Help With Childcare Costs

15 hours free childcare for three- and four-year-olds

Firstly, we’ll start with the simplest one which is labelled ’15 hours free funding for three year olds’. Anyone who’s child is between 3 and 5 can claim these hours.  How you use these hours is dependant on the nursery, or childcare you choose. 

But you can start claiming these hours the term after your child turns three.  So, if your child is born between September to December you can start claiming in January.  Born January to March, can claim from April.  And April to August you can start using your hours from September.

In order to claim these hours, you simply have to fill in a form at your childcare provider, who then claim back the hours from their local council.

The childcare providers you can use these hours at include nurseries, childminders, nanny’s and any other registered childcare provider.

Each three-year-old is entitled to 570 hours per year, but as this is claimed by the childcare provider they decide how this is spread-out through the year and it would not be possible to use more than the childcare provider will claim per week and you will unlikely be able to roll over hours to other weeks.

As it is down to the childcare provider how you use them, some choose to stretch there hours over the whole year.

So even though the funding is advertised as 15 hours per week, this is only if you are claiming for 38 weeks per year, like in a school.

Other childcare providers will stretch their offering, providing 11 hours over 51 weeks as another example.

So do make sure that you check with the childcare provider you want to use, how you can use it.

This is something I find most parents find confusing as most nurseries or childminders, stretch their funding.  So most places you try to access your funding you won’t be able to get the 15 hours funding as expected.

Instead getting 11 hours.

But over the year it would work out as roughly the same.

As 11 hours over 51 weeks is roughly the same hours as 15 hours over 38 weeks.

With the funded hours you can choose to use just your funded hours, which providing there is space with the provider they should allow you to do. 

Or can use it to reduce the fees if you wish to do more hours.

With this type of funding, you should be able to use this without paying any additional fees.  So, the childcare provider should not force you to pay for things like food and should for example allow you to bring your own food.

Again, you do not need to apply for this type of funding and all three-year-olds are entitled to it, the term after their 3^rd birthday.

Just go to your chosen childcare provider and fill in the required forms, this will differ per council.

30 hours free childcare for 3- and 4-year-olds

Some three-year-olds are entitled to additional funding.

This is called ’30 hours funding’, though as with the 15 hours the amount you actually get per week depends on the childcare provider you choose.

Though, your yearly entitlement will remain the same.

As previously explained.

This type of funding is aimed at working parents.

Again, your child will be entitled to this the term after your child turns 3 or which is important, the term after you apply.  Whichever is later.

So, if you apply too late, you will have to wait until the next term to actually use your additional hours.

So, for example, if you child turns 3 in December, but you only complete your application in January, you would have to wait until April to use your additional hours.

Though you will still be able to use the 15 hours from January.

In order to be eligible for the additional hours you would need to apply and get a code, to give to your childcare provider.

The application process is very simple and is usually done online through your local council’s website.

To qualify for the extra hours of free childcare:

• Both parents need to be working, or if in a single parent household, the single parent must be working
• They must permanently live in England
• Earn at least £152 a week on average each, which is the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the national minimum wage
• And earn less than £100,000 per year

This covers a lot of families; however, most parents are not aware of how easy it is to apply and how much they could save.

With most childcare providers this entitles you to at least two free full days of childcare per week.

Again, as with the 15 hours with these additional funded hours you can choose to use just your funded hours, which providing there is space with the provider they should allow you to do. 

Or can use it to reduce the fees if you wish to do more hours.

You should also be able to use this without paying any additional fees.  So, the childcare provider should not force you to pay for things like food and should for example allow you to bring your own food.

If you don’t use all your hours in one week, you can’t use them in another week. Many providers average out the hours over the year, so you’d have the equivalent of 22 hours a week. Ask your provider how they do this.

The providers that are eligible to claim this type of funding include nurseries, childminders, registered nannies and any other registered childcare.

To claim, you just fill in a simple form at your childcare provider and they claim the money for those hours back from the local council.

15 hours free childcare for two year olds

The other free funding that the government offer for families is the free 15 hours for two-year-olds.

This works similar to the funding mentioned previously, where usually it is stretched over 51 weeks enabling you to claim 11 hours per week and childcare providers should allow you to use just your funded hours without having to pay any mandatory fees on top of this.

Again, funded hours can’t be rolled over to other weeks.

In order to get these funded hours for your two-year-old, you need to apply online to find out whether you are eligible.

This is done via your local council’s website.

Your 2-year-old can get free childcare if you live in England and get one 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
• child tax credits, and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on

2-year-olds can also get free childcare if they:

• are looked after by a local authority
• have a statement of special education needs (SEN)or an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• get Disability Living Allowance
• have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order

You may have to pay for extra costs like meals, nappies or trips.  Though, this should be optional and other options should be given to you if you can not afford this like providing your own meals and nappies.

With these three types of funding, the 30 hours and 15 hours for 3- and 4-year-olds and 15 hours for 2-year-olds.  Some providers have opted not to accept them, as the amount that they get from the government to cover these hours is set by the government and is often less than the nursery would usually charge.

Meaning in some cases they lose money by offering it.

So, do check with you provider before enrolling to ensure that they do accept them.

Also, with these three types of funding you do not need to access it all at one childcare provider.  So, you could for example split your 15 hours between two nurseries or between a childminder and a nanny.

And if you wished to leave a childcare provider a month’s notice must be given in writing to them before you can start claiming somewhere else.

The free childcare differs in Scotland, N.I and Wales so do look up how it works if you are from any of these countries.