Funding is available for up 30 hours a week, term time only, from the beginning of the term following the child reaching 9 months. For two parent families both parents must work, and there is a lower and an upper earnings limit.
Applications are made through the Gov.uk website. Parents will receive a ‘Funding Code’ – a 12 digit number which needs to be given to nursery to access the funding.
For families not entitled to Working families funding, there may be an option to receive 15 hours a week, term time only, from the term after the child’s second birthday. This is for families where parents cannot work, or who earn too little to qualify for working family funding.
Applications are though the website of Local Authority of the address of the nursery, irrespective of the address of the child. Thus for Birtley and Wrekenton Nurseries it is through gateshead.gov.uk, and Dream Big it is through durham.gov.uk. Parents will receive a letter of entitlement, which needs to be given to nursery to access the funding.
University students do not normally qualify for any funding until their child reaches age 3 and then then are entitled to 15 hours a week only from the term after they reach 3. But they can get help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through the University Childcare Grant scheme. Parents should speak to their chosen nursery and their course tutor about this.
Some families might be able to claim up to 85% of their childcare costs, or additional childcare costs, through Universal Credit, and nursery will supply the necessary invoices and receipts.
Tax-free childcare is a Government scheme where working parents can ‘sacrifice’ some of their salary each month, which means they pay less tax. The amount sacrificed goes into the parents’ tax-free childcare account.
In addition, for every £10 ‘sacrificed’ this way the Government will add £2 making it an attractive saving overall. It is then the parent’s responsibility to pay the nursery from this account. Further details can be found on the Gov.uk website. Please note that the Tax-free childcare reference number is not the same as the Funding Code.