3-4 Year old funding

30 hours entitlement

What is ‘30 hours funded childcare’?

If one parent in a single parent household or both parents in a family work at least 16 hours per week and income is below £100,000 per year, 30 hours of weekly funded (also known as ‘free’) childcare is available to you for children aged 3-4.

It means your child can attend Early Years settings free of charge for either 22 hours per week all year around, or 30 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year, during the school term.

The 30 hours of free childcare kicks in from the term after your little one’s third birthday. For example, if your child turns 3 in May, they will be entitled to their 30 hours funded childcare from the following September.

School terms begin in January, April, and September.

You may also be eligible to receive the funding if you are on parental leave, sick leave, adaptation leave, or annual leave. You may also be eligible if your partner has substantial caring responsibilities or is disabled or incapacitated.
If you are in the ‘start-up period’ after setting up a new business, then you do not need to provide evidence that you meet the scheme’s funding requirements until your business is 12 months old.
You can receive your 30 hours funded childcare at the same time as you receive tax credits, Universal Credit, childcare vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare.

How and when do I claim my 30 hours free childcare?

You can apply for your 30 hours funded childcare by visiting www.childcarechoices.gov.uk and filling out the application form. If you are not able to access the website, you can contact Childcare Choice on 030 0123 4097.

If you’re eligible, you will be given an 11-digit code. You will need to re-confirm your eligibility every three months from the first time that you receive your eligibility code. You will receive a reminder via text message or email from HMRC before the deadline.

When your child turns 3	When your 30 hours start	Recommended time to apply
1^st September to 31^st December	1^st January	15^th October to 30^th November
1^st January to 31^st March	1^st April	15^th January to 28^th February
1^st April to 31^st August	1^st September	15^th June to 31^st July

Universal 15 hours for 3 and 4 year olds

Children are eligible for the universal 15 hours from the term after their third birthday. There is no application process for this and it is available to all children of this age range in England. Parents can simply register for a place with Unique Angels and we will help you to get access for funding.

If you need further information, please visit www.newham.gov.uk/threeandfouryearolds