Funded childcare hours in England: term-time and stretched offers explained

England’s funded childcare entitlements provide hours of childcare rather than a cash payment to parents. The hours are delivered by participating providers under local-authority arrangements. A provider invoice may therefore look different from a simple hourly discount.

Which offers are included?

All three- and four-year-olds in England can receive the universal 15 hours from the term after their third birthday until they start school. Eligible working parents can receive 30 hours a week in total for a child aged 9 months to 4 years, usually from the term after the child reaches the relevant age. Both are normally described over 38 weeks of the year.

There is also a separate 15-hour offer for some two-year-olds receiving additional support. Its eligibility route differs from the working-parent offer, so check it with the local council rather than assuming that one code covers every entitlement.

Term-time and stretched provision

Thirty hours for 38 weeks is 1,140 hours in a full entitlement year; 15 hours for 38 weeks is 570 hours. Some providers allow fewer hours per week over more weeks. This is often called a stretched offer. It redistributes the annual hours and does not create extra hours.

For example, spreading 1,140 hours over 51 weeks averages about 22.35 hours a week. The provider decides which attendance patterns it can offer, and term dates or partial entitlement periods can change the actual first-year total. Ask for the provider’s written pattern before comparing costs.

The Funded Hours calculator deliberately models a 38-week pattern. If your offer is stretched, calculate from the provider’s actual quote in the Nursery Cost calculator instead of treating the 38-week result as an invoice.

What providers may charge for

Official guidance says funded childcare should be available without mandatory extra charges. Providers may ask for payment for meals, nappies, additional hours or activities, but should offer an alternative if you do not want to buy those extras. A funded place can still have a bill where the family chooses extras or attends beyond the entitlement.

Ask the provider to separate funded hours, privately paid hours and optional items. This makes quotes easier to compare and prevents an apparent hourly rate from hiding compulsory-looking packages.

Codes, deadlines and reconfirmation

Working parents apply through the childcare service and give the eligibility code to their provider. Applications have termly deadlines, and eligibility must normally be reconfirmed every three months. A child does not necessarily start funded hours on the birthday itself. Check the application deadline and start date before committing to a work pattern.

Worked comparison

Suppose a child attends 25 hours a week for 38 weeks and has a confirmed 15-hour provision. A planning comparison can allocate 15 hours to funded provision and 10 hours to private payment each week. It should then add meals, consumables or extra sessions separately. This does not say what the council pays the provider and does not guarantee that the provider prices the remaining ten hours at a simple published hourly rate.

Limits and official checks

This guide covers England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different schemes. Confirm current eligibility and timing in the GOV.UK working-parent guide, read what the offer includes, and check the universal offer for three- and four-year-olds.