2-year-old funding

To apply for 2-year-old funding you must, as a family, be claiming at least one of the following benefits -

• 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
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

2-year-olds can also get free childcare if they -

• are looked after by a local authority
• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• get Disability Living Allowance
• have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangement order

You may have to pay for extra costs, for example -

• meals
• nappies
• trips
• optional extras

If you’re a non-UK citizen who cannot claim benefits

If your immigration status says you have ‘no recourse to public funds’, you may still get free childcare for your 2-year-old. You must live in England and your household income must be no more than -

• £26,500 for families outside of London with one child
• £34,500 for families within London with one child
• £30,600 for families outside of London with 2 or more children
• £38,600 for families within London with 2 or more children

You cannot have more than £16,000 in savings or investments.

Apply for two-year-old funding

When to apply

Submit your application during the term that your child turns 2. Use the table below to select the correct term in which to apply.

What happens next

We will respond to your application in 5 working days. Response times will vary depending on which term your child is due to start and when your child turns 2 years old.

If eligible, your funding becomes available from the term after the one in which your child turns 2. Funding continues until the term after their third birthday. If you apply after your child turns 2, you still only receive funding until the term after their third birthday.

If eligible your 2-year-old can receive -

• 15 hours childcare per week for 38 weeks of the year
• childcare over a minimum of 2 days per week
• care between 2 and a half and 10 hours per day between the hours of 7am and 7pm

Funding can be split between 2 providers.