Eligibility criteria for working parents for children aged 9 months to 3 years
Expanded and extended hours funding
To be eligible to receive, expanded or extended hours funding, you (or your partner) must have a National Insurance number and at least one of the following:
- British or Irish citizenship - settled or pre-settled status or you have applied, and you are waiting for a decision, or you have permission to access public funds - your UK residence card will highlight this.
Your income
Over the next three months, you and your partner (if you have one) must each expect to earn at least:
- £2,380 before tax if you’re aged 21 or over (This is equivalent £183 per week)
- £1,788 before tax if you’re aged 18 to 20 (This is equivalent to £137 per week)
- £1,331 before tax if you’re under 18 or an apprentice (equivalent to £102 per week)
These figures represent the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average.
You can use an average of how much you expect to earn over the current tax year if:
- you work throughout the year but do not get paid regularly
- you’re self-employed and do not expect to earn enough in the next three months
You will not be eligible for expanded or extended hours funding if:
- You or your partner have an expected ‘adjusted net income’ over £100,000 in the current tax year. This includes any bonuses you expect to get
- Your adjusted net income is your total taxable income before any personal allowances and deductions such as Gift Aid.
To determine eligibility for these additional hours, a parent will need to apply and receive a unique code from HMRC via the Government’s Online Childcare Service.