The free childcare during term time is available for eligible working parents who apply for a code through a form completed on the Government website.
Once you receive a code, you can claim your childcare straight away for September.
It takes around 20 minutes to apply, according to Gov.uk, and while it usually confirms your eligibility immediately, in more complex cases, it can take up to a week to do so.
For 38 weeks of the year, the deal offers:
- Up to 15 hours of free childcare per week if your child is between nine months old and three years old
- Up to 30 hours of childcare per week if your child is three or four years old
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For the 15-hour option, you can apply when your child is 23 weeks (around five months) old and you need to open a childcare account.
For older children, the 30 hours of Government-funded care can be claimed when your child is aged two years and 36 weeks old.
You will need to check with your childcare provider for the exact date when the care starts, and you also need to reconfirm your details using your childcare account every three months. Reminders to do so will be emailed to you before each term.
Returning to work?
If you are planning to return from maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, or adoption leave by the end of September, you can still claim your child’s free care before the 31 August deadline.
This is also the case if you are starting a new job by the end of September.
Meanwhile, if you are a director of a company, you’ll need to provide details of your pay for the next three months that include bank statements, invoice copies, wage slips and a statement from your accountant.
Also, if you have a partner, you must include them in your application if you’re:
- Married or in a civil partnership and living together
- Not married or in a civil partnership, but living together as though you are
- Applicants in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will need to sign up using the devolved schemes on offer
However, you cannot both claim for a code for the same child.
