How Funded Hours Work

Government Funded Childcare Hours

Funded Hours

15 hours of free childcare for 2 year olds

Some children may be entitled to 15 hours* of free childcare in the term after their second birthday. Early learning for 2-year-olds and 2 year funding for working parents is only open to children that meet certain criteria.

Families can usually qualify if they claim the following:

  • Income Support

  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

  • Income-related Employment and

  • Support Allowance (ESA)

  • Universal Credit, and your household

  • income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments

  • Child tax credits, and your household Income is £16,190 a year or less before tax

  • The guaranteed element of Pension Credit

  • The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

Please refer to the Tower Hamlets webpage for further details on eligibility

Currently in England all 3 and 4-year-olds receive 15* hours a week government funded early education. If their parents are living and working in England, 3 and 4-year-olds may be entitled to 30 hours* funded childcare, which equates to 1,140 hours per year in total! (From September 2025, 30 hours funding* will be made available for parents of 9 months old children)

Currently, if you are eligible, you will be entitled to access the 30 funded hours* from the beginning of the term following your child’s 3rd birthday.

Parents and carers should check with Childcare Choices to see if they are eligible for 30 hours*.

*The government offers 570 hours and 1,140 hours for funded childcare throughout the year. This is typically split into 15 hours or 30 hours per term time (38 weeks).

To better ensure that families of all attendance types can benefit fully from the funding, we stretch the funding across 48+ weeks (as opposed to the term time, 38 week period), enabling part-time families to access more of the funded hours than would otherwise be available to them if restricted under a term time structure. This means instead of being restricted to 15 hours or 30 hours per week over term time only, you can now enjoy 11 hours or 22 hours per week spread over 48+ weeks of the year.

What’s Changing – from September 2025

From 1st September 2025, eligible working parents will be able to access 30 hours per week of government-funded childcare for children aged from 9 months until school age

Who Qualifies

  • Children must be at least 9 months old by 31st August 2025 to access 30 hours in the autumn term

  • Both parents (where applicable) must be working and individually earn between the equivalent of 16 hours/week at the National Minimum Wage and under £100,000/year

  • Some 2-year-olds may already qualify through other benefit-linked entitlements (e.g., Universal Credit), for up to 15 hours now and potentially 30 hours in 2025 - further information can be obtained here