Funding for 9-months to 2-year-old children
Help with childcare costs
Government help with childcare costs for parents:
- Help paying for your childcare (Best Start in Life)
- Childcare you can get help paying for (GOV.UK)
Eligible working families can apply for 30 hours of childcare to use from the period after their child turns 9 months until they reach school age. For more information, please visit Best Start in Life
Government funding is intended to pay for up to 30 hours a week of high quality, flexible childcare for eligible working parents. The 30 hours must be able to be accessed free of charge to parents / carers.
Government funding doesn't cover:
- meals
- nappies
- additional hours
- additional activities, such as trips
You might be asked to pay for these things. However, these charges must not be mandatory, or a condition of accessing a funded place, and you should speak to your chosen provider about what alternative options they may have.
You won't able to use the entitlements for a nanny, home carer, or for childcare provided by a relative, such as a grandparent.
| Child’s month of birth | Month child reaches 9 months of age | Period in which child will be eligible for funded hours |
|---|---|---|
| January | October | Spring period starting on or after 1 January |
| February | November | Spring period starting on or after 1 January |
| March | December | Spring period starting on or after 1 January |
| April | January | Summer period starting on or after 1 April |
| May | February | Summer period starting on or after 1 April |
| June | March | Summer period starting on or after 1 April |
| July | April | Autumn period starting on or after 1 September |
| August | May | Autumn period starting on or after 1 September |
| September | June | Autumn period starting on or after 1 September |
| October | July | Autumn period starting on or after 1 September |
| November | August | Autumn period starting on or after 1 September |
| December | September | Spring period starting on or after 1 January |
What is the eligibility criteria?
If you live and work in England you may be entitled to 30 hours funded childcare support from the period after your child turns 9 months old, until they start school.
You can usually get funded childcare for working parents if you (and your partner, if you have one) are:
- in work or starting a new job
- on sick leave or annual leave
- on shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave
The amount of funded childcare you can get depends on:
- your child’s age and circumstances
- your income (and your partner’s income, if you have one)
- your immigration status
If you aren't eligible for the working parent offer, you will be eligible to receive the 15 hour entitlement for all 3- and 4-year-old children from the period after your child turns 3 until they start school, irrespective of your income level, benefit status, or family circumstances.
If you or your child are in receipt of some additional forms of support, you may still be eligible for 15 hours early learning for 2-year-old children under a separate scheme. If you are eligible, you should still apply for the working parent entitlement and receive 15 hours from each scheme (up to a maximum of 30 hours in total).
Your earnings
Over the next 3 months you and your partner (if you have one) must each expect to earn at least:
- £2,539 before tax if you’re aged 21 or over (equivalent to £195 per week)
- £2,080 before tax if you’re aged 18 to 20 (equivalent to £160 per week)
- £1,570 before tax if you’re under 18 or an apprentice (equivalent to £120 per week)
This is equivalent to the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average.
This table may help you identify if you meet the required income threshold:
| 21 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 or an apprentice | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual wage | £10,158 | £8,320 | £6,281 |
| 3-monthly wage | £2,539 | £2,080 | £1,570 |
| Weekly wage | £195 | £160 | £120 |
You can earn up to £100,000 adjusted net income per year and be eligible. If you or your partner has an expected adjusted net income over £100,000 in the current tax year, you won't be eligible.
You can use an average of how much you expect to earn over the current tax year if:
- you work throughout the year but don't get paid regularly
- you’re self-employed and don't expect to earn enough in the next 3 months
If you have a partner who lives with you, they must also earn between these two amounts.
If you’re self-employed and started your business less than 12 months ago, you can earn less and still be eligible for funded childcare for working parents.
If you have more than one job, you can use your total earnings to work out if you meet the threshold. This includes:
- earnings from any employment
- earnings from any self-employment
If you are both employed and self-employed, you can use your self-employment income if this would make you eligible. For example, if you expect your average self-employed earnings over the tax year to be more than you’ll get over the next 3 months as an employee.
Certain types of income won't count towards the minimum amount you must earn to be eligible. These include:
- dividends
- interest
- income from investing in property
- pension payments
How it works with maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave
If you are on some form of parental leave and applying for an older child, who isn't the subject of the parental leave, you can apply for Free Childcare for Working Parents online (GOV.UK).
If you are applying for the child that is the subject of the parental leave, the date that you return to work from parental leave will affect when you can take up the childcare. The below dates apply:
| Date of returning to work | When you can apply from | When you can access your entitlements from |
|---|---|---|
| 1 October to 31 January | 1 September to 31 December | 1 January |
| 1 February to 30 April | 1 January to 31 March | 1 April |
| 1 May to 30 September | 1 April to 31 August | 1 September |
Parents in this situation will need to apply for Free Childcare for Working Parents online (GOV.UK). Your application may show as ‘pending’ but you will then receive a letter in the post within 1 to 2 weeks, enabling you to access the entitlement.
