What is the universal 15 hours entitlement?

The universal 15 hours entitlement is a funded early education offer available to every 3 and 4 year old in England, with no eligibility test based on parental income or working status. It provides 15 funded hours per week for 38 weeks per year — a total of 570 hours annually.

The entitlement begins from the term after a child's third birthday. Children born between 1 April and 31 August become eligible from September; those born between 1 September and 31 December become eligible from January; and those born between 1 January and 31 March become eligible from April.

The 15 hours are funded by the local authority at the EYNFF rate for 3 to 4 year olds. Providers cannot charge top-up fees on these funded hours but can charge for optional consumables such as meals and snacks.

For working parents who meet the eligibility criteria, the universal 15 hours can be combined with the additional 15 hours working parent entitlement to give a total of 30 funded hours per week.

From September 2024, the government extended funded entitlements to younger age groups: working parents of 2 year olds can now access 15 hours, and working parents of children from 9 months old can also access 15 hours (rising to 30 hours from September 2025 for eligible 9-month to 3-year-olds). These younger-age entitlements are means-tested on parental working status unlike the universal 15 hours for 3 and 4 year olds.

Parents do not need to apply separately for the universal 15 hours — eligibility is automatic and the provider registers the child with the local authority.