The Application Process for Working Parents

To apply for 30 hours government funded childcare, you can sign into your account here.   

www.gov.uk/sign-in-childcare-account

You’ll need your Government Gateway user ID to login.  

You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. When you can get your hours from will depend on the date your child turns 9 months old.  

If you want to get 30 hours from September 2025, then you will need to apply by 31 August. You should speak to your provider to confirm you can use your full 30 hours from September.  

What do I need to do if I’m already claiming 15 hours of funded childcare as a working parent?  

If you’re already claiming 15 hours and you work at least 16 hours a week, you can keep reconfirming as normal and if you’re still eligible, it will automatically be updated to 30 hours.  

You’ll need to confirm your details are up to date in the usual way and give the code to your childcare provider once you have agreed with them how you would like to use your 30 hours entitlement. You need to agree how many hours you are using from September, which days and billing, terms and conditions with your childcare provider.  

It’s important to remember that codes need to be reconfirmed every three months, so parents applying any time before 1 June may need to reconfirm before taking up their offer, starting in September 2025.