2 year olds: 15 hours free childcare for working families

You may be eligible if:

> You and your partner, must each expect to earn (on average) at least £183 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage). 

> If you, or your partner, are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, our you're unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities, you could still be eligible

> You cannot get the 15 hours free childcare for 2 year olds, if you, or your partner, each individually expect to earn £100,000 adjusted net income or more.

You can apply at Childcare Choices online on this link when your child is 1 year and 36 weeks.

In order to apply you will need the following information to hand for you and (if relevant) your partner: 

• your National Insurance Number (N.I.N)
• if you're self-employed, your Unique Taxpayer Reference 
• the date you started, or are due to start work 
• details of any other government support you get 

Note:  If you are also applying for Tax-Free Childcare, you will only apply to HMRC once for both schemes. 

You can apply from when your child is 1 year and 36 weeks but the recommended time to apply is when your child can start accessing these hours based on their date of birth:

If your child's birthday falls between:

> 1 September to 31 December > Eligible from January (apply from 15 October to 30 November)
> 1 January to 31 March > Eligible from April (apply from 15 January to 28 February)
> 1 April to 31 August > Eligible from September (apply from 15 June to 31 July)

Note: 

• You can apply outside of these recommended dates but you might not receive your code in time. 

• You must have a valid code by the end of the month before a new term starts. 

• Please note for children who may be eligible from September, parents will need to apply for a 30 Hours funded place by 31st July of the same year. 

• You have to reconfirm your eligibility every 3 months. If you apply more than 3 months before the term starts, you’ll have to reconfirm your eligibility in your account in order to keep your code valid. 

For further information on the funded hours and support with applications, please contact the Childcare Choices helpline on 0300 123 4097.

You can access a list of local providers that are registered to offer this entitlement on this link.

• To continue receiving the government support, you need to reconfirm your details every three months on your gov.uk account.

• These childcare offers are not intended to cover the costs of meals, other consumables (such as nappies or sun cream), additional hours or additional activities (such as trips). Providers may charge a fee for these additions.

• The hours can be accessed at a participating registered childcare provider only.

• You can use 15 hours childcare alongside other childcare schemes such as Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare.

• If you already have a Tax-Free Childcare account and have recently reconfirmed your eligibility, you can find further information in the Department for Education blog post ‘How to claim 15 hours free childcare including how to get your code’

For further information on the funded hours, please contact the Childcare Choices helpline on 0300 123 4097.