30 hour funding: deadline to apply for and receive a code to access funding from Autumn 2023

In order to access 30-hour funding from Autumn Term 2023 (which for funding purposes starts on 1st September 2023), parents need to have applied to HMRC through their Government Gateway Account and received a code by 31st August 2023.

Any codes with an ‘eligible from’ date of 1st September onwards will not be funded in Autumn 2023. We encourage parents to apply in plenty of time in case HMRC require any additional information.

You may wish to use our template letter to share this message with families through your usual communication channels and add to any social media pages to raise awareness.

It is important that children who are newly funded, or who move to your setting from 1st September 2023, still have an eligible code as the Grace Period will not apply. Nor does the Grace Period apply to children who want to increase from the universal hours to extended hours when eligibility has ended.

Please refer to our 30 hour termly update for more information.

Our provider portal is designed, and colour coded, so that you know which families have codes that are no longer eligible (red) or are approaching the expiry date (amber). We understand that parents are ultimately responsible for making the application and reconfirming by the deadline but reminding parents now will save having those conversations in September when funding is not available.

Sadly, some families did not reconfirm their details and missed the 31st of March deadline for Summer Term, moved settings in the Grace Period or had a gap in eligibility meaning they could not claim 30-hour funding in the Summer. This resulted in financial hardship for the family and possibly a reduction in booked hours leading to a loss of income to settings.

Please make the time to have conversations with families to ensure they remain eligible and maximise the hours and funding available to them.

EYEF Team