Funded Childcare Hours
Understand how funded childcare hours work, compare term-time and stretched arrangements and estimate how many funded hours may be available within your family’s childcare schedule.
Calculate Funded HoursEstimate Your Hours
Convert an annual funded entitlement into weekly hours for your nursery’s term-time or year-round schedule.
Start CalculatorCheck Eligibility
Review the age, residence, work, income and additional-support conditions that may affect your entitlement.
Check EligibilityCalculate Remaining Fees
Compare funded care with booked hours, private rates, meals, consumables and other provider charges.
Calculate CostsFunded Childcare Hours Calculator
Select an annual entitlement and enter your provider’s opening pattern. The calculator estimates weekly funded hours, privately payable hours and an illustrative monthly childcare cost.
Your Childcare Arrangement
Use the entitlement confirmed by the relevant government service or local authority. This tool does not determine official eligibility.
Your Funded Hours Estimate Will Appear Here
Add your annual entitlement, booked childcare schedule and provider rate to estimate weekly funded hours and remaining fees.
Your Funded Childcare Estimate
Key Facts About Funded Childcare Hours
Funded childcare is normally expressed as an annual entitlement. The weekly amount you receive can depend on how many weeks the entitlement is spread across and how your provider delivers funded places.
Explore Funded Childcare Support
Learn about eligibility, applications, childcare costs and the practical use of funded hours with a registered provider.
What Funded Childcare Hours Usually Cover
Funded hours are intended to provide eligible early education and childcare. They are not automatically a cash payment to parents, and unused hours cannot normally be withdrawn as money.
Your provider should explain which sessions can include funded care, how the annual entitlement is spread and whether separate charges apply to additional hours or optional services.
- Eligible early education and childcare time
- Care delivered by an approved participating provider
- A term-time or stretched annual attendance pattern
- Hours subject to the provider’s available funded sessions
- Funding beginning from the applicable eligibility period
- Regular eligibility reconfirmation where required
How Funded Childcare Hours Work
Funded childcare hours help eligible families access early education and childcare without paying the provider’s standard fee for every funded hour. The funding is normally arranged through the provider and the relevant authority rather than paid directly to the parent.
An entitlement is generally expressed as a total number of annual hours. A provider can then offer those hours through a term-time pattern or, where available, stretch them over more weeks.
Annual Entitlement Versus Weekly Hours
A parent may hear that their child qualifies for 15 or 30 hours per week, but those descriptions usually refer to the standard term-time pattern. The underlying annual total is important when childcare is used throughout the year.
For example, 570 annual hours divided across 38 weeks produces 15 funded hours per week. Dividing the same annual total across 50 weeks produces approximately 11.4 funded hours per week.
Similarly, 1,140 annual hours divided across 38 weeks produces 30 hours per week. Across 50 weeks, the weekly equivalent is approximately 22.8 hours.
Term-Time Funded Childcare
A term-time arrangement concentrates funded hours into fewer weeks. It may suit families who need childcare mainly during school terms or who can make alternative arrangements during holidays.
Parents should confirm the nursery’s term dates because provider calendars may not exactly match local school holidays. Training days, bank holidays and planned closures can also affect practical attendance.
Stretched Funded Childcare
A stretched arrangement spreads the same annual funded entitlement over more weeks. The weekly funded amount is lower, but support is available across a longer part of the year.
This can make budgeting more consistent for parents using year-round childcare. However, the nursery’s exact calculation and available session structure should be confirmed before relying on an estimate.
Funded Hours Are Not Always Fully Flexible
Providers may offer funded places only within certain sessions, days or attendance patterns. A nursery may require parents to book a full session even when only part of it is covered by funding.
Ask for a written illustration showing the funded hours, private hours and any separately charged services within your proposed schedule.
Types Of Funded Childcare Hours In England
Different funded childcare routes serve different age groups and family circumstances. A child may qualify through a universal entitlement, a working-parent route or an additional-support route.
| Funding Route | Who It Is Designed For | Typical Annual Structure | Where To Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Early Education | Children within the universal qualifying age group, regardless of whether their parents work. | Commonly expressed as 570 annual hours, often delivered as 15 hours across 38 weeks. | Your local authority and participating provider. |
| Working-Parent Funded Childcare | Eligible working families meeting the applicable age, work, earnings, income and residence conditions. | Commonly expressed as up to 1,140 annual hours, often described as 30 hours across 38 weeks. | The official childcare application service. |
| Early Learning For Two-Year-Olds | Eligible two-year-olds whose family or individual circumstances meet an additional-support route. | Commonly based on 570 annual hours, subject to local delivery arrangements. | Your local council’s early years or family information service. |
| Additional Local Support | Families meeting local programme rules or receiving support through an education, employment or community scheme. | Varies by programme, authority and available funding. | Your council, employer, education provider or programme administrator. |
Universal Funded Hours
Universal funded early education is not normally dependent on a parent’s employment. The child must still meet the applicable age, residence and start-date conditions.
Parents usually arrange these hours directly with a participating nursery, preschool, childminder or other approved provider. The provider may ask for evidence such as the child’s date of birth and address.
Working-Parent Funded Hours
Working-parent support normally involves an application and an eligibility code. Work, earnings, individual income and household circumstances may affect whether a family qualifies.
Eligible working families in England may be able to access funded childcare from the applicable period after their child reaches the qualifying age until school begins. Parents should check the latest conditions through the official working-parent childcare guidance.
