Nursery hours?

You can see what you’re eligible for on the government website, it is changing to 15hrs free from 9 months old in September 2025. x

The 15 hours funded for 9 month olds came in Sept 2024, my daughter has this now. It then goes up to 30 hours for 9 month olds in Sept 2025. So your little one will get the 15 funded hours until the 30 come in September 😊

Check your eligibility on the gov.uk website. Remember you'll need a nursery place confirmed before you can use any funded hours though and waiting lists can be long. Definitely think of it as funded rather than free as there'll always be something to pay. The amount the government give doesn't cover the costs.

If you're working and earn over a certain amount then you'll be eligible for 15 funded hours. This will be from the term starting on or after 1st January if you return to work before 30th January, or from the term starting on or after 1st April if you return to work before 30th April. From September, this will increase to 30 funded hours. The hours are term time only, so it is less than 15/30 hours a week if its spread across the whole year. Nurseries can also set fixed core/funded hours, so the nursery my LG will go to is funded hours between 9am-3pm (so she'll have 2½ funded days to start) whereas another we looked at had a slightly higher daily rate but you could use the hours any time they were open (so could've done 1½ funded days of 7.30am-5.30pm).

@Bec my little one is 15 months and I can’t get the 15 hours from this September, job centre told me I can’t get anything at all until Sep 2025

@Amy the new extended funded hours are for working parents earning at least the equivalent of 16hrs a week at national minimum wage. So if you're earning less than that or not working then that's correct, it won't be until they're 2 because it's a different scheme.

@Amy it could be to do with how many hours you work. I work full time so my daughter has been eligible for it since September 24. Might be worth asking?

So it’s currently 15 hrs for 9 months plus and 30 hours for 3 year olds. But that is term time only so if you want all year round it works out a just over 11 hours a week.

@Bec thank you, I’ll defo check, I’m stuck with 20 hours a week part time as my partners does 12 hours a day and he can’t make the nursery pick ups😭

@Carys I am working part time to try and make nursery pick ups without relying on family, I do 20 hours and could really do with working more😭I just can’t afford the extra nursery days the 15 hours would be so helpful I’m not sure why I can’t get it

@Amy you should do then. You could always apply, worse case they say no.

So they don’t get 30 hours until they are 3 years of age , come September 30 hours I what will be allowed for those with 3 year olds not babies. Babies get just 15hrs

@Bec that’s what I thought but it’s not true I got told about September my 9 month old will be 1 and a half and still just 15 hrs, this is why I’m deciding if I should go back to work or not, 30 hours would help 15 hours makes hardly any difference atall

@Abbey my currently 9 month old will be eligible for 30 hours next September, so unless you're not earning within the threshold or not working then yoirs should be too. If you're eligible for the 15hrs from 9 months old for working parents then you'll be eligible when it extends to 30 hours from 9 months old for working parents.

@Abbey it’s September 2025 for 30 hours for 9 month olds, September just gone for the 15 hours so you should qualify next September.

@Bec @Carys thank you girls she will be 18 months by then so I will get a job for around that time as it’s more beneficial to us xx

I kept getting told and even by the nursery only 30 hours when she’s 3 years of age