Checking Eligibility and Validating Codes  

The Early Years Provider Portal can be used to check eligibility and validate or re-validate codes.

Two year old FEEE eligibility criteria

Your two-year-old can get free childcare if you live in England and get one of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
• child tax credits, and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• the Working Tax Credit four-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

two-year-olds can also get free childcare if they:

• are looked after by a local authority
• have a statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• get Disability Living Allowance
• have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order

You may have to pay for extra costs like meals, nappies or trips.

For non-EEA citizen who cannot claim benefits

Your two-year-old may get free childcare if you are getting support under the Immigration and Asylum Act and have either:

• claimed asylum in the UK and are waiting for a decision (known as ‘part six’)
• been refused asylum in the UK (known as ‘section four’)

A two-year-old you care for may also get free childcare if your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, and you have any of the following:

• leave to remain with ‘no recourse to public funds’ on family or private life grounds
• support from your local council because you have ‘a child in need’, for example they have a disability or a child protection plan
• the right to live in the UK because you’re the main carer of a British citizen (known as a ‘Zambrano Carer’)

EYPP eligibility criteria

For any three and four year olds taking up their free early education meeting at least one of the following criteria will attract EYPP funding:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• support under part six of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190
• Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit - your household income must be less than £7,400 a year after tax not including any benefits you get

You may also get early years pupil premium if your child is currently being looked after by a local authority in England or Wales or if your child has left care in England or Wales through:

• adoption
• special guardianship order
• a child arrangements order

30 hr FEEE eligibility criteria

All children aged three and four in England are eligible for 15 hrs of free early education entitlement (FEEE), those whose parent(s)/carer(s) meet the following criteria may be eligible for an additional 15hrs:

• in work - or getting parental leave, sick leave or annual leave
• each (or single parent) earning at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week - this is £125.28 if you’re over 25

This earnings limit does not apply if individuals are self-employed and have started their business less than 12 months ago.

In December 2017, government announced plans to extend eligibility for 30 hours childcare to children in foster care where the foster parents meet certain eligibility criteria, giving foster families the same support as other families where it is right for the child. See below for the operational guidance and application form.