In the 2023 Spring Budget, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced a number of measures aimed at helping working parents with the cost of childcare. The new measures include an extension to the government's free childcare support, meaning from 2025, those with children aged 9 months or older will be able to access up to 30 hours of free childcare per week.
The changes to free childcare are being delivered in stages and so in this article, we summarise when the measures are due to be implemented, who is eligible for the support and how to apply.
What are the changes to free childcare?
Since 2017, eligible working parents with children aged 3 and 4 qualified for up to 30 hours of free childcare per week. In a bid to help parents of younger children back into the workforce, Hunt launched additional free childcare provisions for eligible parents of children aged from 9 months up to 3 years old.
The first phase of applications for the additional childcare provisions for 2-year-olds opened on the 2nd of January 2024, allowing qualifying parents of children who had reached 1 year and 36 weeks to apply for 15 hours of free weekly childcare. If you applied for this provision and your child turned 2 years old by the 1st of April this year, you should be able to access 15 hours of childcare now.
Children who turn 2 years old between 1st April and 31st August 2024 are now able to apply for the additional 15 hours of free weekly childcare but won't be able to access it until September this year.
The next phase of extended childcare will mean that children who will be between 9 and 23 months old on the 31st of August 2024 can start accessing 15 hours of free weekly childcare from September 2024. Eligible parents of children in this group will be able to apply for the provision from the 12th of May 2024.
In the tables below, we summarise the existing free childcare support available to working parents as well as the changes to free childcare support and when the changes are expected to be implemented.
Free childcare support currently available
| Existing Free childcare support | Date implemented |
| 30 hours of free childcare per week for eligible working parents with children aged 3-4 | September 2017 |
| 15 hours of free childcare per week for eligible working parents with children aged 2¹ | April 2024 |
¹ Children who have turned 2 years old by the 1st April 2024
Additional free childcare support from September 2024
| Additional free childcare support | Due to be implemented |
| 15 hours of free childcare per week for eligible working parents with children aged 9 months - 3 years² | September 2024 |
| 30 hours of free childcare per week for eligible working parents with children aged 5 or under (from 9 months old) | September 2025 |
² This includes children who turned 2 years old after the 1st April 2024
The free childcare hours can be claimed each week for a maximum of 38 weeks of the year, although if the full 30 hours are not used each week, it may be possible to spread the allowance over 52 weeks of the year.
Who is eligible for free childcare?
To be eligible for free childcare support, the following must apply:
- You must live in England
- Your child must attend (or be due to attend) an approved childcare provider
- Children aged 3 and 4 can access up to 30 hours of free childcare
- Children aged 2 by the 1st of April 2024 can apply for and access up to 15 hours of free childcare
- Children who reach age 2 years old between 1st April and 31st August 2024 can apply for 15 hours of free childcare now and access it from September 2024
- Children who reach age 9-23 months old after 31st August 2024 can apply for up to 15 hours of free childcare from 12 May 2024 and access it from 31st of August 2024
Your eligibility for the scheme also depends on a number of factors including your employment status and your income. More eligibility information can be found on the government website. Childcare support schemes may also vary if you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
When can you apply for the 15 hours of free childcare?
We've provided a simple summary below making it easy to know when you can apply for free childcare.
| Child Age | Applications for 15 hours of childcare open from: | 15 hours of childcare can be accessed from: |
| Child reaches age 2 years before 1st April 1st 2024 | 2nd January 2024 | 1st April 2024 |
| Child reaches age 2 years between 1st April & 31st August 2024 | 1st April 2024 | September 2024 |
| Child reaches age 9-23 months after 31st August 2024 | 12th May 2024 | September 2024 |
How to apply for free childcare
Applications can be made online via the Gov.uk website. You’ll need to make sure you have the following information to hand before starting an application for free childcare:
- Your national insurance number (or unique taxpayer reference if you are self-employed)
- The date you started or are due to start work
- Details of any government support or benefits you receive
- The UK birth certificate reference number (if you have one) for your child
Once submitted, it can take up to 7 days to receive a decision. Remember to check whether your chosen childcare provider is able to receive childcare payments from the government.
Once your application has been approved, you’ll get a code to give to your approved childcare provider. Importantly, codes only last for 3 months, so parents applying ahead of time may need to renew their code prior to claiming their place.
Childcare support for those on Universal Credit
You may be able to claim up to 85% of your childcare costs if you are eligible for Universal Credit. To be eligible, you (and your partner if you live with them) will usually need to either:
- Be working (The number of hours you or your partner work is not relevant)
- Have a job offer
The Universal Credit childcare cap was recently increased to £951 for one child and £1,630 for two children and up. If you or your partner stop working, you must report the change immediately via your Universal Credit login page.
