What does 30 hours mean for me?
From September 2025, eligible working families will be able to claim 30 hours of childcare from the term after their child turns 9 months until they reach school age.
Just like the 15 hours entitlement, you do not have to offer 30 hours childcare.
Some parents will continue to claim 15 hours childcare. This includes the universal offer for all children aged 3 to 4 years in England, as well as the offer for eligible children aged 2 years, who receive additional support.
What do parents need to know?
Parents can check their eligibility for 30 hours through the childcare calculator and apply for this and Tax-Free Childcare through the childcare service.
If eligible, the parent will receive an 11-digit eligibility code. Before a parent can take up a place they must bring their code, national insurance number and child’s date of birth to you so you can check that their code is valid. You should encourage parents to bring you their code as soon as they receive it. Parents cannot take up a 30 hours place until you have validated their code. Your local authority will be able to provide you with information about the process for validating codes in your area.
Every three months parents will need to confirm that the details they entered on their application are up to date. We’ll send them email reminders and text messages to do this, but it is good practice for you to remind parents as well.
Parents accessing the universal offer of 15 hours for 3-4 year olds should contact you directly to take up the offer.
Parents with eligible children aged 2 years who receive additional support can contact you, the provider, or the local council to apply for this scheme. They may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours under the working parent entitlement. If they are, they will need to apply for a code through the Childcare Service.
How will I be paid?
Once you have validated the parent’s code and checked that the child is the correct age to take up their place, you will be paid through the local procedures for headcount claims.