15 Hours Funded Childcare - England

Your 2-year-old is eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare per week if you live in England and receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• Support through Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act - NASS support

They are also eligible if they:

• Are currently in the care of a local authority
• have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan
• Receive Disability Living Allowance
• Have left care through an adoption order, special guardianship order, or child arrangements order

Eligible children can start using their funded hours from the beginning of the term following their second birthday — either 1 January, 1 April, or 1 September.

All children aged three and four in England are eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare per week, available over 38 weeks. That’s 570 hours per year.

You can start using these hours from the beginning of the next term after your child turns three:

• 1 January,
• 1 April, or
• 1 September.

Please note: while the childcare hours are covered, additional costs like meals, nappies, and wipes are not included in the funding. Full details can be found in our nursery fee sheet.