NEW Entitlements for Early Years Children
Working parents in England will be able to access 30 hours of funded childcare per week,
for 38 weeks of the year, from when their child is 9 months old* to when they start school,
by September 2025.
This will be rolled out in stages:
- From April 2024, all working parents of 2 year olds can access 15 hours per week *
- From September 2024, all working parents of children aged 9 months up can access
15 hours per week * - From September 2025 all working parents of children aged 9 months up to 3 years
old can access 30 hours free childcare per week *
* All three entitlements continue to work on a termly basis, so children of eligible working
parents will be able to receive the entitlement from the termly date (1 September, 1 January
or 1 April) after they reach the relevant age, i.e their second birthday or their “nine month”
birthday
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR 2 YEAR OLD WORKING FAMILIES TO CLAIM 15 HOURS FREE CHILDCARE FROM APRIL 2024 – Visit https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/22/how-to-claim-15-hours-free-childcare-code/ for further information and to apply.
FOR INFORMATION from the Early Childhood Services Team 25.01.2024:
Some parents who recently reconfirmed their Tax-Free Childcare eligibility before 2 January 2024 were informed that they cannot apply for a code to access the new 2-year-old entitlement until later in the application period when their reconfirmation window next opens. We understand that this may cause concern for parents. The DFE have been working to ensure that those parents can receive codes and confirm their childcare place in good time. Parents claiming Tax-Free Childcare for a child turning 2 on or before 31 March 2024 and who have a reconfirmation window that opens after the 15 February will receive a letter with a temporary code from HMRC before this date. Parents should not contact HMRC before receiving their letter. Parents must provide a code to us to secure their place. Once parents receive their temporary code, we will process it as normal and parents should then revert to using their Childcare Account. Before the letter arrives, parents can show us proof of eligibility by showing: their Tax-Free Childcare eligibility; their reconfirmation window; National Insurance number; and proof of their child’s date of birth. We will endeavour to reserve a provisional place for your child, which can later be secured with the temporary code.
