30 hours free childcare for 3 and 4 year olds
Applying if you are in the Armed Forces
If you are serving in the Armed Forces and are currently posted outside of England, you will get your code manually.
Please note this does not apply to other families working outside of England.
You may contact providers before a new term starts to ty and get a place for your child for when you return.
Depending on your return date, some places may not be taken up until mid-way through a term and you will get the standard code checks by providers / the Council, and you must have an eligible code with a pre-term start date.
If you have any questions or need to ask for a manual application because you are serving abroad, please contact the Childcare Service Helpline on 0300 123 4097.
For general parent queries, please contact HMRC on childcareservice.localgov@hmrc.gov.uk
Eligibility criteria
All eligibility criteria will be the same as regular applications. Please see eligibility criteria.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will provide HMRC with evidence of your posting before you are given a code.