30 Hours Free Childcare

Confused about the 30 hours free childcare scheme? Here's what you need to know

Sorting childcare for your children can be very tricky and expensive, adding up to thousands per year. To tackle this issue, the government has doubled free child care for three to four year olds in England from 15 hours to 30 hours from 1st September. 

Do you qualify for 30 hours free childcare?

• 30 hour funding is only available to parents who are working at least 16 hours at the national living wage or minimum wage per week e.g. £120 per week if you're 25 or older

• You earn less than £100,000 a year

• If you are a single parent and meet the criteria above then you're eligible for the 30 hours but if you live with a partner then both of you must meet the above criteria

Signing up to the 30 hours free childcare scheme:

To apply for the 30 hours free childcare it will take about 20 minutes to complete the application, you will need your (and your partner's, if you have one):

• National Insurance Number

• Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), if you're self-employed

Once completed, you may find out if you're eligible straight away however, it can take up to 7 days. If successful, you will receive an 11 digit code to pass on to your childcare provider in order to secure the funding. You will then need to reconfirm that you are still eligible every three months.

To apply now to get a code for the next term or for more information on the scheme click here