15 Hours Free Childcare
Understand who can receive 15 hours free childcare in England, calculate the annual funded entitlement and estimate how the hours could reduce nursery, preschool or childminder costs.
Calculate Funded HoursCalculate Your Hours
Compare the standard 38-week entitlement with a stretched year-round childcare arrangement.
Start CalculatorCheck Eligibility
Learn how the universal entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds differs from support for eligible 2-year-olds.
View EligibilityPlan Remaining Fees
Estimate paid childcare hours and optional extras that may remain after funded hours are applied.
Calculate Costs15 Hours Free Childcare Calculator
Enter your childcare schedule and provider rate to estimate how the 570-hour annual entitlement could be delivered and how much private childcare may remain to pay.
Your Childcare Details
Use your provider’s actual attendance weeks and fee where possible. The result is a planning estimate and does not confirm eligibility or a provider’s funded-hours offer.
Your Estimate Will Appear Here
Enter your childcare hours, weeks, provider fee and expected funding position to estimate your funded and privately paid childcare.
Your 15-Hour Estimate
15 Hours Free Childcare Key Figures
These figures explain the standard entitlement used by the calculator for eligible children in England.
Explore Funded Childcare Support
Compare funded hours, eligibility guides and childcare cost tools before choosing a provider or attendance pattern.
How 15 Hours Free Childcare Works
The entitlement provides funded early education and childcare rather than a cash payment to parents. An eligible provider claims funding through the local authority and applies the funded hours to the child’s agreed attendance pattern.
The standard offer is 15 hours each week for 38 weeks, creating 570 annual hours. Some providers allow families to use fewer hours each week across more weeks, commonly known as stretching the entitlement.
- Confirm that the provider offers funded places.
- Ask which sessions can be covered by funded hours.
- Request a written breakdown of funded and privately paid care.
- Check whether optional meals, nappies or activities are charged.
- Review the arrangement before each new term.
What Is 15 Hours Free Childcare?
The 15 hours free childcare entitlement is government-funded early education and childcare available through approved providers in England. It is intended to support children’s development and give families access to regular early years education.
All 3 and 4-year-olds in England can receive the universal 15-hour entitlement from the relevant term after their third birthday. Some 2-year-olds can also receive 15 hours when the family or child meets additional-support criteria.
Is The Childcare Completely Free?
The funded hours should be available without a childcare fee for those hours. However, the provider may charge for additional childcare beyond the funded entitlement and may offer optional paid services such as meals, nappies, trips or activities.
Optional extras should be explained clearly. Families who do not wish to purchase them should be offered a reasonable alternative so that access to the funded place does not depend on buying additional services.
What Does 570 Annual Hours Mean?
The annual entitlement is calculated by multiplying 15 weekly hours by 38 funded weeks. A provider offering the entitlement only during term time may apply the full 15 hours during those weeks.
A provider that stretches the entitlement may divide the same 570 hours across a longer period. For example, spreading 570 hours across 48 weeks gives approximately 11.88 funded hours per week.
| Delivery Pattern | Weeks Used | Approximate Funded Hours Per Week | Total Annual Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Term-Time | 38 Weeks | 15 Hours | 570 Hours |
| Stretched Over 45 Weeks | 45 Weeks | 12.67 Hours | 570 Hours |
| Stretched Over 48 Weeks | 48 Weeks | 11.88 Hours | 570 Hours |
| Stretched Over 51 Weeks | 51 Weeks | 11.18 Hours | 570 Hours |
Can Every Provider Stretch The Hours?
No. A stretched arrangement depends on the provider’s opening weeks, session structure, local funding agreement and available places. Parents should ask the provider exactly how many funded hours will be applied to each week or invoice.
Who Is Eligible For 15 Hours Free Childcare?
Eligibility depends mainly on the child’s age and which 15-hour entitlement is being claimed. The universal entitlement for 3 and 4-year-olds has different rules from Early Learning for eligible 2-year-olds.
All 3 And 4-Year-Olds In England
All 3 and 4-year-olds living in England can receive 15 hours of funded early education or childcare per week for 38 weeks of the year. Parents do not usually need to meet employment or minimum earnings tests for this universal entitlement.
The universal hours normally begin from the term after the child’s third birthday and continue until the child starts reception or reaches compulsory school age, subject to the applicable local arrangements.
Eligible 2-Year-Olds Receiving Extra Support
Some 2-year-olds can receive 15 hours per week through the Early Learning for 2-year-olds scheme. Eligibility may be based on qualifying benefits, household income or the child’s individual circumstances.
A child may qualify because they receive Disability Living Allowance, have an Education, Health and Care plan or have left care under a qualifying adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order.
Families receiving certain benefits may also qualify, subject to current income and savings rules. Because thresholds can change, parents should check with their local authority rather than relying only on an old eligibility figure.
Universal 3 And 4-Year-Old Offer
Available to all children of the relevant age in England, regardless of whether their parents are working.
Eligible 2-Year-Old Offer
Available where the family receives qualifying support or the child meets specified additional-needs criteria.
What About Working Parents?
Eligible working parents of children aged from 9 months to school starting age may qualify for up to 30 hours per week under the Free Childcare for Working Parents scheme.
