Overview

Funded childcare for eligible working parents, including those of foster children.

In working families, 2-year-olds meeting certain criteria are entitled to up to 15 hours of funded childcare a week, for up to 38 weeks a year (a maximum of 570 hours a year, which can be stretched over more weeks), from the funding period after they become 2 years old.

From September 2024, children aged from 9 months old in working families meeting certain criteria will be entitled to up to 15 hours of funded childcare a week, for up to 38 weeks a year (a maximum of 570 hours a year, which can be stretched over more weeks), from the funding period after they become 9 months old.

All 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to up to 15 hours of funded early education or childcare a week, for up to 38 weeks a year (a maximum of 570 hours a year, which can be stretched over more weeks), from the funding period after they become 3- years -old. This is called the universal entitlement. More information can be found on Early Years entitlement for parents page.

In working families, 3- and 4-year-olds meeting certain criteria are entitled to an additional 15 hours of funded childcare a week, for up to 38 weeks a year (including the universal entitlement, a maximum of 1140 hours a year, which can be stretched over more weeks), from the funding period after they become 3 years old.

From September 2025, working parents of children aged from 9 months to 5 years will be eligible for up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week for up to 38 weeks a year (a maximum of 1140 hours a year, which can be stretched over more weeks), from the funding period after their child becomes 9 months old. Funded childcare will end when a child starts in Reception at a state-funded school.

Eligibility for the working parents entitlement

Working parents will need to meet the following criteria to be eligible for up to 30 hours a week of funded childcare:

• Each earns or expects to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming 3 months. Please see GOV.UK for full eligibility criteria.

This means parents don’t have to actually work for 16 hours a week, but must earn at least the equivalent wage.

Who will not qualify

Families will not meet the criteria when:

• either parent has an income of more than £100,000
• one parent is not in paid work
• either parent is a non-EEA national and subject to immigration control (and has no recourse to public funds)

How to apply (except for children in foster care)

Applications for the working families entitlement are made directly to the government and not via the Local Authority.

To apply, visit the Childcare Choices website or call 300 123 4097 if you do not have access to the internet, to set up or sign in to your government gateway account. HMRC checks parents’ eligibility using the information supplied.

You should apply around a month before the funding period your child will become eligible, but no later than the day before the funding period starts. You will receive an 11-digit code, confirming your eligibility, from HMRC. Codes must be reconfirmed to ensure continuing eligibility. If you apply for a code too early, you will need to ensure you reconfirm the code for it to be eligible.

If you have any problems applying for the working families entitlement, please phone the HMRC Helpline on 0300 123 4097.

You can apply for the working family entitlement hours on the Childcare Choices website. You will need:

• your National Insurance Number, and your partner’s National Insurance Number (if applicable)
• child’s legal name and correct date of birth
• a government gateway account

How to apply for children in foster care

Children in foster care will be eligible if:

• accessing the working families entitlement is consistent with the child’s care plan, and
• where there is a single foster parent family, the foster parent is engaging in paid work outside their role as a foster parent, or
• when there are two foster parents in the same fostering household, both are engaging in paid work outside their role as foster parent

How to apply

The offer for foster carers is by an application processed by the Local Authority, and not through the Childcare Choices website.

Foster carers should talk to their social worker so they can discuss whether the offer will fit into the child’s care plan.

If they are successful, they will receive a ‘400’ code generated by the LA, which lasts for 3 months. They will still need to give their written consent for checking and validating their code before being offered a place.

How do foster carers reconfirm?

Foster parents, like all other parents accessing the working family entitlement, are required to reconfirm their eligibility every 3 months. They will keep the same eligibility code after reconfirming.

Reconfirming is through the Local Authority and not by Childcare Choices.

The Local Authority will need to be satisfied that the placement is still ongoing, that accessing the working family hours is still consistent with the child’s care plan and that the foster parents are still engaging in paid work outside their role as a foster parent. The grace period is the same.

What to do if you are successful – all children

If you are successful, you will receive an 11-digit code to take directly to a participating childcare provider. They will need your:

• 11-digit eligibility code (begins with 500)
• child’s legal name and correct date of birth (please take birth certificate if possible)
• parent’s name and their National Insurance number

They will then gain your written permission to verify the code with the Local Authority. Once the code is verified, a place can be confirmed for the funding period after your child becomes eligible.

Please present your code to all providers that you are accessing working families entitlement funding with. They will ask you to complete a parent’s declaration form to indicate who you are claiming the hours with. Please keep your copy for your records.

When can I start using my working family entitlement hours?

If you become eligible after the start of a funding period, you must wait until the following period to access your working families entitlement place. To be able to use your working family entitlement you will need to have made a successful application and received a code by the deadlines given. If you miss the deadline, you cannot use the working family funded hours. Three and four year olds will still be able to use the universal hours. For example, if you do not apply and receive a code by 31 August deadline you cannot use your working family hours in September, you will need to wait until 1 January.

Supported families funding for 2-year-olds

If you have been accessing a funded place for 2-year-olds, and have been successful in applying for the extended entitlement, you will need to wait until the funding period after your child is 3 years old before you can claim extended hours. You can still access the universal hours for 3-year-olds without a break in funding.

Transferring to a new provider

If you move your child to a new provider, you must give your code to the new provider to ensure there are no changes to your eligibility. Please also give them details of hours claimed at the previous provider. You will need to complete a new parent’s declaration form as well with your new provider.

Keeping your funded childcare place

To keep your working families place, you need to check your details are up-to-date and reconfirm by the date specified on your Childcare Government Gateway account. Check our reconfirming information for more details.

Reconfirming your working family funded hours and tax-free eligibility

You will need to reconfirm you are still eligible for the working family entitlement and Tax-Free Childcare, using your Childcare Government Gateway account, even if you have not yet taken up your place. It’s easy to do – if your details have not changed you just tick a box to confirm this. You’ll be reminded to do this 4 weeks before the reconfirmation deadline. It’s important you let HMRC know if your circumstances have changed, as they will be checked against other systems.

If you miss the reconfirmation deadline, you will receive a message telling you that your eligibility has lapsed. You should go into your childcare account and reconfirm. However, you may have to pay for any childcare used.

You can sign in to your childcare account on GOV.UK.

What happens if you reconfirm and are no longer eligible

If you are no longer eligible for the working family entitlement, you will enter a grace period where you may be able to retain your childcare place for a short period of time.

You will not be able to claim the working family entitlement if you start at a provider when you are already in your grace period.

If the grace period has expired and you have not met the eligibility criteria again, parents of 3 and 4 year olds would only be able to access the universal entitlement (15 hours a week for 38 weeks or 570 hours per year). Parents of younger children will have to pay for any childcare used. You can reapply for the working family hours if you meet the eligibility criteria again in the future.

Your entitlement to the working family hours will stop when your child:

• reaches compulsory school age
• attends a reception place in a state-funded school or academy

If you are no longer eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, you can still use the money in your account (including the top-up you accrued while you were eligible) to pay your provider. You can also continue to use your account to pay your provider in future, but you won’t get the government top-up.