2-Year-Old Childcare Funding for Families Receiving Additional Support (FRAS)

If you wish to apply for the 30 hours working entitlement for children aged 9 months to 5 years, please scroll to the bottom of this page for further information.

Your 2-year-old could get up to 15 hours free childcare if you get any of the following

• Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

2-year-olds can also get free childcare if they:

• are looked after by a local authority
  
• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• get Disability Living Allowance
• have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order

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

If your immigration status says you have ‘no recourse to public funds’, you may still get free childcare for your 2-year-old. You must live in England and your household income must be no more than:

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

Working Families

Eligible working families can apply for 30 hours of childcare to use from the term after their child turns 9 months until they reach school age.

Foster Carers

Foster carers can apply for 30 hours of childcare to use from the term after their child turns 9 months until they reach school age, if the following criteria are met:

• That accessing the extended hours is consistent with the child’s care plan, placing the child at the centre of the process and decision making, AND

• In single parent foster families, the foster parent engages in paid work outside their role as a foster parent. OR

• In two parent foster families, both partners engage in paid work outside their role as a foster parent. If one partner is not a foster parent, then they must be in qualifying paid work and earn a minimum of the equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum/national living wage