30 Hours Funded Childcare for
Working Parents
30 Hours Funding Childcare
We call this type of funding Expanded 30 hours funding. This type of funding is available from the government for eligible working families for children 9 months to 4 years.
You can apply for 30 hours of childcare to use from the term after their child turns 9 months until they reach school age.
Working Parents
If you live and work in England you may be entitled to 30 hours funded childcare support from the term after your child turns 9 months old, until they start school.
You can usually get funded childcare for working parents if you (and your partner, if you have one) are:
- In work or starting a new job
- On sick leave or annual leave
- On shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave
The amount of funded childcare you can get depends on:
- Your child’s age and circumstances
- Your income (and your partner’s income, if you have one)
- Your immigration status
Earnings
You can earn up to £100,000 adjusted net income per year and be eligible. If you or your partner have an expected adjusted net income over £100,000 in the current tax year, you will not be eligible.
You can use an average of how much you expect to earn over the current tax year if:
- you work throughout the year but do not get paid regularly
- you’re self-employed and do not expect to earn enough in the next 3 months
If you’re self-employed and started your business less than 12 months ago, you can earn less and still be eligible for funded childcare for working parents.
If you have a partner who lives with you, they must also earn between these two amounts.
If you have more than one job, you can use your total earnings to work out if you meet the threshold. This includes:
- Earnings from any employment
- Earnings from any self-employment
If you’re both employed and self-employed, you can use just your self-employment income if this would make you eligible. For example, if you expect your average self-employed earnings over the tax year to be more than you’ll get over the next 3 months as an employee.
Certain types of income will not count towards the minimum amount you must earn to be eligible. These include:
- Dividends
- Interest
- Income from investing in property
- Pension payments
If you’re not working
You may still be eligible if your partner is working, and you are on carer’s leave or if you get any of the following:
- Incapacity Benefit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Limited Capability for Work Benefit
- Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
We offer childcare all year round. If you are entitled to 30 hours funding we can ‘stretch’ your funded hours across the whole year, not just term time only. Please speak feel free to speak to us about this during your tour.
Related Pages
Check your eligibility now for all funding types via the government’s Best Start in Life website