For eligible 2-year-olds receiving extra support, the protected 15-hour entitlement can form part of a combined 30-hour package. The child may keep the extra-support entitlement even if the family later stops qualifying under the working-parent rules.
Is An Eligibility Code Needed?
Parents normally do not need a working-parent childcare code for the universal 15 hours available to all 3 and 4-year-olds. The nursery, preschool, school or childminder may instead ask for proof of the child’s identity, date of birth and home address.
Applications for the 2-year-old extra-support entitlement are usually handled through the local authority, Family Information Service or an approved eligibility-checking process.
Check 2-Year-Old EligibilityWhen Does 15 Hours Free Childcare Start?
Funded childcare does not usually begin on the child’s birthday. The normal starting point is the beginning of the next funding term after the child reaches the relevant age.
Typical Universal Entitlement Start Dates
| Child’s Third Birthday | Typical Earliest Funded Term |
|---|---|
| 1 April To 31 August | Autumn Term Beginning In September |
| 1 September To 31 December | Spring Term Beginning In January |
| 1 January To 31 March | Summer Term Beginning In April |
Exact term dates and administrative deadlines can differ between local authorities and childcare providers. Confirm the start date before relying on funded hours in a household budget.
Starting The 2-Year-Old Entitlement
Parents can normally apply close to the child’s second birthday. The funded place usually begins from the relevant term after the child turns two and eligibility has been confirmed.
Apply early enough for the local authority and provider to process the information. Being eligible does not guarantee that a preferred nursery or childminder has an immediate funded vacancy.
What Happens When A Child Starts School?
The early years entitlement generally ends when the child starts a reception place or becomes subject to compulsory school-age arrangements. Families needing care around school hours can investigate breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and registered childminders.
Changing Provider During A Term
Moving funded hours between providers may require notice and local authority approval. Funding may already have been claimed by the original provider for part of the term.
Before changing setting, ask both providers and the local authority how the remaining entitlement will be calculated. Do not assume that all unused hours can automatically transfer immediately.
Provider Fees, Sessions And Optional Extras
Funded childcare is not always delivered as a simple deduction of 15 hours from any schedule chosen by the parent. Providers can organise funded places around their session structure, opening hours, staffing and local funding agreement.
Session Restrictions
A nursery may offer funded hours within selected morning, afternoon or school-day sessions. It may limit the number of funded places available on particular days or require attendance across a minimum number of sessions.
Ask whether funded hours can be used during the times your family needs. A place that covers only part of the working day may still require privately paid wraparound hours.
Meals, Nappies And Consumables
Providers may ask families to pay for meals, snacks, nappies, suncream or other consumables. These should be presented transparently as optional extras rather than a hidden charge for accessing the funded hours.
Where a parent does not want to purchase an optional extra, the provider should discuss a reasonable alternative, such as bringing a packed meal or supplying suitable consumables.
Additional Childcare Hours
Hours booked beyond the funded entitlement can be charged at the provider’s normal private rate. The invoice should make it reasonably clear which hours are funded and which are privately purchased.
Deposits And Registration Fees
A provider may have general registration or deposit arrangements. Ask whether a deposit is refundable and whether it will be returned after the child takes up a funded place.
Questions To Ask The Provider
- Do you currently have a funded place available?
- Which days and sessions can include funded hours?
- Do you offer term-time and stretched arrangements?
- How many funded hours will appear on each invoice?
- What is the private rate for additional childcare?
- Which meals, activities or consumables are optional?
- Can parents provide an alternative instead of paying for extras?
- What happens to funded hours during absence or closure?
- What notice is required to change sessions or leave?
Using Tax-Free Childcare For Remaining Fees
Eligible families may be able to use Tax-Free Childcare for approved childcare fees remaining after funded hours. The scheme cannot create additional funded hours, but it may reduce the family’s cost for qualifying paid care.
Use the Tax-Free Childcare Calculator to estimate the top-up on eligible remaining childcare fees.
Related Free Childcare Guides
Continue planning your child’s funded place, provider schedule and remaining childcare costs.
15 Hours For 2-Year-Olds
Review extra-support eligibility for 2-year-olds and learn how to apply through your local authority.
Check 2-Year-Old Support →30 Hours Free Childcare
Estimate the expanded working-parent entitlement and compare term-time with stretched delivery.
Calculate 30 Hours →Nursery Cost Calculator
Estimate weekly, monthly and annual nursery fees after applying funded childcare hours.
Calculate Nursery Costs →Tax-Free Childcare Calculator
Estimate the government top-up available for approved childcare fees remaining after funded hours.
Estimate Your Top-Up →Choosing A Nursery
Compare funded-place delivery, opening hours, inspection information, contracts and additional fees.
Choose A Nursery →Childcare Financial Assistance
Explore government, employer and local support that may reduce the cost of approved childcare.
Explore Financial Help →15 Hours Free Childcare FAQs
Find answers to common questions about eligibility, annual hours, start dates, stretched funding and provider charges.
Calculate Your 15 Hours Free Childcare
Compare term-time and stretched funded hours, estimate remaining paid childcare and prepare a clearer annual nursery or childminder budget.
Use The Funded Hours Calculator