Children no longer have to be three for working parents to access free childcare

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Parents are being reminded that they can now apply for free childcare for children from a younger age. Last year the government announced that it was extending its free childcare allowance to youngsters from the age of two and it comes into force this April.

It means that anyone who earns more than £8,670 a year, either individually or as a couple, can now apply for 15 hours' funding.

From September 2024, it will apply to all children from the age of nine months. Eventually, from September 2025, the government says all working parents with children under five will be entitled to a full 30 hours of childcare a week. READ MORE: Families are loving mum's easy idea for saving £780 a year READ MORE: 'I spent under £40 at Aldi to feed my family for a week and the kids lapped up every meal' Try MEN Premium now with our amazing New Year offer...

just click here to give it a go. The Department for Education says: "We’re expanding free government-funded childcare so that thousands more parents won’t have to choose between a career and a family. "Currently, parents who work and earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage, and earn less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year, are entitled to 30 hours free childcare a week for children aged three to four. "We're now expanding the scheme so that eligible working parents are also entitled to 30 hours of free childcare for children from age 9 months.