Currently, all 3 to 4-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours' free early education per week. This is a universal entitlement, for all children.
From September 2017, all 3 to 4-year-olds of working parents will be eligible for an additional 15 hours' early education per week.
The 30 hours entitlement is intended to support working parents with childcare costs and enable them to return to work or work additional hours.
This and more information on the entitlement is set out in a Department for Education (DfE) policy statement: (see link below).
The additional 15 hours' free childcare is only available for working parents of children aged 3 to 4 years old.
Page 8 of the DfE policy statement says that households will be eligible for the additional free entitlement where:
The additional 15 hours' free childcare is only available for working parents of children aged 3 to 4 years old
When at least one parent in a household has income of £100,000 or more, that family will not be eligible to take up the extra free hours.
A DfE representative confirmed that this refers to each parent earning less than £100,000 per year rather than a combined income of less than £100,000 per year.
Though two-parent families where one parent does not work (or neither works) will not usually be eligible for the extra 15 hours, there are some exceptions. These are likely to be where:
To apply for free childcare parents should use the calculator to work out what childcare support they are eligible for: (see link below).
Working parents will be able to apply for the extended childcare entitlement and tax-free childcare at the same time by submitting an application though the GOV.UK website.
Please follow the link below to apply
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