PARENTS can apply for extra free childcare hours from today following a government expansion.
The support, which was first announced in the Budget last March, kicks in from April but families are being urged to register early.
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Working mums and dads of two-year-olds are in line for 15 free hours per week in the April rollout of more help.
In September, the 15 free hours will be extended to those with nine-month-olds up until the start of school.
And from September 2025, all working parents of nine-month-olds will get 30 hours of free childcare until their kids are school age.
It comes as families are being clobbered by crippling childcare costs as more than 5,000 providers closed in the past year.
Poorer families are now spending more than a quarter of their wages on minders to look after their kids.
How to apply for the extra childcare
You apply on the same government website that parents of three and four-year-olds sign up for their existing 30 hours.
Simply sign into your account on the GOV.UK website, or create a new one.
You’ll need a Government Gateway user ID to log in.
Once your application has been approved, you’ll get a code which you have to give to your provider.
Crucially, you have to reconfirm your eligibility every three months.
The recommended time to register for the new support is between mid-January and the end of February, so that parents won’t need to reconfirm eligibility before taking up a place.
You can apply outside of the recommended government times, but you might not get a code in time to get help as early as possible.
It usually takes 20 minutes to apply. You may find out if you’re eligible straight away, but keep in mind it can take up to seven days.
Who is eligible for free childcare?
Free childcare was first introduced in 2010 and has since been extended.
You can currently get help paying for childcare for three and four-year-olds through the scheme in England.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes.
At the moment, you can get 15 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks of the year (during school term time).
But you have to be getting childcare from an approved provider and the help stops when your child starts in reception at school.
Some parents can get up to 30 hours of free childcare, depending on their circumstances.
You can get it at the same time as claiming Universal Credit, tax credits, childcare vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare.
Some parents can also get free childcare hours for two-year-olds.
You can get help in this instance if you live in England and are on certain benefits, including:
- 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)
Two-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 or have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order.
What are the rules for working parents?
To be eligible for free childcare, you have to earn a certain amount each week.
Working parents who individually earn more than £8,670 but less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year are eligible.
This is equal to at least 16 hours a week on average at the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage.
For couples, the rules apply to both parents, so both must earn at least £8,670 and neither can earn more than £100,000.
There’s more information available on the exact criteria on the Childcare Choices website, for example, if parents work irregular hours or are receiving certain benefits.
