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30 hours of funded childcare — the 2026 working parents’ guide

From September 2025, working parents in England can access up to 30 hours of government-funded childcare a week from when their child is nine months old. Here’s exactly who qualifies, what counts, and how to apply.

Reviewed by the Nursery Advice editorial teamLast updated 2 July 2026Next review 30 September 2026Editorial standards
England only
These rules apply in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own funded childcare schemes with different rules — see mygov.scot, gov.wales and nidirect.

The biggest expansion in childcare funding in a generation is now fully rolled out. From September 2025, eligible working parents in England can access up to 30 hours a week of funded childcare for children from nine months old until they start school1.

It’s a genuine game-changer for family finances — but the eligibility rules, term-time conversions and code-renewal cycle catch out a lot of parents. This guide explains who qualifies for free childcare for working parents, exactly how the funded childcare hours work, the application deadlines you must hit, and the most common reasons parents lose their entitlement. Once you’ve confirmed eligibility, search Nursery Advice to find a funded provider taking new starters near you.

What "30 hours" actually means in practice

The headline number is "30 hours a week", but in reality it’s 1,140 funded hours per year. How that’s delivered depends on your nursery:

  • Term-time only. 30 hours a week for the 38 weeks of school term. Most state-run settings and many childminders work this way.
  • Stretched. Around 22 hours a week across all 52 weeks. Most private day nurseries offer this so families can use the hours alongside year-round work.
  • Across two settings. You can split the hours between, for example, a nursery and a grandparent who is a registered childminder, or two nurseries (no more than two providers in a single day).

Who qualifies for the 30 hours

To get the working-parents entitlement you (and your partner, if you have one) must each1:

  • Be in work, on sick leave, or on parental/maternity/paternity leave (or be starting or returning to work within 31 days).
  • Earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum or Living Wage over the next 3 months. For someone aged 21+ on the National Living Wage that’s roughly £796 in the next 3 months from each parent.
  • Each earn less than £100,000 a year in adjusted net income. If either parent goes over £100,000, the entire entitlement is lost — even for the under-earning partner.
  • Live in England and not be on most kinds of immigration restriction (some exceptions apply for partners of British citizens — see gov.uk).

When you can apply

You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. The funding then starts the term after your child turns 9 months — specifically the start of term following the eligibility check approval2.

Term start dates for funded childcare entitlements
Child’s eligibility date is between Funding starts from
1 September – 31 December 1 January (spring term)
1 January – 31 March 1 April (summer term)
1 April – 31 August 1 September (autumn term)

How to apply: a step-by-step

  1. Go to gov.uk/apply-30-hours-free-childcare and sign in with the Government Gateway ID you use for personal tax (or create one).
  2. Confirm your National Insurance number and your partner’s, if you have one.
  3. Answer the work and income questions for the next three months (not the last three).
  4. Within 7 days (usually within minutes) you’ll get an 11-digit eligibility code. Save it.
  5. Give the 11-digit code, your NI number and your child’s date of birth to your chosen setting before the deadline for the term you want to use it from — typically 31 August for the autumn term, 31 December for spring, and 31 March for summer. If you’re still looking, our UK nursery directory flags providers with 30-hour spaces available.
  6. Reconfirm your eligibility every three months via the same childcare service account. Set yourself a calendar reminder — missing reconfirmation is the single most common reason parents lose the funding mid-year.

Stacking funded hours with other childcare help

You can usually combine the funded hours with other government schemes. The two most useful are:

  • Tax-Free Childcare. Pays a 20% top-up on what you spend, up to £2,000 per child per year. Use this to cover the non-funded hours and consumables. See our Tax-Free Childcare vs vouchers guide.
  • Universal Credit childcare element. If you’re on Universal Credit, you may get up to 85% of your childcare costs back (capped). It cannot be claimed at the same time as Tax-Free Childcare, so the two schemes are mutually exclusive — see our setting up a childcare account guide.

Most working families on standard incomes find Tax-Free Childcare plus the 30 funded hours is the best combination. Families on Universal Credit are usually better off staying on UC and not opening a TFC account.

