Funded Childcare for Working Parents from 9 Months
Funded childcare hours for working parents, from when a child is 9 months old.
Last updated: 6 October 2026
What it is about
If you're working, you can get 30 hours a week of free childcare and early education in England from when your child is 9 months old. It carries on until they start school, alongside the universal hours every child gets from 3.
What is involved
To qualify, both parents (or the single parent) need to be working at least 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage or Living Wage, and neither can earn over £100,000 a year. Parents on sick leave, annual leave, or maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave can usually still count as working.
You apply through your Childcare Service account and get a code to give your childcare provider. You'll need to reconfirm your details every three months to keep the hours.
Note: We work this out from the employment and income details in your profile. Please check the full criteria on GOV.UK.
Timeframes
You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. The hours start from the start of the term after your child turns 9 months, so the deadline depends on that date:
- Turning 9 months between 1 September and 31 December: hours from 1 January, apply by 31 December.
- Turning 9 months between 1 January and 31 March: hours from 1 April, apply by 31 March.
- Turning 9 months between 1 April and 31 August: hours from 1 September, apply by 31 August.
We calculate this deadline for you. Applying early is fine and gives you time to sort out a childcare place.
What you benefit from
You get 30 hours a 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
Your 30 funded hours cover 80% of a standard 37.5-hour working week, 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.