Funded childcare for eligible working parents, including those of foster children
In working families meeting certain criteria, children aged from 9 months old to 5 years are entitled to up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week, for up to 38 weeks a year (a maximum of 1140 hours a year, which can be stretched over more weeks), from the funding period after they become 9 months old. Funded childcare will end when a child starts in Reception at a maintained school or academy.
All 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds are entitled to up to 15 hours of funded early education or childcare a week, for up to 38 weeks a year (a maximum of 570 hours a year, which can be stretched over more weeks), from the funding period after they become 3 years old. This is called the universal entitlement. Eligible working families with 3 and 4 year olds will be entitled to up to 15 hours in additional to the Early Years Entitlement. More information can be found on Early Years entitlement for parents page.
Do I need to offer the full working family entitlement?
Parents can access their entitlement at up to 3 providers, so you don’t have to be able to offer the full working family entitlement to be able to claim.
Do I need to register?
You need to register with Somerset Council to offer funded childcare places.
To register, please email eyfunding@somerset.gov.uk. The Entitlements Team will advise you on the process.
Eligibility for the working parents entitlement
Working parents will need to meet the following criteria to be eligible for up to 30 hours a week of funded childcare:
- Each parent earns or expects to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming 3 months. Please visit Check you are eligible for free childcare if you are working page for full eligibility criteria.
This means parents don’t have to actually work for 16 hours a week but must earn at least the equivalent wage.
Who will not qualify
Families will not meet the criteria when:
- either parent has an income of more than £100,000
- one parent is not in paid work
- either parent is a non-EEA national and subject to immigration control (and has no recourse to public funds)
How parents apply (except for children in foster care)
Parents apply for the working families entitlement through the Best Start in Life website or by phoning HMRC on 0300 123 4097. Parents will need to set up and sign in to their government gateway account.
Parents should apply around a month before the funding period their child will become eligible, but no later than the day before the funding period starts. They will receive an 11 digit code, confirming their eligibility, from HMRC. These codes must be reconfirmed to ensure continuing eligibility. If parents apply for a code too early, they will need to ensure they reconfirm the code for it to be eligible.
To can apply for the working families entitlement hours, parents will need:
- their National Insurance Number, and their partner’s National Insurance Number (if applicable)
- their child’s legal name and correct date of birth
- a government gateway account
How parents apply for children in foster care
Children in foster care will be eligible if:
- accessing the extended hours is consistent with the child’s care plan, and
- where there is a single foster parent family, the foster parent is engaging in paid work outside their role as a foster parent, or
- when there are two foster parents in the same fostering household, both are engaging in paid work outside their role as foster parent
The offer for foster carers is by an application processed by the Local Authority, and not through the Best Start in life website. More details and an application from can be found here: Funded childcare for working parents
Foster carers should talk to their social worker so they can discuss whether the offer will fit into the child’s care plan.
If they are successful, they will receive an 11-digit code starting with 4, generated by the LA, which lasts for 3 months. They will still need to give their written consent for checking and validating their code before being offered a place.
Validating codes
How do I verify a code?
Codes are verified via the online code checker on the portal. If you do not yet have a login or password, please contact the Entitlements Team for a registration form. All codes must be validated using the online checker (before confirming a space) and you will need:
- the 11-digit eligibility code
- the child’s name and date of birth
- the parent’s name and their National Insurance Number
You must have written consent from the parent to run this check. There is no need to send in a copy of your consent form. You must retain any consent forms for future records. An example copy of a consent form can be found in the Download section below.
Once a child has an eligibility code that starts with a 5, as long as the parent reconfirms on time, that child’s code should remain the same until the child starts school. The family will not be given a new code when the child turns 2, 3 or 4.
A code starting with a 1 is a temporary code. As long as the family remain eligible, this code should be replaced at a later date with a code starting with a 5. All these codes are issued by HMRC, not Somerset Council.
When can parents start using working family entitlement hours
- If the child’s birthday (or date they become 9 months) falls between: 1 September to 31 December
- Parents need to apply, get a code and contact their childcare provider before: 31 December
- Once a place is confirmed parents can start using their working family hours from: 1 January (Spring)
- If the child’s birthday (or date they become 9 months) falls between: 1 January to 31 March
- Parents need to apply, get a code and contact their childcare provider before:31 March
- Once a place is confirmed parents can start using their working family hours from: 1 April (Summer)
- If the child’s birthday (or date they become 9 months) falls between: 1 April to 31 August
- Parents need to apply, get a code and contact their childcare provider before: 31 August
- Once a place is confirmed parents can start using their working family hours from: 1 September (Autumn)
If a parent becomes eligible after the start of a funding period, they must wait until the following period to access their working families entitlement place.
To be able to use their working family entitlement they will need to have made a successful application and received a code by the deadlines given. If the parent misses the deadline, they cannot use the working family funded hours.
Three and four year olds will still be able to use the universal hours. For example, if a parent does not apply and receive a code by 31 August deadline they cannot use their working family hours in September and will need to wait until 1 January.
Transferring to a new provider
If a child is moved to a new provider, the parent must give their code to the new provider to ensure there are no changes to their eligibility. They will not be able to claim the working family entitlement if they start at a provider after the end date of the code.
Parents must also give the new provider details of hours claimed at the previous provider. Parents will need to complete a new parent’s declaration form as well with their new provider.
What happens if a parent reconfirms and is no longer eligible
If a parent is no longer eligible for the working family entitlement, they will enter a grace period where they may be able to retain their childcare place for a short period of time.
They will not be able to claim the working family entitlement if they start at a provider when they are already in their grace period.
If the grace period has expired and they have not met the eligibility criteria again, parents of 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds would only be able to access the universal entitlement (15 hours a week for 38 weeks or 570 hours per year). Parents of younger children will have to pay for any childcare used. They can reapply for the working family hours if they meet the eligibility criteria again in the future.
Parents’ entitlement to the working family hours will stop when their child:
- reaches compulsory school age
- attends a reception place in a state-funded school or academy
If parents are no longer eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, they can still use the money in their account (including the top-up they accrued while they were eligible) to pay their provider. They can also continue to use their account to pay their provider in future, but they won’t get the government top-up.
Early Learning for 2-year-olds funding
Some families will qualify for both the early learning and the working families entitlement. In this instance, families will receive 570 hours early learning entitlement and 570 hours working families entitlement per year. The early learning entitlement must be claimed first.