What to ask a nursery before signing up

Funded hours work very differently between settings. Before you commit, ask:

  • Do you offer the hours stretched across 52 weeks or term-time only?
  • What’s your charge for consumables and meals? Get a price per session in writing.
  • Can the funded hours be split into shorter sessions (e.g. five mornings) or do they have to be full days?
  • What happens to my place if I lose eligibility for a term — do I keep the slot at the private rate?
  • Do you have spaces from my child’s eligibility term, and if not, what’s your waitlist?

Common mistakes that cost families the funding

  • Missing the 3-month reconfirmation. The childcare service sends reminders, but emails get lost. Add a recurring calendar event — our Tax-Free Childcare login guide walks through reconfirmation in detail.
  • Going over the £100k threshold mid-year. A bonus, redundancy payout or pension contribution change can tip you over and you lose the whole entitlement until you reapply once eligible again.
  • Applying using the wrong income window. The application asks for the next three months, not the last three. New starters and people returning from leave often get this wrong.
  • Assuming nursery hours = funded hours. A "full-time" nursery week is often 50 hours; 22 to 30 of those are funded, the rest are billed at the nursery’s normal rate.

Estimate your bill after the 30 hours

Childcare cost calculator

Open full tool
England (outside London)
Estimated net cost
£3,163/ year
£264 / month · £61 / week
  • Net to you£3,163
  • Funded hours£7,980
  • Tax-Free Childcare£332
Child's age

2 years

Days per week
Hours per day
Include hidden charges (£12/day)

Most nurseries charge a daily supplement for food, nappies, sun cream and trips on top of fees and funded hours. The England (outside London) average is around £12 per day your child attends. Toggle off if your nursery doesn't.

Term-time only (38 weeks)

Otherwise we use 51 weeks of nursery a year.

Both parents working

Each earning at least minimum wage and under £100k. Unlocks working-parent funded hours & Tax-Free Childcare.

Receiving Universal Credit

Unlocks the 85% UC childcare element instead of Tax-Free Childcare.

Frequently asked questions

I’m self-employed — can I still get the 30 hours?
Yes. Self-employed parents qualify on the same income basis (the equivalent of 16 hours at minimum wage over the next 3 months). If you started self-employment in the last 12 months, you don’t need to meet the minimum income threshold for your first year of trading — the "newly self-employed" grace period.
What if one parent earns over £100,000?
You lose the entire entitlement — not just the high-earner’s "half". You can still use Tax-Free Childcare in some cases, but the 30 funded hours and 15 funded hours under the working-parents route both stop.
I’m on maternity leave — do I qualify?
Yes. Being on statutory maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave counts as "in work" for these rules. You don’t need to have returned, but you do need an income threshold to be met based on what you would normally earn.
My child turns 9 months in October — when do the funded hours start?
Funding starts the term after they meet the age criterion, provided you have a valid code by the term deadline. If they turn 9 months in October (in the autumn term), your funding starts the following January (spring term) — so apply in October or early November to be ready.
Can grandparents look after my child using the funded hours?
Only if the grandparent is a registered childminder regulated by Ofsted (or by a childminder agency). Informal grandparent care doesn’t qualify, no matter how many hours they do.
What if I lose my job partway through the term?
You usually keep the funding until the end of the current term, plus a "grace period" — typically until the end of the following term. You must reapply once you’re back in work.
Does the 30 hours cover wraparound care or holiday clubs?
Not directly, but the funded hours can be used for the pre-school day in a setting that also offers wraparound, and you can pay for additional hours yourself — often via Tax-Free Childcare to soften the cost.

Ready to find a brilliant nursery?

Search every Ofsted-registered setting in the UK — by postcode, age group, funded hours and more.

Find nurseries that accept funded hours

About this guide & sources

Every numerical claim in this guide is sourced from UK government, NHS or recognised charity publications. We re-check each source on the article’s review date.

  1. Childcare Choices / Best Start in Life (DfE) — Eligibility for 30 hours childcare — working parents (retrieved 2026-05-28)
  2. GOV.UK — Free Childcare for Working Parents: When to apply (retrieved 2026-05-28)
  3. GOV.UK — Apply for free childcare if you’re working (retrieved 2026-05-28)