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Your 2 year old can get 15 hours a week of free childcare if:

• you live in England
• you or your child are eligible - you must get certain benefits or support

This is called Early Learning for 2 year olds.

You’ll get these 15 hours for 38 weeks of the year. You may be able to get free childcare for more than 38 weeks a year if you take fewer hours over more weeks.

The childcare must be provided by a registered provider, such as a registered nursery, playscheme or school. This is known as ‘approved childcare’.

There are:

Eligibility

You or your child are eligible for Early Learning for 2 year olds if any of the following apply:

• you get Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax (not including benefit payments)
• you get Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• you get the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• your child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan, also known as an EHCP
• your child gets Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• your child is in care (being looked after by your local authority)
• your child has left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order

Your benefits will not be affected if you take up Early Learning for 2 year olds.

If you’re a non-UK citizen who cannot claim benefits

If your immigration status says you cannot claim benefits, you may still get free childcare for your 2 year old.

Your household income after tax must be no more than:

• £26,500 for families outside of London with one child
• £34,500 for families within London with one child
• £30,600 for families outside of London with two or more children
• £38,600 for families within London with two or more children  

You cannot have more than £16,000 in savings or investments.

If you’re working

If you are eligible for Early Learning for 2 year olds and you work, you may qualify for an extra 15 hours of free childcare. Find out more about Free Childcare for Working Parents.

If you qualify for both schemes, apply for Early Learning for 2 year olds first.

Things you may have to pay for

Your childcare provider might ask you to pay for things like:

• food
• nappies
• extra hours
• activities or trips

These must be optional extras. If you do not want to pay for them, your provider should agree on an alternative with you.

You can still get the free childcare if you do not pay for any optional extras.

When to apply

You can apply close to the date of your child’s 2nd birthday.

When you can get your hours from will depend on when in the year your child turns 2 years old.

How to apply

To apply, you need to contact the early years team or Family Information Service at your local council.

Other help you may be able to get

If you or your child are not eligible for Early Learning for 2 year olds, you may be able to get:

• Free Childcare for Working Parents
• Tax-Free Childcare
• Universal Credit childcare