From September 2025

Eligible working parents of children from 9 months to school age will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare a week.

Like the existing offer, depending on your provider, these hours can be used over 38 weeks of the year (during school term time), or up to 52 weeks if you use fewer than your total hours per week. At Smart steps we also offer stretched availability, you can stretch your funding over the year and claim 22 hours per week

 

To be eligible for the 30 hours funding in the UK, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must be a working parent (both parents or one parent in a single-parent household) and earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage. 
   
• You and your partner must each earn less than £100,000 annually. 
   
• You must have a National Insurance Number. 
   
• You can also qualify if you or your partner are on maternity/paternity/adoption leave, unable to work due to disability, or plan to return to work within 31 days of your application. 
   
  
  For more detailed information, you can refer to the official government website. 

 

Apply for free childcare if you're working - GOV.UK