15 hours free childcare
Every three and four-year-old in England gets 15 funded hours a week, whatever their parents earn. Some two-year-olds get it too. This is the entitlement most families actually use, and the one with the fewest strings.
What are you actually entitled to?
Put in what you spend and we will show the Tax-Free Childcare top-up and what the funded hours are worth at typical local rates. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Funded hours are worth 38 weeks a year, so the yearly figure is the term-time value. Tax-Free Childcare adds £2 for every £8 you pay in, capped at £500 per child every three months. Settings often charge separately for meals and consumables, which this does not include.
Every 3 and 4-year-old
From the term after your child turns three, they get 15 hours a week free. There is no earnings test and no upper income limit. If you also meet the working-parent conditions you get 30 hours instead.
Terms start in September, January and April. A child born in October starts the January after their third birthday, not the day they turn three.
Some 2-year-olds
Two-year-olds get 15 hours if the family receives certain benefits: Universal Credit below an income threshold, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, and others, or if the child:
- Has an education, health and care plan
- Is looked after by the local authority
- Has left care through adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order
- Gets Disability Living Allowance
This is separate from the working-parent entitlement and is applied for through your council rather than the government childcare service.
How to use them
You do not need a code for the universal 15 hours for a 3 or 4-year-old, tell the setting your child's date of birth and they claim it. For the 2-year-old entitlement you apply through your council.
You can split the hours across two settings, which is how a lot of families combine a pre-school morning with a childminder afternoon.
Questions people ask
Who gets 15 hours free childcare?
Every 3 and 4-year-old in England, with no income test. Some 2-year-olds also qualify if their family receives certain benefits or the child has additional needs.
When does my child start getting 15 hours?
The term after their third birthday. Terms begin in September, January and April, so there can be a wait of up to a term after they turn three.
Can I split the 15 hours between two nurseries?
Yes. You can use the hours across up to two settings, which is common where a pre-school only runs mornings.
Do I need to apply for the 15 hours?
Not for the universal entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds. The setting claims it. For a 2-year-old place you apply through your local council.