The short answer
- Working parents: 30 hours a week for children aged 9 months to school age.
- All 3 and 4-year-olds: 15 hours a week, whatever their parents do.
- Some 2-year-olds in families getting certain benefits: 15 hours a week.
- Hours are for 38 weeks a year, or fewer hours a week spread over more weeks.
What you get at each age
| Child's age | Working parents | Other families |
|---|---|---|
| Under 9 months | None | None |
| 9 months to 2 years | 30 hours | None |
| 2 years | 30 hours | 15 hours if on certain benefits |
| 3 and 4 years | 30 hours | 15 hours for everyone |
Funding starts the term after your child reaches the age, on 1 January, 1 April or 1 September. A child born in October turns 9 months in July, so the funded hours start on 1 September. They continue until the child starts reception class, usually the September after their fourth birthday.
The working parent test
In a two-parent household, both parents must meet the test; a single parent must meet it alone. Each parent must expect, over the next three months, to:
- earn on average at least 16 hours a week at their National Minimum or Living Wage: £203.36 a week for those aged 21 and over, £173.60 for 18 to 20-year-olds and £128 for under-18s and apprentices;
- have adjusted net income of £100,000 or less in the tax year.
The self-employed can use expected profit, and new businesses are exempt from the minimum earnings test for their first year. Parents on maternity, paternity, adoption or sick leave still count as working. If one parent cannot work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or get certain benefits, the other parent can still qualify.
The £100,000 cliff edge
If either parent’s adjusted net income goes over £100,000, the household loses the working parent hours entirely. A pension contribution or Gift Aid can bring income back under the limit and keep thousands of pounds of funding.
15 hours for some 2-year-olds
Two-year-olds can get 15 hours a week, whatever their parents’ work, if the family gets certain support, including:
- Universal Credit with household take-home earnings of £15,400 a year or less;
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related ESA or Income Support;
- some support for people with no recourse to public funds.
Children who are looked after by the council, have an education, health and care plan, get Disability Living Allowance, or have left care through adoption or a special guardianship order also qualify. Apply through your local council.
Term time or stretched over the year
The entitlement is a number of hours a year: 1,140 for 30 hours and 570 for 15 hours. Nurseries open all year often spread them over more weeks.
- Weeks
- 38
- Funded hours a week
- 30
- Best for
- Pre-schools, school nurseries
- Weeks
- 48
- Funded hours a week
- About 23.75
- Best for
- Year-round nurseries, childminders
Not every provider offers stretching, and some limit which sessions are funded. Ask how they apply the hours before you accept a place.
What funded hours do and do not cover
The hours are free at the point of use: a provider cannot charge a top-up fee for them. Providers can, though, charge for:
- meals and snacks;
- consumables such as nappies and sun cream;
- optional activities and trips;
- any hours you use beyond the funded hours.
These charges must be voluntary, or you must be offered a way to bring your own food or supplies. In practice many families find that “30 free hours” still comes with a monthly bill.
Worked examples
- Childcare used: 1,920 hours£16,320
- Funded hours: 1,140 × £8.50−£9,690
- Left to pay£6,630
- Tax-Free Childcare: 20% of £6,630−£1,326
Without the working parent hours, the same child would get the universal 570 hours, worth £4,845, leaving £11,475 to pay. The working test is worth about £4,845 a year here, before Tax-Free Childcare.
- Childcare used: 1,530 hours£14,535
- Funded hours: 1,140 × £9.50−£10,830
A family using 30 hours a week in term time only, 38 weeks a year, pays nothing for the hours themselves, apart from any meals or consumables.
Applying and the eligibility code
- Term beforeApply online
Through the government childcare service. Apply by 31 August, 31 December or 31 March to start the following term.
- After applyingGet your code
You get an 11-digit code to give to your provider with your National Insurance number and your child's date of birth.
- Every 3 monthsReconfirm your details
Log in and confirm you still meet the work and income tests. You get reminders by email.
If you stop meeting the test, you usually keep the hours until the end of a short grace period, which lets you find work again or adjust childcare. The universal 15 hours for 3 and 4-year-olds are claimed directly through your provider without a code.
