Funded childcare – what you need to know

This September 2024, the next stage of the Government’s expansion of funded childcare support is set to be rolled out. As of 12^th May 2024, eligible working parents in England (of children who will be 9 – 23 months old in September), can start to apply for 15 hours of term time funding, joining the two-year-olds whose funding started from the April term.

A further phase will begin from September 2025, when 30 hours funded childcare will be rolled out to all under 5’s.

What you need to know?

Funding dates

The funding starts the term after your child has turned 9 months old and terms start in January, April, and September.

Eligibility

Your eligibility depends on:

• If you are working – Funded childcare is available to families of working parents (employed, self-employed, or both)
• Your income – Each parent must be working over 16 hours a week and be earning between £8,670 (£183 a week) -£100,000
• Your child’s age and circumstances
• Your immigration status

Families who are eligible for certain benefits may be eligible for funding and should refer to Gov.uk for details.

Free Childcare vs Funded Childcare

Funded childcare is not ‘free childcare’, yet it can sometimes be promoted as ‘free childcare’. This is important to highlight as the scheme provides 38 weeks (term time) of subsidised childcare per week, rather than the full 52 weeks of the year. This means that if you require a nursery space for 52 weeks of the year there is payment required to cover the remaining 14 weeks of the year.

At Kids Planet, this can be spread over the 52 weeks, resulting in fewer hours per week (approximately 10.5).

Tax Free Childcare

The funded childcare scheme can be used alongside the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, a government initiative which helps eligible working parents with the cost of childcare. For every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2000 per child per year, or £4,000 for a child with a disability. You can pay your Kids Planet bill directly from this account.

How to apply

You will need to apply via the Gov.uk site  – Check what help you could get with childcare costs – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You will need for each responsible adult within the household:

• National Insurance Number/Unique Tax Code
• Work start date
• Details of any support or benefits
• UK birth certificate for your child

Once accepted you will receive a code which you will need to pass to your nursery manager so this can be added to your invoice.

Renewing your code/re-applying

Please be aware that your eligibility for funded childcare including Tax Free childcare needs to be renewed every three months. You will receive a reminder email to the address you registered when applying so keep an eye out for this, make sure the address is in your safe list and be aware that if you miss the renewal date you will need to wait for the next term before applying again.

We believe in providing quality early years education and care for every child, and we’re delighted to offer funded spaces to make this accessible for more families.

We believe in providing quality early years education and care for every child, and we’re delighted to offer funded spaces to make this accessible for more families.

Find our more about funded childcare at Kids Planet & Kids Allowed Day Nurseries

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