Earliest Start Date:

Working Families MUST have a valid HMRC code to claim the funding:

Visit the Best Start in Life Parent Hub for more information about the entitlements and the support available to families to pay childcare fees.

Families must receive a qualifying benefit, or their child meets certain non-benefit criteria to receive this funding. It is available from the start of the claim period following the child's second birthday.

The criteria can be found here - Eligibility for Early Learning for 2 year olds (Best Start in Life)

The Entitlement is for eligible working families of children aged 9 months to 4 years.

Accessing these entitlements will depend on:

• a child’s age and circumstances
  
• whether the parent/carer is working (employed, self-employed, or a director)
  
• their income (and partner’s income if they have one)
  
• and immigration status
  

All 3 and 4 year olds can receive up to 15 hours of funded childcare a week, to a maximum of 570 over three claim periods.

Providers can offer the entitlement “stretched” where less funded hours are taken over more weeks.

Families will no longer be able to claim the entitlement once their child starts in a stated funded reception class or reaches compulsory school age.