A 2-year-old in England can get free childcare in two different ways, and a family can qualify for both. Which one applies depends on your income support, your child’s circumstances and whether you work. The two routes are applied for in different places, so it helps to know which you need.
Route 1: Early Learning for 2-year-olds (extra support)
This is the benefits-based offer, sometimes called the “disadvantaged 2-year-old” entitlement. Councils use local names for it, such as Busy2s in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea or Together for Twos in Greenwich.
What you get: 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year, 570 hours a year. You can take fewer hours over more weeks if your provider offers it.
Who qualifies: you live in England and your 2-year-old can get the hours if you receive any of the following:
- Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax (not counting benefit payments)
- Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
Or if your child:
- is looked after by a local authority
- has an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- gets Disability Living Allowance
- has left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or child arrangements order
Some councils also list Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit with a household income of £16,190 or less before tax. Check your council’s page.
If you are not a UK citizen and your immigration status means you have no recourse to public funds, your child may still qualify if your household income after tax is no more than £34,500 for one child in London (or £38,600 for two or more children) and you have no more than £16,000 in savings or investments. The thresholds are lower outside London.
Taking up the offer does not affect your benefits.
How to apply: through your council’s early years team or Family Information Service, not through GOV.UK. Many boroughs have an online form or parent portal. See our borough funding pages for each council’s route.
Route 2: 30 hours for working parents
Working parents of a 2-year-old can get 30 hours a week under the same scheme as older and younger children, as long as they meet the work and income rules. You apply on GOV.UK, get an 11-digit code and give it to your provider. Everything is in 30 hours free childcare.
If you qualify for both
Apply to your council for the extra-support hours first. The funded hours are then added together: the first 15 hours come from Early Learning for 2-year-olds, and you can also take 15 hours from the working-parent entitlement, up to 30 hours in total. If you are a working parent who does not qualify for the extra-support route, you can still claim the 30 hours.
When the hours start
Free hours start in the term after your child’s second birthday. Terms start on 1 January, 1 April and 1 September.
| Second birthday between | Hours can start from |
|---|---|
| 1 January and 31 March | 1 April |
| 1 April and 31 August | 1 September |
| 1 September and 31 December | 1 January |
GOV.UK says you can apply close to your child’s second birthday. Some councils accept applications earlier, so that a place is ready on time. For example, Camden’s page says families can apply from 18 months and Kensington and Chelsea’s from 20 months. Check your council before you apply, because a code issued by one council may only be usable at providers in that borough. Bromley, for instance, says its Early Learning for 2-year-olds code cannot be used in another borough.
If your child is accepted onto the scheme and starts at a provider, they can keep their funded place until they become eligible for the universal 3-year-old hours, even if your circumstances change.
Quality rules for funded 2-year-old places
Councils are not required to fund 2-year-old places at providers whose latest Ofsted inspection gives certain low grades. For inspections under Ofsted’s current framework (from 10 November 2025) this includes a grade of ‘needs attention’ or below for leadership and governance, or a safeguarding outcome of ‘not met’. For earlier inspections, a legacy grade of ‘requires improvement’ or below for overall effectiveness has the same effect. For the other funded offers the threshold is lower: ‘urgent improvement’ in leadership and governance, safeguarding ‘not met’, or a legacy ‘inadequate’. This is for the council’s arrangements, not a reason to rule a setting out: see Ofsted report cards and how to check a nursery.
What may still cost money
Funded hours should be free. Meals, nappies, optional trips and extra hours can be charged, but only as optional extras. Providers should not charge top-up fees or non-refundable deposits as a condition of a funded place. Ask for the charges in writing before your child starts.
Questions
Who is eligible for free childcare for 2-year-olds?
Families who get certain benefits (such as Universal Credit with household income of £15,400 or less after tax), and children who are looked after, have an EHC plan, get Disability Living Allowance, or have left care by adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order. Working parents can claim 30 hours separately.
How do I apply for free childcare for a 2-year-old?
For the extra-support route, apply to your local council through its early years team or Family Information Service. For the working-parent hours, apply on GOV.UK.
Do I have to be working to get free childcare at 2?
No. The extra-support route is for families on certain benefits or whose child has specific needs, whether or not they work. Working parents have a separate 30-hour entitlement.
Is free childcare for 2-year-olds term time only?
By default, yes: 38 weeks a year. A provider that is open all year can spread the hours over more weeks, giving fewer free hours each week.
