The extension to include 9-month-old children is the second stage of the free childcare support expansion policy introduced by the previous government during the 2023 Spring Budget.
In April 2024, the first stage was implemented, allowing eligible working parents of 2-year-olds to access 15 hours of free childcare. From September 2025, eligible parents of children from nine months old up to school age will be able to access 30 hours of free child care per week.
Prior to the expansion of free childcare hours, only eligible working parents of 3 and 4-year-olds were able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week. Previous government estimates suggested that once the rollout is completed, eligible working families with children will be able to save an average of £6,900 per year from the end of maternity leave to when the child begins school. While the expansion was initially announced under the previous Conservative government, the new Labour government committed to the project during their election campaign.
The move to keep the extended free hours will be welcome news for working parents in England. Catherine Foot, Director of Phoenix Insights, said: “The expansion of childcare funding to nine-month-olds is another step forward to support working parents in England manage the affordability of childcare. Over a third of parents of under-fives struggled to meet childcare costs last year, so extending the funding will provide some financial relief to this group."
That being said, a survey by the Department for Education earlier this year revealed that 2 in 5 parents of children under two were not aware of the plans to extend hours. Catherine added: "...Worryingly awareness was lowest among the poorest families. Many of these families face challenges balancing living costs, work and childcare, so it’s important they aren’t left in the dark about the support available.”
How do the free childcare hours work?
The free hours can be used to fund approved child care over 38 weeks of the year during term time. This means that you won't get 15 hours per week for the whole year. Some providers allow you to stretch the hours across up to 52 weeks. In practice, however, this means you would get around 11 free hours per week rather than 15. This is because if we assume 15 hours multiplied by 38 weeks results in 570 total "free hours" per year and divide these by 52, we end up with approximately 11 hours.
Opting for fewer weekly funded hours to stretch out the allowance may suit some parents who work fewer hours or have other childcare arrangements in place. If this is something you're interested in, you would need to check that your chosen childcare provider offers this.
It's also worth keeping in mind that your childcare provider could charge for extra services and consumables on top of the free hours you receive. This is because they typically receive a set sum from the government which doesn't always account for extras like additional activities, meals or supplies like nappies. It's therefore worth asking what these extra charges are ahead of confirming a place so you can budget for them or discuss possible alternatives.
The free childcare hours are not the same as tax-free childcare which allows working parents to receive up to £2,000 per year from the government to pay for approved childcare. Tax-free childcare can be used in addition to the free childcare hours if you are eligible. You can find out more about how tax-free childcare works in our article on the topic.
When to apply for the free childcare hours
If your child is at least 9 months old on or before the 31st of August, you can apply for 15 hours of free child care from September onwards. However, you must apply for the hours in the term before the 1st of September, meaning you only have until the 31st of August to apply.
If your child turns 9 months old later on in the year, they could be eligible for funded childcare hours from the 1st of January onwards. The table below outlines when you should apply, depending on your child's age.
| Your child 9 is months old between... | You could be eligible for free hours from... | You must apply by... |
| 01/09/24 - 31/12/24 | The term beginning on or after 1st of January 2025 | The term before 1st of January (i.e. by 31/12/24) |
| 01/01/25 - 31/03/25 | The term beginning on or after 1st of April 2025 | The term before 1st of April (i.e. 31/03/25) |
| 01/04/25 - 31/08/25 | The term beginning on or after 1st of September 2025 | The term before 1st of September (i.e. 31/08/25) |
While the application process is automated and shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to complete, you should ideally apply in advance of the deadline if possible. This is because you will receive an eligibility code which you need to give your childcare provider if you're successful. Applying early means giving yourself a buffer in case there are any delays with receiving the code. In rare circumstances, for example, you might need to provide additional information to prove your eligibility which could cause delays.
You will need to re-confirm your code every three months from the date you received your initial code by signing into your childcare account which you will create when applying for funding. If you do not do this, you could lose your free childcare hours.
Eligibility criteria for the extended childcare hours
Whether you're eligible for free childcare depends on several factors including:
- The age of your child - Your child must be aged between 9 months to 4 years old by the last day of the term in order to access the free childcare hours.
- Whether you're in work (this includes being self-employed or a director) - You must be in work, but being on sick leave, parental leave, maternity leave, paternity leave or adoption leave is fine too.
- What your income is (this also includes your partner's income) - You must typically earn the equivalent of the National Minimum Wage for 16 hours per week which is roughly £183 per week if you're aged 21 or over. You won't be eligible if you or your partner have an adjusted net income of £100,000 per year.
- What your immigration status is - You must have a National Insurance number and be a British or Irish citizen, or hold settled/pre-settled status, or have permission to access public funds.
- Where you live - This particular scheme is open to parents living in England, although similar schemes exist elsewhere.
The above is a rough outline of the eligibility requirements, but there is more nuance depending on your exact circumstances. For example, if you recently became self-employed, you could be exempt from meeting the minimum income requirements. If you want to find out more, check out our article which outlines how to apply for the extended childcare hours.
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