Three-week warning for thousands of parents to apply for free childcare code – or risk missing out on £2,000 of help

THOUSANDS of parents should be aware of a fast-approaching deadline to apply for free childcare.

Parents of young children can get access to support such as free hours at nursery by applying for a childcare code.

How much you get can depend on how much Universal Credit you receive and your income or a partner’s.

Eligible parents could get up to £500 every three months — a total of £2,000 per year — per child to help with care such as nurseries and after-school clubs.

Parents who are keen to cash in on the support are now being reminded of a three-week deadline to apply for a code that gives access to the help.

The cut-off point to apply for government childcare support starting from January 2025 is December 31.

The Department of Education is encouraging people to use its “Childcare Choices” tool which shows parents how much support they can get.

After checking their eligibility, they can then apply by visiting the gov.uk website.

Parents will then receive a code to give to their childcare provider.

They will need to reconfirm their details every three months on their gov.uk childcare account to continue to receive government support.

Mia Fulgher, a Nursery Manager at Meadow View Nursery in Hertfordshire, said people should “take the time ” to find the childcare support that fits their family.

“The offers available have expanded, so families who weren’t eligible earlier this year might be now.”

She added: “Check your eligibility and apply for your childcare code by the December 31 deadline to secure support from January.”

It’s worth noting that how much you receive depends on your income and the types of benefits you receive.

For example, working parents of children aged nine months to four years and some non-working parents of 2-year-olds can get 15 hours per week for 38 weeks a year.

Some parents receiving support like Universal Credit or whose child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan can also access 15 hours for their 2-year-old.

CHANGES TO FREE CHILDCARE

From September 2025, children aged nine months to two years old will get 30 hours per week of free childcare.

To qualify, you’ll need to earn at least the equivalent of the national minimum wage for 16 hours a week.

Both parents will need to earn the equivalent of at least £166 per week, each with a taxable income of no more than £100,000. 

Your two-year-old can also get free childcare if you live in England and get any 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

Parents on Universal Credit and in a paid job can also have up to 85% of their childcare costs covered, up to £1,014.63 a month for one child and £1,739.37 a month for two or more children.

It doesn’t matter how many hours you work.

WHAT OTHER SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE TO PARENTS?

If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under four, you may be able to get help to buy healthy food and milk.

Families on Universal Credit can apply online if their take-home pay is £408 or less from employment.

If you get Child Tax Credit, you may be eligible for Healthy Start if:

• your family’s annual income is £16,190 or less
• you do not get Working Tax Credit

You can check out the full list of support by clicking the link here.