30 Hours Free Childcare: Apply by 31 December 2026 for Hours From 1 January 2027

Parents in England whose child turns 9 months old between 1 September and 31 December 2026 must apply for 30 hours of free childcare by Thursday 31 December 2026 to get hours from Friday 1 January 2027, according to the GOV.UK page “Free Childcare for Working Parents: When to apply”. This story puts all three 2027 deadlines in one table with weekdays, adds a worked example and a reconfirmation note, and offers a one-page printable planner.

What are the 30 hours free childcare deadlines for 2027?

GOV.UK says you can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old, and that the date your hours start depends on the date your child turns 9 months old. It adds: “Check with your childcare provider to find out the exact date your free childcare starts.”

The weekdays and the birth-date windows in the table are our calculation from the GOV.UK rules.

Child turns 9 months old (GOV.UK)	Born between (our calculation)	Apply by (GOV.UK)	Hours from (GOV.UK)
1 September to 31 December 2026	1 December 2025 to 31 March 2026	Thursday 31 December 2026	Friday 1 January 2027
1 January to 31 March 2027	1 April to 30 June 2026	Wednesday 31 March 2027	Thursday 1 April 2027
1 April to 31 August 2027	1 July to 30 November 2026	Tuesday 31 August 2027	Wednesday 1 September 2027

How does it work for a child born in February 2026?

A child born in February 2026 turns 9 months old in November 2026. That falls between 1 September and 31 December, so the parent must apply by Thursday 31 December 2026, and hours can start on Friday 1 January 2027.

Our December 2026 printable calendar and January 2027 printable calendar have room to mark the deadline and the start day.

What if you are returning to work after leave?

GOV.UK gives a second table for parents returning to work after maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave. Paid annual leave while you receive your salary counts as having returned to work.

Date of returning to work	Hours from	When to apply
1 October to 31 January	1 January	1 September to 31 December
1 February to 30 April	1 April	1 January to 31 March
1 May to 30 September	1 September	1 April to 31 August

Who is eligible for 30 hours of free childcare?

GOV.UK’s eligibility page, updated 30 September 2026, says your child must be aged 9 months to 4 years old and you must live in England. You can get 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks of the year.

Each parent must expect to earn at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week on average. Over 3 months, that is £2,643.68 for those aged 21 and over, £2,256.80 for ages 18 to 20, and £1,664 for under 18s or apprentices. You are not eligible if you or your partner’s expected adjusted net income is over £100,000 for the current tax year.

Will the earnings test change in April 2027?

GOV.UK’s wage rates page, updated 28 October 2026, lists these hourly rates:

Group	April 2026	April 2027
21 and over	£12.71	£13.21
18 to 20	£10.85	£11.27
Under 18 and apprentice	Not listed here	£8.31

GOV.UK has not published the 3-month earnings figure for April 2027, so the figures in the section above apply now. The minimum earnings test is tied to the wage. Our calculation, not a GOV.UK figure: 16 hours × £13.21 × 13 weeks = £2,747.68 for ages 21 and over.

How does the 3-month reconfirmation work?

GOV.UK says: “You must sign in to your childcare account every 3 months to confirm your details are up to date.” It also says: “If you apply more than 3 months before your childcare starts, you’ll have to reconfirm your eligibility to keep your code valid.”

By our reading, applying before 1 October 2026 for hours that start on 1 January 2027 is more than 3 months ahead, so the extra reconfirmation applies. GOV.UK pages we used do not state a grace period for late reconfirmation, so none is given here.

Tax-Free Childcare has its own 3-month check. GOV.UK says that for every £8 you pay into the account, the government tops it up by £2, up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year), or up to £1,000 every 3 months if your child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year). You reconfirm that account every 3 months too.

Which UK nations does this cover?

The pages used here are for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own schemes, and this story gives no hours for them. Other 2027 dates for England readers are in our annual leave 2027 story and the Self Assessment deadline story. Council term dates are not covered here.

Free childcare deadlines 2027 planner

The printable below lists the three apply-by dates, the three start dates and the reminder to reconfirm every 3 months. The 2027 printable yearly calendar shows all of them on one page.