The Government’s New 15 Hours Free Childcare For Two-Year-Olds Scheme Is Here

Starting this month, two-year-olds with eligible working parents will be allowed 15 hours free childcare a week. This is part of the government's new childcare offering announced last year, which Jeremy Hunt described as the 'biggest transformation in childcare in my lifetime.'

However, the Labour Party has accused the Conservatives of having a 'childcare pledge without a plan,' as it said families are still struggling to access places. Labour pointed to Ofsted data that suggests the number of childcare places fell by more than 1,000 between March and December last year, ahead of an anticipated increase in demand for places. Meanwhile, the Conservative party have defended the rollout. Rishi Sunak called it a 'positive and exciting moment', while Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said 150,000 families had already registered.

Naturally, this has left lots of questions around the scheme. Can your two-year-old get 15 hours free childcare? How many hours is your two-year-old entitled to? How much will the funding reduce your childcare bill? And will all nurseries have to offer the 15 free hours? What happens you missed the deadline?

Some questions are easier to answer than others, but here's our run-down on everything you need to know if you're wondering 'Can my two-year-old get 15 hours free childcare?'

Can my two-year-old get 15 hours free childcare?

Under plans announced by the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in March last year, from April 2024, children over the age of two will be eligible to apply for 15 hours free childcare a week if their parents are eligible for the scheme. From September 2024 the 15 hours will be extended to children from nine months old. And from September 2025, all children under five and over nine months will be entitled to 30 hours a week - the offering that is currently available to children the term after they turn three.

Am I eligible for the 15 hours free childcare for two-year-olds?

The offering is along the same lines of the current 30 hours offering - put simply, for working parents, 38 weeks of the year, if neither of the parents earns below £8,670 (the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage) or above £100,000 (adjusted net income per year).

What if I'm self-employed, on benefits or maternity leave? Am I eligible for the free hours for two-year-olds?

There are different income levels for those of different ages, there are allowances for parental leave and for those on certain benefits and the self-employed or those without a regular income. You can read a detailed list of who is eligible based on different incomes here.

Can I get the 15 hours free childcare for two-year-olds if me or my partner earns more than £100,000?

No - however, some people who earn around the threshold may find ways to make sure they still can. The government states that neither parent can earn over £100,000 adjusted net income. That means that certain types of income don't count to that figure, such as dividends, interest, income from investing in property and pension payments.

Will my nursery provide 15 free hours childcare for two-year-olds?

After announcing the plans last year, parents are getting their first glimpse of how the plan might roll out - though campaigners warned that childcare providers still didn't have the information on funding they needed to let parents know if it was going to be possible to provide the hours or not.

Many parents on social media have already told The Juggle their nursery have told them they are not financially able to provide the free hours.

Critics of the plans say the government hasn't provided enough money or plans to childcare providers, who are already closing under pressure and financial losses at an alarming rate. According to figures from the ONS, the number of providers fell by 4,000 between March 2021 and March 2022.

How much less will my childcare bill be if I'm eligible for the 15 free hours?

It's also worth noting, as anyone who has had the 30-free hours for three-year-olds offering previously, the discount might be less than you think. The hours apply term-time, so over 38 weeks, so your nursery may pro-rata them over the year. Some nurseries will only include the hours on certain days, or depending on how many days your child is in nursery a week. And there will still be costs like nappies and food which the nursery will charge for separately.

There's no set rule for how nurseries apply the free hours, so you'll need to discuss it with your childcare provider.

When do I need to register for 15 hours free childcare for two-year olds?

Applications for 15 hours free childcare for two-year-olds from April 2024 closed on 31 March.

This is the first of many benefits being rolled out by the government, in the hope of getting more parents back to work. Working Families has outlined the timeline for the expanded childcare scheme for eligible families.

When can I apply for the 15 free hours for two-year-olds?

Applications for 15 free hours for two-year-olds starting in April 2024 are now closed. Applications are now open for eligible working parents whose children will be 2 or older by the 31 August to receive 15 hours childcare, starting from September 2024.

There are more details on the official government website. Earlier this year, there was word that the site was crashing as parents loged on to find out more and register. We logged on earlier this year, and found the childcare account portal to be extremely slow.

How do I apply for 15 free hours free childcare for two-year-olds?

You can go to the government's Childcare Choices site and register for more information. But if you already have a Childcare service account that you use to pay for your childcare - the one that gives you the tax-free childcare account top ups - for this child or any other child, log in and you can apply there.

In the childcare account, some parents are saying they have already received their code - either in their 'secure messages' tab or under the option 'free childcare for working parents'. Some parents have said the details will come once you do your next reconfirmation.

What happens if I miss the deadline for 15 hours free childcare for two-year olds?

For each term, there is a government-suggested application window - for April 2024, this window ended on 28 February. 'This is because if you apply outside of these recommended dates you might not receive your code in time. You must have a valid code by the end of the month before a new term starts - in this case it is 31 March,' says Mandy Jackson, Rights Adviser at Working Families.

She adds that, in theory, as long as parents apply before the end of the month their child is due to start, then their eligibility code should be valid for the term - even if they don't actually receive it until after the term starts. 'They can't take up their place though until they've received their code and their childcare provider or local authority has verified it. If this is after the term has started their childcare provider may not have any places left available and they'll either have to try to find a childcare provider who can offer a place or wait until the next term,' she says.

How much is two-year-old funding per hour?

National average hourly rates paid by the government will be £11.22 for under 2s, £8.28 for 2-year-olds, and £5.88 for 3 and 4-year-olds from April.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: 'Our fantastic childcare offer is going to start supporting eligible families in less than 6 months’ time, and I want to make sure that parents and providers are prepared.

'From April next year, eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of government-funded childcare a week, making sure parents no longer have to choose between a career and a family, and doubling down on this government’s commitment to getting more people into work and growing the economy.

'I know the delivery of this transformation is no easy task, which is why I am pushing ahead with increased funding rates across the country and up to £1,200 for new childminders, knocking down barriers to recruiting and retaining the talented staff that provide such wonderful care for our children.'

What do campaigners say about the new childcare plans?

Pregnant Then Screwed are amongst the groups who have raised concerns about the plans.

Founder Joeli Brearley said: 'On the surface, that parents can now apply for nursery spaces seems like a huge win - but sadly this is as useful as a chocolate teapot if nurseries aren't in the loop on funding and can't actually offer these spaces.

'The reality is that nurseries will unlikely have received their hourly funding rate - and until they do these spaces simply won't exist. This will be hugely frustrating to parents - many of whom are putting their careers on hold, or holding off on having children due to the cost and lack of availability of childcare. But nurseries are stuck between a rock and a hard place and the government needs to recognise this urgently.'

Rhiannon Evans is Senior Editor at Grazia - she launched and runs Grazia’s parenting platform The Juggle. The unique community is a place for parenting advice, laughs and discussion - and constantly campaigns for working parents. Rhiannon led The Juggle’s partnership with Pregnant Then Screwed, which called for Childcare Change Now - more than 100,000 parents signed a petition calling on the government to review childcare in the UK. She is the proud owner of two Tonieboxes and an unknown number of tonies...