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The government funded 30 hours free childcare scheme in England is a lifeline for thousands of working families, as paying for childcare in the UK is expensive. The 30 hours free childcare scheme is currently only available to working parents of three and four-year-olds.
From September 2025, all eligible working parents of children aged under five in England will be able to claim 30 hours free childcare.
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate free childcare schemes to help parents and guardians with childcare costs.
How does 30 hours free childcare work?
The 30 hours free childcare scheme is for working parents of children aged from three to four-years-old.
It allows parents to access childcare and early education services for 30 hours per week, for 38 weeks of the year (during term time). This totals 1,140 hours over the course of a year, reducing the amount families would spend on nursery or childminder costs by a considerable amount.
30 hours of free childcare over the age of nine months will be available to working parents by September 2025. Eligibility for this will match the existing three to four year old 30 hours offer.
From September 2024, 15 hours of government funded childcare is available to all children of working parents in England from the age of 9 months.
You must use ‘approved childcare’ to get help with the costs. The early years provider must be registered with Ofsted.
‘Approved childcare’
- Nursery, nursery school, pre-school or children’s centre
- After-school clubs and play schemes
- Childminder or nanny
- School
It is important to note that all early years providers do not offer 30 hours free childcare. Always check to make sure your provider is registered with the scheme if you want to use the entitlement.
Bear in mind that even if a childcare provider offers 30 hours free childcare, you may still have to pay for meals, nappies or trips out. Make sure to check if there are any extra costs involved.
You may be able to use fewer than 30 hours per week and spread them across a larger part of the year.
For example, you could stretch your childcare from 38 weeks to 52 and still be covered by the 30 hours free childcare scheme. This would mean that you would take out about 22 hours per week for 52 weeks, instead of the full 30 hours per week for 38 weeks.
Whether you can do this or not depends the individual provider.
Further, you can be flexible with the hours and use more than one provider.
Free childcare eligibility
Currently, you can get 30 hours free childcare if:
- Your child is aged three or four years-old.
- You live in England.
- You, and your partner if you have one, are in paid work.
- You, and your partner if you have one, earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Living Wage.
- You, and your partner if you have one, each earn less than £100,000 annually.
- You have a National Insurance Number.
There are times when people may be unable to work. This could be due to maternity, paternity or adoption leave. Or one of you is unable to work due to a disability or caring responsibilities. In these cases, you could still be eligible. To qualify for 30 hours free childcare, you need to be back in work within 31 days of when you first apply for the scheme.
It is important to remember that you can claim Universal Credit, tax credits, childcare vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as you get 30 hours free childcare.
When does 30 hours free childcare stop?
As long as you (and your partner if you have one) remain eligible, your child will continue to receive 30 hours free childcare. They can get this until they reach compulsory school age or start school reception class.
When to apply for 30 hours free childcare
In England, you can currently apply for 30 hours free childcare from when your child is 2 years and 36 weeks old.
When your child was born and what term you can get the free hours from will determine when you should apply to receive your code in time.
- If your child turns three between 1 September and 31 December, you can start getting the 30 hours from the term starting after 1 January.
It is recommended that you apply before 30 November.
- If your child turns three between 1 January and 31 March, you can start getting the 30 hours from the term starting on or after 1 April.
It is recommended that you apply before 28 February.
- If your child turns three between 1 April and 31 August, you can start getting the 30 hours from the term starting on or after 1 September.
It is recommended that you apply before 31 July.
You must have a valid code by the end of the month before a new term starts. Please check with your childcare provider for the exact dates.
How to apply for 30 hours free childcare
To claim 30 hours free childcare, you must first set up a childcare account on the government’s website.
Before you start the set-up, make sure you have your National Insurance number ready. If you are self-employed, you need your Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR).
You will need details of one or more of the following:
- Your UK passport
- Tax credits
- P60 or recent payslip
Have your mobile phone nearby or access to a landline.
If you apply online for 30 hours free childcare, you will also find out if you can get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time. Please see Tax-Free Childcare: What is it and how does it work?
If you are eligible, a childcare account will be set up and you will be given a code for the 30 hours free childcare, which you must give to your provider.
Keep in mind that you have to confirm your eligibility and details every three months. Otherwise the code will expire.
Pay particular attention to this if you apply for the scheme more than three months before the term starts. As you will have to reconfirm your eligibility to ensure your code is still valid.
What is the income threshold for 30 hours free childcare?
If you or your partner earns £100,000 or over in the tax year, you will be unable to claim 30 hours free childcare. Both partners in a couple can earn up to £99,000 and still get the 30 hours free childcare as the £100,000 cap only applies to one income not a joint income.
You can only claim the universal 15 hours free childcare for three and four-year-olds.
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