Did you know that childcare support is expanding – and that you need to apply by the end of December to secure your support for January?
Working parents of children aged nine months to up to three years can now get 15 hours free childcare per week for 38 weeks a year. This will increase to 30 hours from September 2025 and is alongside the already existing 30 hours childcare for three and four-year-olds of working parents.
Childcare support can give your child a good start whilst giving you work choices, helping you juggle family life a little easier. You can check what support you might be eligible for using the online eligibility checker on the Childcare Choices website.
The deadline for eligible working parents to apply for support from 1st January 2025 is 31st December 2024. The Department for Education advises parents to apply as early as possible to get their childcare code.
In addition, some parents receiving support like Universal Credit or whose child has an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) Plan) can also access 15 hours for their two-year-old. Other offers available for eligible parents include Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit Childcare.
Since September, more wraparound childcare places for primary school-aged children have also become available, helping parents to juggle school drop-offs and pick-ups.
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What Childcare Support Is Available For Different Ages?
Find out if you are eligible for any of the below on the Childcare Choices website.
2-Year-Old Offer (If You Claim Certain Government Support)
Explore childcare support for your family! If you receive some types of Government support, including Universal Credit, or your child has an Education, Care, Health (ECH) plan, you could get 15 hours childcare for your two-year old.
15 Hours Free Childcare: From 9 Months To 3 Years
There’s now more childcare support than ever before to help you juggle family life. If you are an eligible working parent with a child between nine months old up to three years old, you can get up to 15 hours childcare per week over 38 weeks of the year.
30 Hours Childcare: For Ages 3 Or 4
Childcare support is here to make balancing family life a little easier. If you are an eligible working parent with a child aged 3 or 4, you can get up to 30 hours childcare per week over 38 weeks of the year.
Wraparound Childcare: For School-Age Children 4+
Since September, more wraparound childcare places have become available, helping parents juggle school drop-offs and pick-ups more easily. You can use Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare to pay for wraparound childcare.
How Do I Apply?
- Visit GOV.UK to apply for your code for a place in January 2025
- Share the code with your childcare provider
- If you’re planning to use your hours from 1st January 2025, you will need to apply by 31st December 2024
- To continue receiving the government support, you will need to reconfirm your details every three months on your GOV.UK account
- Learn more about the application process from Early Years Educator Steff in this YouTube video
- You can also subscribe to the newsletter on the Childcare Choices website to get further updates on changes in childcare support from September 2025
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