If one parent is starting or returning to work, while the other parent remains on parental leave until a later date, you'll only be eligible to apply once both parents have either returned to work or have a start or return to work date within one month of the start of the period (that is, 30 September, 31 January or 30 April).
If you are on paid annual leave and receiving your salary as normal, this counts as having returned to work for the purposes of eligibility for the working parent entitlement.
Starting a new job
Parents who are planning to start new work can apply. The following dates apply:
| Date of starting to work | When you can apply from | When you can access your entitlements from |
|---|---|---|
| 1 October to 31 January | 1 September to 31 December | 1 January |
| 1 February to 30 April | 1 January to 31 March | 1 April |
| 1 May to 30 September | 1 April to 31 August | 1 September |
You can apply for Free Childcare for Working Parents online (GOV.UK). If it is more than 31 days before the date on which you are starting work, you will then need to call HMRC’s childcare service helpline (0300 123 4097) to be guided through the rest of the process to receive your code.
If you are starting work more than one month after the start of the period, you will be able to apply to start using the entitlements from the start of the following period.
Your immigration status
To be eligible for funded childcare for working parents, you (and your partner if you have one and if you live together) must have a National Insurance number.
The person who applies must also have at least one of the following:
- British or Irish citizenship
- settled or pre-settled status, or you have applied and are waiting for a decision
- permission to access public funds - your UK residence card will say if you cannot do this
If you are not currently working
You may still be eligible if your partner is working and you are on carer’s leave, or if you get any of the following:
- Incapacity Benefit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Limited Capability for Work Benefit
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
How to apply
You can apply for your code up to 16 weeks before your baby turns 9 months old.
You need to apply online before the deadline to receive a code to give to your chosen childcare provider. The deadline is the day before the new period begins, but we would encourage you to apply earlier and recommend applying at least 6 weeks before the deadline. Some providers may ask for codes before the deadline, so we recommend you speak to your provider to find out if this is the case. The deadlines are:
| If your child turns 9 months old between | You can access 30 funded hours from | And you need to apply by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January to 31 March | Period starting on or after 1 April | 31 March |
| 1 April to 31 August | Period starting on or after 1 September | 31 August |
| 1 September to 31 December | Period starting on or after 1 January | 31 December |
Before you apply for the funding, you will need to make sure you have the following information to hand:
- your National Insurance number (or unique taxpayer reference if you are self-employed)
- the date you started or are due to start work
- details of any government support or benefits you receive
- the UK birth certificate reference number (if you have one) for your child
If you are a foster carer, there is a separate application process. You will need to speak to your social worker to find out more.
Once you have applied and if are eligible, you will receive an 11-digit code to give to your childcare provider to access the entitlements.
You will need to take the code to your childcare provider, along with your National Insurance number and child’s date of birth. The childcare provider will check the code and then allocate the child a place if they have one available.
If you have applied and are waiting for a code, it is still recommended that you speak to your provider to let them know that you intend to take up a place.
Once you have received a code, you will need to reconfirm it every 3 months even if you have not yet started using the entitlements.
Reconfirmation
Codes need to be reconfirmed every three months. Your childcare provider should be reminding you to log in to your childcare account (GOV.UK) to check when your reconfirmation dates are, so that you can renew your code on time. You will also receive reminders from HMRC when it is time for you to reconfirm.
If you haven't been able to renew your code by the reconfirmation deadline, you may be able to retain your child’s childcare place for a short period - this is known as a grace period. Providers will be able to tell you if you are in a grace period.
Tax-free childcare
A working parent with children under 12 (or under 17 for disabled children), can open an online account to pay for registered childcare. The government will top-up the money you pay into the account. For every £8 you pay in, the government will add an extra £2. Up to £2,000 per child can be received. For more information, please visit Best Start in Life
Universal Credit
If you and any partner, are working, or are due to start work, and you are claiming Universal Credit, you can claim back up to 85% of your eligible childcare costs for children under 16. You could get up to £646 a month for one child, or £1,108 for two or more.
Using the 30 hours
If eligible, you can:
- use up to 30 hours per week
- split your hours over more than one provider
- use a maximum of 10 hours in any one day
- only use hours between 6am and 8pm
- use the 30 hours as part of a stretched offer, banking hours to use in the holiday periods if the provider offers this
Using more than one provider
You can spread your funded hours between a maximum of 2 settings per day. The council will work out how the funding payments are split between providers based on the information submitted by the setting.
If you have a concern about your provider
If you are worried about the way in which your funding is being managed, you should first talk to your provider. If this isn't resolved and you have an ongoing issue, you should email childcare@leics.gov.uk