Free Childcare Westminster: Apply by 31 Dec for January

Free childcare in Westminster comes through four schemes, and which ones you get depends on your child’s age and whether you work. Working parents can get up to 30 funded hours a week from the term after their child turns 9 months. Every 3 and 4 year old gets 15 hours. Two year olds in families on a low income get 15 hours through the council’s Busy2s scheme. And Tax-Free Childcare pays £2 for every £8 you spend on the rest.

The date that matters right now is 31 December 2026. If your child turns 9 months between 1 September and 31 December, that is the deadline to apply for working-parent hours starting in January. Below is each scheme, who qualifies, and how to claim it in Westminster.

The quick answer

• 9 months to 4 years, working parents: up to 30 hours a week, 38 weeks a year. Apply to HMRC for a code.
• All 3 and 4 year olds: 15 hours a week, no application; your nursery claims it.
• 2 year olds, low income or extra needs: 15 hours through Busy2s. Apply to the council from 20 months.
• Tax-Free Childcare: £2 for every £8, up to £2,000 a year per child.
• Help in Westminster: Family Information Service, families@westminster.gov.uk or 07971 625922.

30 hours for working parents: 9 months to 4 years

The national scheme, now called Free Childcare for Working Parents, gives up to 30 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year from the term after your child turns 9 months until they start school. Some nurseries let you stretch the hours over more weeks of the year at fewer hours a week.

To qualify, according to GOV.UK:

• you, and your partner if you have one, must be working, starting a job or on an approved kind of leave such as maternity, paternity or sick leave;
• each of you must expect to earn at least £2,643.68 over the next three months if you are 21 or over, which is £203.36 a week, the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage (lower amounts apply to those aged 18 to 20, under 18 or apprentices);
• neither of you can have an adjusted net income over £100,000 in the tax year;
• you must live in England, and the child must usually live with you.

If one parent works and the other gets Carer’s Allowance or certain disability or incapacity benefits, you may still qualify.

Deadlines

You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. The hours start the term after they turn 9 months, and you must apply by the end of the term before:

Approval is often instant and usually within 10 days. You get an 11-digit code, which you give to your nursery or childminder with your National Insurance number and your child’s date of birth. Every three months you must sign in and reconfirm, or the code stops working. It is the most common way families lose their hours.

15 hours for every 3 and 4 year old

All 3 and 4 year olds in England get 15 funded hours a week for 38 weeks, up to 570 hours a year, whether or not their parents work. You do not apply: your provider claims it for you. You will need to show your child’s birth certificate and sign a parental declaration.

Westminster’s Family Information Service sets out when the place starts:

If you are eligible for the working-parent hours, they sit on top of this, making 30 hours in total.

Busy2s: 15 hours for 2 year olds

Westminster calls the 2 year old offer Busy2s. It gives 15 hours a week in term time from the term after your child turns 2, if you get one of these:

• Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance;
• Universal Credit, with household take-home income of £15,400 a year or less, not counting benefits;
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit.

A 2 year old also qualifies if they have an education, health and care plan, get Disability Living Allowance, are looked after by the council, or have left care through adoption, a special guardianship order or a child arrangements order.

Families with no recourse to public funds can still qualify. In London the household income limit is £34,500 with one child or £38,600 with two or more, with no more than £16,000 in savings, according to the council’s Busy2s page.

How to apply: through the Bi-Borough Parent Portal, which Westminster runs jointly with Kensington and Chelsea, once your child is 20 months old. Applications for children younger than that are not processed. If you qualify, a letter arrives in a blue envelope addressed to your child, with a ticket to take to the nursery or childminder. The ticket lasts until the end of the term in which your child turns 3, when the 15 universal hours take over.

A family that qualifies for Busy2s and the working-parent hours can combine them for 30 hours from age 2. GOV.UK says to contact the council’s early years team before applying to HMRC in that case.

Tax-Free Childcare for the hours you pay for

Funded hours rarely cover a full working week, and they do not cover meals, nappies, trips or extra sessions, which nurseries can charge for. Tax-Free Childcare helps with the rest. You pay into an online account and the government adds £2 for every £8, up to £2,000 a year per child, or £4,000 for a disabled child. It covers children up to 11, or 16 if disabled, and can pay for nurseries, childminders, after-school clubs and holiday schemes that are signed up.

The earnings rules are the same as for the working-parent hours, and HMRC checks you for both when you apply. You cannot have Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as Universal Credit or childcare vouchers, so if you get Universal Credit, use its childcare element instead and compare the two with the government calculator first.

Finding a funded place in Westminster

Not every nursery offers every funded scheme, and the busiest ones fill their funded places early. The Family Information Service keeps a map of providers in Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea showing which ones take the 15 hours, and a separate list of childminders who offer it. Ask each provider:

1. Which funded hours do you offer, and do you have space from the term I need?
2. What do you charge on top, for meals, consumables or extra hours, and are those optional?
3. Can the hours be stretched over more than 38 weeks?

For school-age children, see our Westminster school term dates and the primary school admissions guide.

Contact: Westminster Family Information Service, families@westminster.gov.uk or 07971 625922. Your local family hub can help you fill in the Busy2s form.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get free childcare in Westminster? For working-parent hours from 9 months, apply to HMRC through the childcare account on GOV.UK and give your 11-digit code to your nursery. For Busy2s, apply to the council’s Parent Portal from 20 months. The 15 hours for 3 and 4 year olds is claimed by your provider.

When is the deadline for free childcare starting in January 2027? 31 December 2026, for children who turn 9 months between 1 September and 31 December. Apply early: it can take up to 10 days if HMRC needs to make extra checks.

Do both parents have to work to get 30 hours? Usually yes, each earning at least £203.36 a week on average if 21 or over. One parent can be on maternity or other approved leave, or getting Carer’s Allowance or certain disability benefits.

Can I get 30 hours if I earn over £100,000? No. If either parent expects an adjusted net income over £100,000 in the tax year, the family is not eligible for the working-parent hours or Tax-Free Childcare. The 15 universal hours for 3 and 4 year olds still apply.

What is Busy2s in Westminster? Westminster’s name for the 15 funded hours for 2 year olds in families on certain benefits or a low income, or with extra needs. You apply through the Bi-Borough Parent Portal once your child is 20 months old.

Is funded childcare completely free? The funded hours are free, but nurseries can charge for meals, nappies, trips and hours on top. Ask for a breakdown before you sign.