Free childcare in Waltham Forest
Council links and deadlines for funded hours in Waltham Forest, checked against the council’s own website.
- Working parents (from 9 months)
- Apply on GOV.UK for an 11-digit code and give it to your provider; re-confirm every 3 months. Apply on GOV.UK
- 2-year-olds with extra support
- Apply through the council. The council page explains who to contact; no separate online form was found. Apply
- All 3 and 4-year-olds (15 hours)
- No application to the council: speak to your chosen provider.
Waltham Forest Childcare Information Service (childcare team)
The council page includes a table showing how stretching 30 hours over more than 38 weeks reduces the weekly hours (for example 22 hours 22 minutes a week over 52 weeks, as the council's table states). The page's Universal Credit childcare amounts are out of date; GOV.UK has the current limits.
Checked against the council website on 22 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply for free childcare in Waltham Forest?
Funded hours for working parents are applied for through the government’s Childcare Service, which gives you a code to take to your provider. The universal 15 hours for 3 and 4-year-olds needs no code: ask your provider. Your provider then claims the funding from Waltham Forest council. Waltham Forest council explains its own process on its website.
Which settings in Waltham Forest offer funded places?
Many of the 139 settings we list in Waltham Forest offer funded hours, but not all, and some limit the number of funded places. Ask each setting directly.
