What the entitlement covers

Government funding is intended to pay for 15 or 30 hours a week of free, high quality, flexible childcare.

Government funding does not cover

• meals
• nappies
• additional hours
• additional activities, such as trips, pick up and collection from another provider, forest school, beach trips

So, you might be asked to pay for these things, but you can speak to your provider about what alternative options they may have. For example, instead of paying for nappies if your child needs them, your childcare provider should allow you to provide your own nappies for your child.

Information about how we use your personal data and the data about your child can be found on the Early Education Funding Privacy Notice