Working families of children aged 2 and under can access 15 hours per week, increasing to 30 hours per week from September 2025.
Eligible working parents of three and four-year-olds already get 30 hours a week of funded childcare.
The expanded offer for children aged 2 and under is being rolled out in stages as follows:
- Available now - working parents of children aged 9 months to two-years old can access 15 hours of funded childcare.
- From September 2025 - working parents of children aged nine months to two-years old can access 30 hours of funded childcare per week, until the term after their 5th birthday.
These hours can be used over 38 weeks during term time only, or up to 52 weeks depending on whether your provider offers stretched funding.
The universal and extended funding is not intended to cover the costs of meals, nappies or additional activities, such as trips. Providers may charge a fee for these additions, but they must be voluntary and not a condition for accessing a funded childcare place.
Eligible working parents
You or your partner must work at least 16 hours per week and not earn more than £100,000 to be eligible for this expanded funding. You can check full eligibility criteria on the Childcare Choices website.
When can I apply?
Children are entitled to the funded hours from the term after the age they become eligible:
- Children born between 1 January and 31 March become eligible from 1 April
- Children born between 1 April and 31 August become eligible from 1 September
- Children born between 1 September and 31 December become eligible from 1 January
How to apply?
You will need to sign in to your government gateway account, or create a new account if you do not have one.
The online application process will tell you the full eligibility criteria and what you need to provide when you apply. You should find out if you are eligible straight away, but it can take up to 7 days.
Parents that claim tax funded childcare must apply for the expanded offer code when you renew your tax free childcare claim. If your renewal date is in late February or March you will receive a letter with a temporary code.
What happens next?
If approved, a childcare account will be set up and you will receive a code to give to your childcare provider to access the funding.
Every three months you must reconfirm your eligibility, via your childcare account, to keep your code valid.