FEEE information for providers

Prepare for the national introduction of 1,140 hours per annum of FEEE in September 2017.

30 hours extended FEEE

Eligible working parents/carers can access up to 30 hours per week for 38 weeks or 1140 hours annually of funded childcare.

Validating DERNs

Once a parent has successfully completed an eligibility check they will be given a Department of Education Reference Number (DERN) which you will need to validate via the Provider Portal.

Eligibility Checking

If parents wish to check eligibility please visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Eligibility Criteria

The extended entitlement is intended to support working parents with the cost of childcare and enable them to return to work or to work additional hours.

Parents (or those with parental responsibility) of three and four year olds will need to check they meet the eligibility criteria.

Parents can be in paid employment, be self-employed or on a zero hours contract. The parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work.

Additionally parents can:

  • Still access the funding where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave. 
  • Still access the funding where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work, as long as the sum of the benefits awarded meets the income parameters stated above.
  • Still access the funding where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months.
  • Still access the funding if they are studying as long as they also meet the critieria regarding income as detailed above

A parent will not meet the criteria when:

  • Either parent has an income of more than £100,000 
  • If one or both parents is a non-EEA national and the parent applying does not have recourse to public fund

If parents are having difficulty completing an eligibility check or have a query about the result, they should contact 0300 123 4097, or may find the guide below useful.