15 hours of funded childcare from 9 months old

Eligibility criteria for working parents

Working parents of two-year-olds can now benefit from 15 hours of funded childcare each week, for 38 weeks of the year or 570 hours (term-time).

From September 2024 eligible working parents of children aged 9 - 23 months old will be entitled to the same amount of funded childcare. Find out out to apply.

If your child attends childcare for longer than 15 hours a week, you can use the funded hours towards your total childcare package to reduce the overall costs.

The funding covers the cost of childcare only and does not cover any additional costs incurred such as meals, snacks, nappies, daytrips etc.

The basic criteria for this funding is:

• Parent(s) are in work earning less than £100,000 a year each.
  
• Each parent must be earning at least the minimum wage for 16 hours a week.
  
• Parents in receipt of incapacity, caring or limited capability for work benefits.
  
• A child becomes eligible from the beginning of the new term after their second birthday.
  
• Deadline for applications is the last day of the month before a new term starts: 31st March, 31st August, 31st December.
  
• The childcare provider must be Ofsted registered.

Childcare Choices is a government website where you can find out about the different types of childcare offers available. For more information and to check eligibility for working parent childcare funding, click the button below.