Funded Childcare For Eligible Two-Year-Olds
Some two-year-olds qualify for funded early learning because their family receives specified support or because the child meets an individual eligibility condition.
This route is different from the working-parent entitlement. The application may be managed by the local council rather than the online working-parent childcare service.
Term-Time Versus Stretched Funded Childcare
The best funding pattern depends on when your family needs childcare. Neither arrangement creates more annual funded hours; the difference is how the same annual total is distributed.
Term-Time Funding
More funded hours are available each week, but only during a shorter annual attendance pattern.
Stretched Funding
Fewer funded hours are available each week, but they can be used across more weeks of the year.
| Annual Entitlement | 38 Weeks | 48 Weeks | 50 Weeks | 51 Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 570 Hours | 15 Hours Weekly | About 11.88 Hours Weekly | 11.4 Hours Weekly | About 11.18 Hours Weekly |
| 1,140 Hours | 30 Hours Weekly | 23.75 Hours Weekly | 22.8 Hours Weekly | About 22.35 Hours Weekly |
When A Term-Time Pattern May Work Well
- You need childcare mainly during school terms
- You can cover school holidays through family or annual leave
- You want to maximise funded hours during attended weeks
- Your provider offers convenient funded term-time sessions
- You are comfortable with childcare costs changing by month
When A Stretched Pattern May Work Well
- You need childcare for most of the year
- You prefer a more consistent attendance pattern
- Your work does not follow school terms
- Your provider offers stretched funded childcare
- You understand that fewer weekly hours will be funded
What You May Still Pay With Funded Childcare Hours
Funded childcare can substantially reduce the cost of nursery or childminder care, but families may still receive an invoice. The remaining amount depends on the attendance pattern and the provider’s charging structure.
Additional Private Childcare Hours
When booked childcare exceeds the funded weekly allocation, the remaining hours are usually charged at the provider’s private rate. The provider may calculate those hours by session rather than using a simple hourly rate.
Meals And Consumables
A provider may offer meals, snacks, nappies, sun cream or other consumables as additional services. Ask whether these are optional, whether parents can supply alternatives and how the charges are displayed.
Activities And Trips
Optional outings, specialist sessions or additional activities may create separate charges. The nursery should explain whether participation is optional and what alternative provision is available.
Registration Fees And Deposits
Funding may not cover administrative fees, deposits or charges connected with privately purchased childcare. Read the contract and ask when a deposit is refundable or credited.
Holiday And Absence Charges
Parents may still pay for privately booked sessions when a child is ill or on holiday. Funded-hour treatment during absence depends on the applicable rules and the provider’s agreement.
Can Tax-Free Childcare Be Used With Funded Hours?
Eligible families may be able to use Tax-Free Childcare for qualifying childcare costs that remain after funded hours have been applied. It cannot be used to pay for a cost that has already been covered by another source.
Read our Tax-Free Childcare guide and use the nursery cost calculator to estimate your remaining budget.
How To Apply For Funded Childcare Hours
The application route depends on the type of funded childcare. Some universal places are arranged directly with a provider, while working-parent and additional-support routes may require an online application or council eligibility check.
- Identify the funding route that may apply to your child.
- Check your child’s age and the date from which funding may begin.
- Review the current work, income, residence or support conditions.
- Submit the application through the official service or council.
- Provide the eligibility code or confirmation to your provider.
- Agree the attendance pattern and receive a written fee breakdown.
- Complete any required eligibility reconfirmation by the deadline.
Applying Before The Deadline
Funding may begin only from an eligible term or application period. Applying late can delay when the hours become available, even when the family otherwise meets the conditions.
Do not wait until the first day you need childcare. Check the official application timetable early and allow time to resolve code or account problems.
Giving Your Code To A Provider
Receiving a code does not automatically reserve a nursery place. Contact your chosen provider and confirm that it participates in the scheme and has funded sessions available.
The provider may ask for the code, the parent’s National Insurance number and proof of the child’s date of birth. Ask what information is needed and how it will be handled.
Reconfirming Working-Parent Eligibility
Some working-parent entitlements require parents to reconfirm their details periodically. Missing the reconfirmation deadline may affect future funded hours.
Keep account contact information current and respond promptly to reminders. Report changes in work, income, relationship status or childcare arrangements when required.
Related Funded Childcare Guides
Explore eligibility, applications, childcare codes, stretched hours and the costs that may remain after funding.
30 Hours Free Childcare
Learn how working-parent childcare support operates, who may qualify and how to arrange funded care with a provider.
Read The 30 Hours Guide →15 Hours Free Childcare
Understand universal funded early education and the additional routes available to some younger children.
Read The 15 Hours Guide →Childcare Eligibility Calculator
Check which funded childcare and childcare-cost support routes may match your family’s circumstances.
Check Your Eligibility →Stretched Funded Hours
Learn how an annual entitlement can be spread across more weeks with a lower funded amount each week.
Read The Stretched Hours Guide →Nursery Cost Calculator
Estimate privately payable nursery fees after funded childcare hours and other support have been considered.
Calculate Nursery Costs →Choosing a Nursery
Compare funded-hour policies, fees, care quality, availability and practical family fit before accepting a nursery place.
Read The Nursery Guide →Funded Childcare Hours FAQs
Answers to common questions about annual entitlements, stretched hours, provider charges, applications and unused childcare funding.
Calculate Your Funded Childcare Hours
Compare term-time and stretched arrangements, estimate privately payable childcare hours and prepare questions for your nursery, preschool or registered childminder.
Start Funded Hours Calculator