Free education and childcare for 2 year-olds if you claim certain benefits
Parents and carers who have a 2 year-old child and who claim certain benefits may be eligible for 570 hours of free childcare a year during school term time.
The 570 hours are usually taken as 15 hours a week over the 38 weeks of school term time, but your childcare provider may allow you to take fewer hours over more weeks.
From April 2024, eligible working parents and carers with 2 year-old children will be able to get 15 hours' free childcare under a separate scheme – go to 'Changes from April 2024', below.
You can only use this free childcare with approved childcare providers that are registered with Ofsted – go to finding and choosing childcare for more details.
Eligibility
Your 2 year-old child can get free childcare if you get any 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
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, or both, and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
- the Working Tax Credit 4-week run-on – that is, the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
2 year-olds can also get free childcare if they:
- are looked after by a local authority
- have 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
If you're a non-UK citizen in Thurrock who cannot claim benefits – that is, your immigration status says you have 'no recourse to public funds' – you may still get free childcare for your 2 year-old if:
- your household income is no more than £26,500 for families with 1 child
- your household income is no more than £30,600 for families with 2 or more children
- you do not have more than £16,000 in savings or investments
The table below shows when you can claim free childcare after your child's 2nd birthday.
| Your child's birthday | Start getting free hours | Best time to apply |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January to 31 March | Summer term, from April | 15 January to 28 February |
| 1 April to 31 August | Autumn term, from September | 15 June to 31 July |
| 1 September to 31 December | Spring term, from January | 15 October to 30 November |
You may have to pay for extra costs like meals, nappies or trips.
Changes from April 2024
From April 2024, eligible working parents and carers with 2 year-old children will be able to get 15 hours' free childcare. For full details, go to free childcare if you're working.
If, from April 2024, you are entitled to free childcare for childcare based on the eligibility rules listed above, you must continue to apply for your free childcare using the process below – it is important that you use this process and not the new process.
If you are eligible only under the new rules for working parents and carers, not the eligibility rules listed above, then you should follow the guidance on free childcare if you're working.
Apply for free childcare
If you are entitled to free childcare for childcare based on the eligibility rules listed above, you must apply online to get free childcare for 2 year-olds.
The application must be made using an account for the parent or carer who receives the eligible benefit. To create a new account, use the link below and select 'create an account’. You cannot login using any accounts you may already have for other Thurrock Council services.
Free childcare for 2 year-olds application
If we need to receive evidence that shows you are eligible, a member of our team will contact you. They will explain what we need and discuss how you can provide it to us.