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FUNDED PLACES

FREE EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE FOR 2 YEAR OLDS

Your 2-year-old can get free childcare if you live in England and get 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)

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

  • are looked after by a local authority

  • have 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

FREE EDUCATION AND CHILDCARE FOR 3 AND 4 YEAR OLDS

All 3 and 4-year-olds in England already get 15 hours a week, or 570 hours a year of free early education. If their parents are living and working in England, 3 and 4-year-olds may be entitled to 30 hours free childcare. An extra 570 hours of free childcare a year, so 1140 hours in total. 30 hours free childcare will be available from September 2017.

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The eligibility criteria are the same as the ones for Tax-Free Childcare, except you can continue to get these types of support at the same time as 30 hours free childcare:

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  • tax credits

  • Universal Credit

  • childcare vouchers or salary sacrifice schemes

  • childcare grants and bursaries

 

When you apply, you'll be confirming that you need childcare so that you and your partner, if you have one, can work. If your child's already in a full-time reception class in a state funded school, you won't be eligible for 30 hours free childcare.

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