30 Hours Free Childcare (England)

Description

Updated August 2026: the childcarechoices.gov.uk site now redirects permanently to beststartinlife.gov.uk — officialUrl updated accordingly. Gives working parents in England 30 hours a week of government-funded childcare for 38 weeks a year, for children from the term after they turn 9 months old right through to starting school — worth roughly £3,000 to £7,500 a year per child depending on how it's used. Each parent needs to be earning at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage, and each parent's own adjusted net income must stay under £100,000 a year (assessed individually, not as a household total); eligibility has to be reconfirmed every 3 months.

Eligibility summary

• Available in: England.
• Open to individuals — not restricted to businesses.

Notes

Eligibility is based on the CHILD's age (from the term after turning 9 months, to school age) and each parent individually earning between the National Minimum Wage floor (16hrs/week equivalent) and £100,000/year adjusted net income — not modeled on Profile.ageBand, which reflects the applicant's own age. Confirmed August 2026 that the £100,000 threshold is assessed per parent, not per household — a partner who also lives with the applicant must independently meet the same earnings band.