Exact dates parents need to know to access free childcare ahead of huge rule change
WORKING parents of children aged between nine months and two years old will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare from September.
But to get the free hours, you need to download a code and share it with your childcare provider in time.
Applications are already open, and there’s no need to wait before applying.
Here’s everything you need to know.
How has free childcare changed?
The government has broadened free childcare, meaning more parents can access it earlier and they’ll get more hours.
Under the old scheme, all parents received 15 free hours for children aged three and four. But eligible working parents could get 30 funded hours.
That’s all still in place, but now parents of two-year-olds who meet the eligibility criteria also get 15 hours free. That change came in earlier this year, and parents who qualify should already be claiming the hours.
And from September this year, those 15 funded hours will be extended to parents of children aged between 9 months and two years old.
There’s one more change coming in from September next year, at which point working parents who earn between the upper and lower limits will get 30 funded hours of childcare from nine months to school age.
It’s important to know that the free hours only run for 38 weeks a year.
Some childcare providers will stretch this out, so you get a smaller discount every week, but not all offer this, so you might find your costs go up in holidays.
Some providers may ask for charges in addition to the government funded childcare, for instance for meals or nappies.
Who is eligible for the funded hours?
To be eligible, you (and your partner) will usually need to be:
- in work, or
- starting a new job, or
- on sick leave, or
- on annual leave, or
- or on shared parental, maternity, paternity, or adoption leave
Both you and your partner will each need to earn £2,380 before tax over the next three months.
There are slightly lower limits if you’re aged under 21, which you can find on the government website.
If you’re self-employed and your business started fewer than 12 months ago, you can earn less and still be eligible for the benefit.
If you’re not working, you might still get free hours if you’re on one of the following benefits:
- Carer’s allowance
- Incapacity Benefit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Limited Capability for Work Benefit
- contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
If either you or your partner earn more than £100,000, you do not get the new funded free hours, but you should still get the universal free hours for three and four year olds.
How to apply for funded childcare hours
If your child is aged between nine months and school age, you can apply for the funding.
However, if your baby is between nine and 23 months it won’t kick in until September.
You can apply on gov.uk, and you’ll be given a code to share with your childcare provider.
You’ll need the following information before starting:
- 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.
The government says that anyone who wants the free hours from September should apply before the start of the school summer holidays.
You can only get hours for the term that starts after you apply, so it’s important to make sure your application is in on time.
What to do with the code
Take your code to your childcare provider, along with your National Insurance number and your child’s date of birth.
The government says that places will be available for September in every area of the country, but that some settings hold waiting lists of over six months.
That means that if you have a specific nursery that you want to join from September, you should reach out now to secure a place for your child even though you won’t yet have the code.
It adds that your local authority can provide support for finding a government-funded place in your area.
Codes need to be renewed every three months, so make a note of when you next need to apply.
Problems to watch out for
HMRC is warning that a small number of parents on parental leave are receiving an error message on the online application system that incorrectly says they are ineligible.
It says: “Parents returning to work before the end of September can ignore this message. They will still receive a letter in the post from HMRC within 2 weeks of applying, allowing them to access their entitlement code.”
If you have a code from applying online and you get one through the post, they are both valid.
HMRC says: “If you have two codes, one from your letter beginning with 11 and one from the website beginning with 50, please give your provider the code from the website, as this is your permanent digital code for your child.”
Once your reconfirmation window opens, you will need to prove your eligibility through your Childcare Account and share the digital code you receive with your provider. This happens every three months.
What help is available to parents for childcare costs?
CHILDCARE can be a costly business. Here is how you can get help
- 30 hours of free childcare – Parents of three and four-year-olds can apply for 30 hours of free childcare a week.
To qualify you must work at least 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year. - Tax credits – For children under 20, some families can get help with childcare costs.
- Tax-free childcare – Available to working families and the self-employed, for every £8 you put in the government will add an extra £2.