Funded Childcare for 3 to 4-Year-Olds
Funded early education hours for children of working parents.
Last updated: 5 September 2026
What it is about
This scheme offers up to 30 hours of free childcare and early education for working parents with children aged 9 months to 4 years old.
What is involved
To qualify, you must be working. You'll need to set up an online account and reconfirm your eligibility every three months.
Note: We work this out from the employment and income details in your profile. Please check the full criteria on GOV.UK.
Timeframes
If eligible, you can get the funded hours starting from the start of the term following your child's 3rd birthday (we calculate this exact term date for you).
What you benefit from
You can get up to 30 hours per week of free childcare for 38 weeks of the year. You can also choose to stretch these hours over more weeks by using fewer hours per week.
Planning for a full-time working week
Every 3 and 4-year-old gets 15 universal hours a week, covering 40% of a standard 37.5-hour working week and leaving a 22.5-hour gap.
If you also meet the working-parent criteria, you get 30 hours in total, covering 80% of a standard working week and leaving a 7.5-hour gap. You can pair this with Tax-Free Childcare to get a 20% government top-up on fees for those remaining hours.