Apply now for free childcare in England

From this September in England, 15 hours free childcare for working families with children under 3 will expand to 30 hours, meaning eligible working families can now apply for 30 hours of free childcare per week from the term after their child turns 9 months until they reach school age

The deadline for working parents in England who want to apply for 30 hours of free childcare for September is 31 August. This free childcare is available to parents of children who are at least 9 months old by 31 August, and up to school age.

What free childcare can I get?

Free hours of childcare currently available in England are being extended from September 2025 depending on the age of your child, and whether you are working, or receiving certain benefits.

From September working parents in England can get:

• 30 hours free childcare a week from 9 months old to school age – applications open now

To qualify  the majority of parents must earn more than £10,158 but less than £100,000 per year.

If you don’t work, but are on qualifying benefits you can already get:

• 15 hours free childcare a week for two-year-olds
• 15 hours free childcare a week for three and four-year-olds

If your partner works and you receive certain benefits you may still be eligible for 30 hours of free childcare. More information and the eligibility criteria are available here.

How do working parents apply for free childcare hours?

The deadline to get free hours for 9 month olds in the Autumn term is 31 August.

If you miss it you won’t be able to start using free hours from September and will have to wait until the January term. Parents are advised to apply as soon as possible. You can check your eligibility and apply here.

Once approved, you’ll get a code to give to your officially-registered childcare provider.

Free childcare hours are designed to be used over 38 weeks of the year – during school term time.

However, some providers will stretch them over 52 weeks if you use fewer hours per week.

The government website Childcare Choices has details of the deadlines to apply for each age group.

What isn’t covered by the free childcare hours?

In many cases the ‘free’ childcare hours may not cover all the hours of childcare you need or there may be additional cost associated with the ‘free’ hours, such as meals, nappies, sun cream or trips. Parents will have to pay for additional ‘non-funded’ childcare hours that they may need.

The Department for Education says all additional costs are voluntary, and parents should be told they can supply their own food and supplies, to make their ‘free’ hours of childcare entirely free.

Please note – the above information applies to families in England only, there are different schemes available in Scotland and Wales. There is currently no free childcare available in Northern Ireland however you may be able to access other forms of support, more information available here.

What other financial help can parents get for childcare costs?

Parents may be entitled to other support, such as Universal Credit or Tax-Free Childcare.

Parents who qualify for free childcare hours can also use these forms of support to help with the cost of any additional hours they have to pay for.

For further information on the forms of support available towards the cost of childcare, contact the Family Benefits Advice Service on 028 9267 8200 or email hello@employersforchildcare.org.