15 and 30 funded hours

Until recently, government-funded childcare hours were only available for children over 3 years old, commencing the term after they turned 3. All parents are eligible for 15 hours, with an additional 15 hours available for those meeting the earning requirements (use our calculator to determine eligibility).

However, a new system is on the horizon; from September 2025, parents meeting the earning requirements will be able to access 30 hours per term week from the start of the term after the child reaches 9 months old.

Currently, we are in a transition period; 15 hours were rolled out to 2-year-olds in April 2024 and will be extended to 9-month-olds in September 2024. Despite providing a helpful calculator to determine relevant dates for your child, here at Milk&Money, it's still challenging to easily remember which system a child will find themselves in. Follow this simple guide.

• Old System: Children born before March 31st 2021. These children would be 3 by the start of the transition and therefore do not benefit from the new system.
• Transition Period: Children born between April 1st 2021, and August 31st 2024, all benefit from aspects of the new system.
• New System: Children born after September 1st 2024, will be fully under the new system.

So, if your child has a due date of September 1st 2024, or later, they will be entitled to 30 hours of funded childcare the term after they turn 9 months old.

Term Dates

The beginning of a term are defined as the 1st of September, 1st of January and the 1st of April. The closer to the end of a term your child is born, the quicker you'll access their funded hours.

Being born at the beginning of a term means your child will have to wait an extra 3-5 months before accessing the funded hours, as some terms are longer than others. A birthdate of April 1 means you miss accessing the funded hours for the summer term, which is 5 months long, resulting in your child accessing their 30 hours at 14 months. In comparison, a birthdate of January 1 means just a 3-month delay, with funded hours accessible on their birthday at exactly 12 months.

Eligibility Criteria

Most families where both parents are working (or the one parent for single parent households) will be eligible for tax free childcare and funded hours when their child ages in. The minimum is the equivalent of 16 hours per week at minimum wage, even if this takes you less than 16 hours. The maximum any earner in the household can earn is £100k per year, but this is the adjusted net income, not just the basic salary. If you or your partner falls into this camp, consider becoming a premium member of Milk&Money today to learn how you could still access the funding!

Explanation of Term Weeks

You will be eligible for funding for 38 weeks of the year; the same as normal school time. Most families need more like 50 weeks a year and therefore childcare providers will "stretch" your hours. 15 hours becomes closer to 11 per week, and 30 hours becomes 22 hours per week. 

Details on Applying for Funding

Head over to the government's website to start your application. If your child's birthday is between;

1 September to 31 December: The hours start on the term starting on or after 1 January and you should apply between 15 October to 30 November

1 January to 31 March: The hours start on the term starting on starting on or after 1 April and you should apply between 15 January to 28 February

1 April to 31 August: The hours start on the term starting on or after 1 September and you should apply between 15 June to 31 July.

Further Information:

Our funded hours calculator is particularly helpful for parent's of children in the transition period while our childcare comparison calculator is helpful for comparing the costs of different childcare providers.