Combining with other help
- Tax-Free Childcare: can be used alongside funded hours to pay for extra hours, meals and holiday clubs. The government adds 20%, up to £2,000 a year per child. See the Tax-Free Childcare calculator.
- Universal Credit childcare costs: UC can repay up to 85% of what you pay for childcare. You cannot use Tax-Free Childcare at the same time, but you can use funded hours with either.
- Employer schemes: some employers offer workplace nurseries or older childcare voucher schemes.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Scotland: all 3 and 4-year-olds, and eligible 2-year-olds, get 1,140 hours a year of funded early learning and childcare, regardless of their parents’ work.
Wales: 3 and 4-year-olds get early education, and working parents can claim up to 30 hours a week in total through the Childcare Offer for Wales. Flying Start supports some younger children.
Northern Ireland: a pre-school place is offered in the year before school, and a separate childcare subsidy scheme helps working families.
When the funding starts: examples
| Child's birthday | Turns 9 months | Funded hours start | Apply by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 October 2025 | 15 July 2026 | 1 September 2026 | 31 August 2026 |
| 10 February 2026 | 10 November 2026 | 1 January 2027 | 31 December 2026 |
| 20 May 2026 | 20 February 2027 | 1 April 2027 | 31 March 2027 |
Apply early: the code can be issued up to 16 weeks before you are eligible, and many nurseries need it before they confirm a funded place. The same pattern applies when a child turns 3 and moves on to the universal hours.
Choosing a provider
Funded hours can be used at any provider that is registered and offers funded places, including:
- day nurseries and pre-schools;
- nursery classes in schools;
- registered childminders.
Before you sign up, ask:
- How are the funded hours applied: term time only, or stretched?
- Which sessions are funded, and can you choose the days?
- What do meals, nappies and other extras cost, and are they optional?
- What is the rate for hours above the funded hours?
- Do they accept Tax-Free Childcare payments?
Comparing the total yearly cost, not just the hourly rate, gives a truer picture. A nursery with a lower hourly rate but a high daily charge for meals can work out dearer.
After your child starts school
Funded hours stop when your child starts reception class. For school-age children, help with childcare costs comes from:
- Tax-Free Childcare, until the September after they turn 11 (16 if disabled);
- Universal Credit childcare costs, if you claim UC;
- breakfast and after-school clubs, which many primary schools in England are expanding.
Holiday clubs are often the biggest cost for working parents of school-age children. Paying for them through Tax-Free Childcare saves 20%.
A monthly view of the cost
Most nurseries bill monthly, often spreading a year’s fees over 12 equal payments. For a 3-year-old in nursery 40 hours a week for 48 weeks at £8.50 an hour:
| Situation | A year | A month |
|---|---|---|
| No funded hours | £16,320 | £1,360 |
| Universal 15 hours only | £11,475 | £956 |
| Working parent 30 hours | £6,630 | £553 |
| 30 hours plus Tax-Free Childcare | £5,304 | £442 |
The difference between the universal hours and the working parent hours is worth about £400 a month here, which is why the earnings and income tests matter so much.
Children with special educational needs
Children with special educational needs or disabilities get the same funded hours, and providers must make reasonable adjustments so they can use them. Councils have extra funding to help:
- the Disability Access Fund, a yearly payment to the provider for 3 and 4-year-olds who get Disability Living Allowance;
- a special educational needs inclusion fund, to support children with lower-level needs;
- the 2-year-old offer, open to any 2-year-old who gets Disability Living Allowance or has an education, health and care plan.
Speak to your provider and your council’s family information service about what is available locally.
If your work or income changes
If you stop meeting the working parent test, for example after losing a job, you do not lose the place straight away. A grace period lets you keep the funded hours for a time, usually until the end of the following term, while you find work or rearrange childcare.
If a parent’s income rises above £100,000 because of a bonus or promotion, the household stops qualifying from the next reconfirmation. A pension contribution or Gift Aid donation made in the same tax year can bring adjusted net income back down.
Common misunderstandings
- “30 hours means 30 hours every week of the year.” It is 1,140 hours a year, usually 38 weeks.
- “It is means-tested on household income.” Each parent is tested separately, with a £100,000 limit each.
- “Part-time workers cannot qualify.” 16 hours a week at minimum wage is enough.
- “It is automatic.” The working parent hours need an application and a code.