Money & Budgeting

Free Childcare Hours Explained — 2026 Expansion Guide

A complete guide to funded childcare hours in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — including the 2026 expansion to working parents of children from 9 months old.

By PocketWise · · 6 min read

The UK government provides funded childcare hours to help with the cost of childcare. The entitlements differ depending on your child’s age, whether you work, and which country you live in.

Funded Childcare Hours — England

Full Entitlements (from September 2025)

Child’s age Hours per week Weeks per year Total hours per year Eligibility
9 months – 23 months 30 hours 38 (term time) 1,140 Both parents working (or sole parent working)
9 months – 23 months 15 hours 38 (term time) 570 Parent on qualifying benefits (not working)
2 years old 30 hours 38 (term time) 1,140 Both parents working
2 years old 15 hours 38 (term time) 570 Parent on qualifying benefits or all families (check latest rules)
3–4 years old 30 hours 38 (term time) 1,140 Both parents working
3–4 years old 15 hours 38 (term time) 570 All families — universal entitlement

Roll-Out Timeline

Date Change
Existed before 2024 15 hours for all 3–4 year olds; 30 hours for working parents of 3–4 year olds; 15 hours for disadvantaged 2 year olds
April 2024 15 hours extended to working parents of 2 year olds
September 2024 15 hours extended to working parents from 9 months old
September 2025 30 hours extended to all working parents from 9 months old

Working Parent Eligibility

Requirement Detail
Minimum earnings Each parent must earn at least £8,670 per year (equivalent to 16 hours per week at National Living Wage)
Maximum earnings Neither parent can earn over £100,000 per year
Self-employed Counts — you must expect to earn at least £8,670 per year
On maternity/paternity leave Still eligible — the working test is based on your normal employment
Student May be eligible if working the required hours alongside study
Single parent Only your income is assessed
Couple Both parents must meet the minimum earnings test
One parent works, one doesn’t Only 15 hours universal entitlement (for 3–4 year olds) — not the 30-hour working parent entitlement

Exceptions to working requirement: The non-working parent is exempt if they receive Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, ESA (support group), Carer’s Allowance, or a National Insurance credit for caring for a severely disabled person.

How to Apply (England)

Step What to do
1 Go to childcarechoices.gov.uk
2 Create a Government Gateway childcare account
3 Enter your details — employment, income, National Insurance number
4 Receive your eligibility code (usually within a few days)
5 Give the code to your childcare provider
6 Reconfirm eligibility every 3 months — if you miss reconfirmation, you lose entitlement

Key Dates

Term Apply by Hours start
Autumn term (September) 31 August 1 September
Spring term (January) 31 December 1 January
Summer term (April) 31 March 1 April

Apply at least 2–3 months before the date you need the place — popular settings fill up quickly.

Funded Childcare — Scotland

Entitlement Hours per year Eligibility
All 3- and 4-year-olds 1,140 hours per year Universal — all families
Eligible 2-year-olds 1,140 hours per year Families receiving qualifying benefits

Scotland — Eligible 2-Year-Olds

Your 2-year-old qualifies if you receive:

Benefit
Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Universal Credit (income below threshold)
Tax credits (income below £16,480)
Support under the Immigration and Asylum Act
Pension Credit (guarantee element)

Also eligible: looked-after children, children with a parent who is a care leaver (up to age 26), and children who are the subject of a kinship care order.

How to apply (Scotland): Contact your local council’s early years team directly.

Funded Childcare — Wales

Entitlement Hours per week Eligibility
Foundation Phase Nursery 10 hours minimum (term time) All 3–4 year olds — delivered by schools
Childcare Offer for Wales 30 hours total (20 hours childcare + 10 hours Foundation Phase) Working parents of 3–4 year olds
Flying Start 12.5 hours per week Children aged 2–3 in eligible areas

Wales — Working Parent Eligibility

Requirement Detail
Minimum earnings Each parent earns at least equivalent of 16 hours at NMW
Maximum earnings Neither parent earns over £100,000
Application Through your local council

Funded Childcare — Northern Ireland

Entitlement Hours Eligibility
Pre-school education 12.5 hours per week (term time) All children in their final pre-school year (3–4 year olds)
No additional hours scheme — Northern Ireland does not currently offer a 30-hour scheme

What Funded Hours Cover — and Don’t Cover

Covered Not covered (you may be charged)
The childcare place itself Meals and snacks
Staffing and facilities Nappies and wipes
Basic activities and resources Sun cream and toiletries
Trips and outings
Additional hours beyond entitlement
Registration or admin fees charged by some providers

Providers cannot charge a top-up fee for the funded hours themselves. They can only charge for genuine optional extras. If a provider says you must pay a “top-up” to access funded hours, this is not permitted — report it to your local council.

Typical Additional Costs

Extra Typical cost
Meals (per day) £3–£8
Consumables pack (per term) £20–£50
Additional hours (per hour) £5–£10

Stretching Your Hours

You can often “stretch” your funded hours across more weeks rather than taking them only in term time:

Option How it works
Term time only (38 weeks) 30 hours per week × 38 weeks = 1,140 hours
Stretched across 51 weeks Approximately 22 hours per week × 51 weeks = 1,140 hours
Custom arrangement Agree a pattern with your provider that uses 1,140 hours across the year

Not all providers offer stretched hours — check with your setting.

Tax-Free Childcare

On top of funded hours, you may qualify for Tax-Free Childcare to help with costs beyond your free entitlement:

Detail Information
How it works For every £8 you pay in, the government adds £2 (20% top-up)
Maximum per child per year £2,000 (government contribution) — so you pay £8,000 and get £10,000
Disabled children Maximum £4,000 per year (you pay £16,000, get £20,000)
Eligibility Same as 30-hour funded childcare — both parents working, earning £8,670–£100,000
How to apply childcarechoices.gov.uk
Can I use both? Yes — use funded hours for the first 30 hours, then Tax-Free Childcare for additional hours

Important: You cannot claim Tax-Free Childcare and childcare vouchers at the same time. Tax-Free Childcare is also not compatible with receiving the childcare element of Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit. Compare the value of each before choosing.

Childcare Costs — Working Out the Best Option

Scenario Best option
Working parent, child over 9 months, earning £8,670–£100,000 30 funded hours + Tax-Free Childcare for extra hours
On Universal Credit 30 funded hours (if working enough) + UC childcare element (up to 85% of costs)
Not working, child aged 3–4 15 universal hours
On qualifying benefits, child aged 2 15 funded hours
Working parent in Scotland, child 3–4 1,140 hours per year (council delivered)

Cost Comparison — With and Without Help

Annual childcare cost for one child, 50 hours per week (nursery in England):

Scenario Annual cost to parent
No help at all (50 hrs × £6/hr × 51 weeks) £15,300
30 funded hours only (20 extra hrs paid) £6,120
30 funded hours + Tax-Free Childcare £4,896
30 funded hours + UC childcare element (85%) £918

The combination of funded hours and government support can reduce costs dramatically.

Application Checklist

Task When
Check your eligibility at childcarechoices.gov.uk Now
Create Government Gateway childcare account 2–3 months before needed
Get your eligibility code Allow up to 2 weeks
Find a provider and share your code As early as possible
Set a reminder to reconfirm every 3 months Immediately — missing reconfirmation loses entitlement
Compare Tax-Free Childcare vs UC childcare element Before choosing

Sources

  1. MoneyHelper — Everyday money