When you are comparing nursery places, “30 hours” can sound like a straightforward weekly discount. To work out what it means for your family, you need to know how those hours fit the nursery year and the sessions you want.
Are the hours term-time only?
For eligible working families in England, the entitlement is 30 hours a week over 38 weeks: 1,140 hours across a full year. Some providers let families spread the hours over more weeks, with fewer funded hours each week. Ask whether your chosen nursery offers this. See GOV.UK’s explanation of funded hours.
For illustration, 1,140 hours divided across 50 weeks is 22.8 funded hours a week. This is an arithmetic example, not Jan’s attendance pattern or funding offer.
A worked example for a working week
Imagine a family looking for three ten-hour nursery days each week: 30 hours of attendance. Under the hypothetical 50-week arrangement above, 22.8 hours would be funded each week, leaving 7.2 hours to pay for. Over 50 weeks, that is 1,500 attendance hours minus 1,140 funded hours, or 360 additional hours.
This example assumes a full year of eligibility and a provider able to allocate the hours that way. It is not a quotation. The actual bill depends on the offered sessions, weeks covered, additional-hours prices and any extras you choose. A mid-year start needs its own calculation from the nursery.
For a term-time arrangement, put the nursery calendar beside your work calendar. Highlight every week when you need childcare but the proposed sessions do not cover it. You can then compare a term-time place with a stretched arrangement using the same attendance needs, rather than comparing two headline weekly prices.
Why might there still be a bill?
Extra attendance beyond your funded hours is chargeable. Providers may also offer paid extras such as meals, nappies or trips. Paying for optional extras must not be a condition of accessing the free hours; ask about alternatives if you do not want them.
Planning a January 2027 start
The usual application deadline for January funding is 31 December 2026. Eligibility and the start date depend on your child’s age and your circumstances, including returning to work. Apply early and check the official application timetable. Applying for funding does not reserve a nursery place.
You must also reconfirm your childcare-account details every three months to keep this support.
Keep funding and booking on separate checklists
There are two conversations to keep moving: your funding application and your nursery booking. The working-parent scheme has work and income conditions. If your application is approved, you receive an eligibility code to give your provider. A nursery still needs to confirm that it can offer the days and start date you want.
Save the account’s reconfirmation date somewhere you will see it, alongside your own reminder to sign in. If your circumstances change or you miss a reconfirmation, check your account and speak to the nursery promptly about what that means for your arrangements. Avoid assuming that a previous code guarantees continued funding.
Ask for a quote you can compare
- Which of our requested sessions can use funded hours?
- How many weeks does this arrangement cover, and what happens during holidays?
- Can you show funded hours, additional hours and optional extras separately?
- When do you need our eligibility code and booking confirmation?
Also ask how invoices are spread across the year. For example, does the amount vary with attendance each month, or does the nursery use equal monthly payments? Ask how closure dates, changes to booked days and your child’s start date affect the calculation. These are questions to confirm with each provider, not assumptions about Jan’s charging policy.
If a quote is difficult to follow, ask someone to talk through one ordinary week and one holiday week with you. A clear explanation should let you identify what you have booked and which parts you will pay for.
Keep the answers alongside your work schedule so you can compare the full arrangement. Jan’s fees and sessions page provides background; confirm current arrangements directly. Contact the Jan team with your preferred branch, start date and days.