Help with childcare costs

If you are eligible for 15 hours for working parents and receive a code from HMRC, please get this code checked with a childcare provider as soon as possible. This is to ensure your code is valid and you can take up your funded place. You will also need to renew your code every 3 months through HMRC.

If you have a 2 year old, you may be eligible to receive up to 15 hours of childcare a week.

This is available to:

• working parents and will extend to 30 hours from September 2025
• parents receiving some form of government support

How childcare funding can help you and your child

These funding entitlements enable children to develop their early learning and childhood experiences and prepare them for school. It also enables their parents or caregivers to get back into work, education, or training.

When your child can start 

If eligible, your child can start their funded place from the term after their second birthday. See table below for further clarification.

When the 2 year old funding comes to an end in the term after your child’s third birthday, they will move automatically to 15 hours under the 3 & 4 year old funding which has no eligibility criteria. Working parents will get an additional 15 hours, totalling 30 hours if they are eligible for it.

See 3 and 4 year old childcare funding.

The funding hours explained

Parents eligible for 15 hours a week can get this over 38 weeks in the year, up to a maximum of 570 hours a year. It is common for a place to be delivered over 3 days a week where each session lasts for 5 hours. Alternatively, over 5 days a week where each session lasts for 3 hours.

The funding is flexible, and some providers may offer the 'stretched entitlement'. This means a child can attend for less hours a week but across more weeks during the year, including some holidays.

The childcare provider you register your child with will discuss with you how you can access your funded hours.

What is not covered

Meals, consumables (such as nappies and cream), activities, trips, additional hours are not covered under the scheme, and your provider may charge for these.

Before your child starts their funded place, you will need to sign a contract, also known as a ‘Parental Declaration Form’ with your childcare provider. Here any charges should be made clear and agreed upon before you take up your funded place.

Where you can access a place

This depends on whether you are a Hammersmith and Fulham (H&F) resident or not, and whether you are trying to access a place within or outside the borough.

H&F residents

If you are a H&F resident, you can access a place with an Ofsted registered nursery, preschool or childminder in the borough who has signed up with us to be part of the scheme.

However, if you would like to access a place in another borough, you will need to speak with them to see if this is possible and if so, the process you will need to follow. Some council’s and providers may prioritise places for families living in their own boroughs.

Non-H&F residents

If you are not a H&F resident but would like to access a place in our borough, first speak with the childcare provider you are interested in to see if this is possible.

We will need to check your eligibility even if this has already been checked and confirmed by your own council. This is because H&F will pay for the place and so we need to carry out our own checks.

Working parents

Applications for working parents are managed by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). If your child secures a place in H&F, the H&F early years team will liaise with your childcare provider to fund that place.

Eligibility criteria for working parents

To be eligible for 15 hours for working parents, you and any partner you live with

• must each expect to work at least 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage
• cannot earn more than £100,000 each a year

If you, or any partner, are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, or you're unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities, you could still be eligible.

See Check you're eligible for free childcare if you're working on GOV.UK

Make an application as a working parent

You will need to apply through HMRC to obtain an eligibility code which you must then give to the registered Hammersmith & Fulham childcare provider you would like to use. Please ask your childcare provider to check the code is valid when they receive it. They should not wait to check it when your child starts as you may lose your place. 

To apply you will need your national insurance number (or unique taxpayer reference if you are self-employed), the date you started or are due to start work, details of any government support or benefits you receive and the UK birth certificate reference number (if you have one) for your child.

Apply for 2 year old funding on GOV.UK if you are working

Please note if you are: 

• a foster carer, there is a separate application process to obtain a code. Speak to your social worker to find out more
• applying for a place for September 2024 and will be starting a new job before the end of September call HMRC on 0300 123 4097 to receive a code.

HMRC set application deadlines for each term. It is advised you apply no later than 6 weeks before the start of a new term, to allow for any issues with codes coming through.

Furthermore, each term Hammersmith & Fulham set a ‘headcount date’ and your child will need to be registered and attending by that date, otherwise they may have to wait until the following term to start their place. The childcare provider can advise you of the headcount date for the current or upcoming term.

Parents receiving some form of government support

Applications for parents receiving some form of government support is managed by the H&F early years team. Applications should only be made to us by H&F residents or those who would like a place in H&F

Eligibility criteria for parents who receive some form of government support

If you receive any of the following benefits you may be eligible:

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

Alternatively, if any of the following applies to your child:

• is looked after by a local authority
• has a statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• receives Disability Living Allowance
• has left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order.

If your immigration status says you have ‘no recourse to public funds’, you may still get 15 hours for your 2 year old. You must live in England and your household income must be no more than:

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

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

Make an application as a parent who receives some form of government support

Parents receiving some form of government support will need to make an application through the H&F parent portal. Please note you will not be able to apply until your child reaches 21 months of age.

Apply for 2 year old funding through H&F if you receive government support

Please note, each term H&F set a ‘headcount date’ and your child will need to be registered and attending by that date, otherwise they may have to wait until the following term to start their place. The childcare provider can advise you of the headcount date for the current or upcoming term.

Parents who are eligible for both 2 year old funding schemes

Some parents may find they are eligible for 2 year old funding for working parents and those receiving some form of government support. This does not entitle you to an additional 15 hours. Your entitlement will remain at 15 hours.

It is advised you inform your provider and accept the 15 hours from H&F for parents receiving some form of government support, where your eligibility will remain for the full duration of the 2 year old funding. With this, you will not need to give the code from HMRC to your childcare provider and subsequently not need to renew it every 3 months.

Additional schemes for working parents

In addition to claiming 15 hours funding, you may be able to access further schemes, to help pay for additional hours or services from your childcare provider.

• Tax-Free Childcare on GOV.UK 
• Universal Credit childcare costs on GOV.UK (if you claim Universal Credit)

Students

If you are a student, you may be able to receive support with your childcare costs from the government, your school, sixth form, college, university or training provider. 

See Help with childcare costs while you study

Help identifying what you can get and when

To find out what childcare schemes you can access now, and in the future, you can use the eligibility checker on the Childcare Choices website. You will also be able sign up to receive updates on how and when to apply for support with your childcare costs. 

Contact details

For working parents

If you have a question about applying for 15 hours if you are working, or to discuss a problem you may have with your eligibility code given by HMRC contact the Childcare service helpline on GOV.UK .

For parents receiving some form of government support

If you receive some form of government support and have a question about a new or current application you have made or would like to make through Hammersmith and Fulham, email our early years funding officers at felista.aloo@lbhf.gov.uk and danila.pykhanov@lbhf.gov.uk