BBCThe number of children who receive free childcare hours in England rose by 33% in the 12 months to January 2025, to a record high of 1.7m.
More than 450,000 qualifying children aged from nine months to two-year olds have registered since free childcare was expanded in September, but critics warn more staff and places are still needed.
Free childcare arrangements vary in other parts of the UK.
How expensive is UK childcare?
How does free childcare in England work?
In England, all three and-four year olds are eligible for 15 hours of government-funded childcare, regardless of their parents’ working status.
Other help is also available, but it depends on the age of the child and whether the parents are working or receiving certain benefits.
Working parents can get:
- 15 hours of funded childcare for children aged between nine months and 23 months old (increasing to 30 hours in September 2025)
- 30 hours of funded childcare for three and four-year-olds
To qualify for the hours, the majority of parents must earn more than £9,518, but less than £100,000 per year.
Those on certain benefits can get:
- 15 hours of free childcare for two-year-olds
Parents who do not work might still be eligible for 30 hours of free childcare if their partner works, or they receive some benefits – for example they are on maternity or paternity leave.
How do you apply for 15 or 30 hours of free childcare?
At the moment, parents can apply for:
- 15 hours of childcare once their child is 23 weeks old
- 30 hours once their child is two years and 36 weeks old (or from 23 weeks when the rules change in September)
The entitlement starts at the beginning of the term after the child reaches the qualifying age.
The government website has details of the deadlines to apply for each age group.
Parents of children who will benefit from the expansion from 15 to 30 hours for children aged between nine months and 23 months in September can apply now.
Free childcare hours are designed to be used over 38 weeks of the year – during school term time.
However, some providers will stretch them over 52 weeks if children use fewer hours per week.
What is not covered by the free childcare hour funding?
Getty ImagesIn February 2025, the Department for Education (DfE) wrote to nurseries saying parents should be able to opt out of paying for these extras, “to ensure no family is priced out”.
However, some providers say they use these payments to subsidise the cost of the free hours for three and four-year-olds.
More than 5,000 nurseries signed an open letter to the DfE asking for the new opt0-out rules to be delayed.
Are there enough childcare places?
The DfE has said an additional 35,000 staff and 70,000 places will be needed to meet demand by September 2025, when the free hours increase again.
The number of childcare places had already risen by 44,400 between 2023 and 2024, according to its figures.
But the education regulator Ofsted has warned that places have not been evenly spread across the country.
The number of childminders – those providing early years care in private homes – has decreased.
A government scheme offering a cash incentive of £600 or £1,200 to new childminders ended in March.
On average, so-called “childcare deserts” have lower household incomes and higher levels of deprivation than other areas.
Early years charities are concerned that the latest figures from the DfE show that the number of two-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds receiving free hours is down from 75% in 2024 to 65% in 2025.
However, the DfE says some families have been incorrectly recorded in the statistics, so the figures should be treated with caution.
PA MediaEducation Secretary Bridget Phillipson said early years had been her “priority from day one”. However, nursery bosses argue the government’s updated funding rates for 2025 do not offset their rising energy and staff costs.
The Early Years Alliance charity said about 185 nurseries of 1,100 it surveyed said they were “likely” to withdraw from the scheme within the next 12 months “due to unsustainable financial pressures”.
In April, the government announced the first 300 school-based nurseries, which it says will provide 4,000 extra places by September 2025.
What childcare help is available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
How does tax-free childcare work?
Parents may be entitled to other support, including the UK-wide tax-free childcare scheme.
For every £8 paid into an online childcare account, the government adds £2 (up to £2,000 per child per year, or £4,000 for disabled children).
Parents can use the money to pay for approved childcare, for example:
- childminders, nurseries and nannies
- after-school clubs and play schemes
The childcare provider must be signed up to the scheme.
Parents who qualify for free childcare hours can save in the tax-free scheme as well.