How to Apply for Funded Childcare Hours in Marlow: Your 2026/27 Guide to Buckinghamshire Council Codes

Parents ask us about funded childcare almost every week at The House That Jack Built Marlow Bottom, and I completely understand why. The system has expanded significantly since September 2025, and keeping track of which entitlement applies to your child, and when and how to apply for it in Buckinghamshire, takes a bit of unpicking. This guide is my attempt to lay it all out clearly, so you can apply with confidence and make the most of what is available to your family.

If you want to check your eligibility before reading on, Childcare Choices is the best starting point.

What funding is actually available, and for which children?

The headline is that there are now three main entitlements, and they sit alongside one another:

30 hours for eligible working families, from 9 months old. Since September 2025, eligible working parents can access 30 hours of government-funded childcare from the term after their child turns 9 months old, right through until they start school. This is not a phased increase, it is the full 30 hours available from 9 months for families who qualify. To be eligible, each parent (or the sole parent in a single-parent household) needs to be working at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum or Living Wage, and neither parent can individually have an adjusted net income over £100,000. Because the minimum earnings threshold moves each April with the Living Wage, I always point parents to Childcare Choices rather than quoting a specific figure.

15 hours universal entitlement for all 3 and 4 year olds. Every child aged 3 or 4 is entitled to 15 hours a week from the term after they turn 3, with no conditions attached. This does not depend on income, hours worked or anything else. It ends just before your child starts reception class or reaches compulsory school age.

30 hours for eligible 3 and 4 year olds. If you also meet the working-parent criteria above, the universal 15 hours can extend to 30 hours. Buckinghamshire's Family Information Service is clear that, unlike the universal entitlement, you must match the eligibility criteria to receive a validity code for this additional 15 hours.

15 hours for eligible 2 year olds. Separately from the working-parent offer, families receiving certain forms of financial support, including Universal Credit with household earnings below £15,400 a year, or where a child has an Education, Health and Care Plan or has been looked after by a local authority, can access 15 hours from the term after the child turns 2. If you are eligible for this and also work, you may qualify for an additional 15 hours under the working-parent scheme. If that applies to you, apply for the disadvantaged 2-year-old entitlement first.

How the Buckinghamshire application process works

For the working-parent entitlements (the 30-hour offer from 9 months, and the extended 30 hours for 3 and 4 year olds), you apply online through GOV.UK. There is a single application for 30 hours free childcare and Tax-Free Childcare, so as part of that process you will find out whether you can access both. Buckinghamshire Council notes that funded childcare support comes alongside other support including Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit Childcare, and that families might be able to use more than one offer together. Bear in mind that gov.uk does flag that getting 30 hours free childcare might affect how much you get in tax credits, so it is worth checking your individual position.

You can apply for your code up to 16 weeks before your baby turns 9 months old, which I would always encourage families to do early. Funding terms begin on 1 January, 1 April and 1 September. Buckinghamshire Council advises that you must apply by the end of the month before a term starts in order to use your hours from that term. Check the current deadlines on the Buckinghamshire Family Information Service page before you apply, as we cannot confirm specific 2026/27 dates here and they are worth verifying directly.

Once you have your code, bring it to us as soon as possible so we can verify it and confirm your place. The code does not manage itself: you must reconfirm your details every three months through your GOV.UK childcare account or it will expire.

For the disadvantaged 2-year-old entitlement, you apply through Buckinghamshire Council rather than GOV.UK. If you have applied previously but cannot find your 6-digit reference code, you can email 2yearoldfunding@buckinghamshire.gov.uk to retrieve it. If you are struggling to find a funded 2-year-old place, Buckinghamshire's Early Years Brokerage Service can discuss your needs and advise on local availability.

How 30 hours funding works at Marlow Bottom

We accept both 15 and 30 hours funding at The House That Jack Built Marlow Bottom, and we offer a 43-week attendance option alongside our standard full-year places. Because the full annual entitlement is stretched across the 43 weeks your child attends with us, the weekly funded amount works out at approximately 26.5 hours for families on 30 hours, or around 13.25 hours for those on 15 hours. It is a detail that sometimes surprises parents who expect the full 30-hour weekly figure, so it is always worth talking through in person. Our fees and funding page has more detail, and I am always happy to go through the numbers with you.

If you would like to see our rooms, meet the team and talk through how funding works for your family's specific pattern of care, please do book a show-around. We are open Monday to Friday on Marlow Bottom Road, and there is always time for a proper conversation.