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Original poster

SAHM nursery funding advice please!

32 replies

QuirkyHare · 12/05/2025 06:43

Hello, I’m hoping others can help me out on this as I’m going around in circles! I’m a SAHM and my DS3 has attended nursery one day a week from 9 months old and we’ve always paid as we don’t qualify for funding.

We moved house this year and my son has started at a new nursery, which he loves and is thriving at. He turned three in March so we asked his new nursery if we could pay for three days a week for the term leading up to his third birthday and then his universal 15 hours would kick in the term after.

Now he qualifies for his universal hours we are going in circles with the nursery telling us we must supply them with a code but all the sources I’ve come across online state you don’t need a code for the 15 universal hours. I can’t find a code anywhere!

Does anyone else have experience with this please? I’m starting to panic at the thought of a massive bill every month! Thank you!

OP posts:
ScrewedByFunding · 12/05/2025 11:35

HoskinsChoice · 12/05/2025 11:05

Am I reading this right? You can willingly be a SAHM and therefore not work or pay any tax and, whilst you're at home, your child can go to nursery paid for by people who do work and pay tax?

It's some hours of early education for children aged 3 and older which has been around for about 30 years! You yourself probably benefitted from it with playschool or similar.

Just like SAHM can send their children to state school paid by the tax payer too! And they can use hospitals and children's dentists, all for free!

HoskinsChoice · 12/05/2025 11:05

Am I reading this right? You can willingly be a SAHM and therefore not work or pay any tax and, whilst you're at home, your child can go to nursery paid for by people who do work and pay tax?

Original poster
QuirkyHare · 12/05/2025 06:54

Thank you, I’m so relieved it’s not me being thick!! I’ve shown them everything I’ve come across and they’re still stating ‘they need a code’ and for me to keep looking on my end. They must be filling out the wrong form or getting muddled somewhere! I do feel for them as it’s a really complicated system and there’s very little advice online.

OP posts:
MagentaSky · 12/05/2025 06:50

We had the same with our nursery, I think because they were so used to dealing with the working parents free childcare so assumed that was what I meant. Once I sent them a link to the universal funding they finally realised what I was talking about.

whynotmereally · 12/05/2025 06:48

There’s no code for the 15 hours for three year olds as it’s universal everyone gets it.

Thehop · 12/05/2025 06:46

I'm a nursery manager

no code for universal 15 hours at 3&4.

might be worth emailing your local authority for evidence and presenting that to nursery.

ScrewedByFunding · 12/05/2025 06:45

Correct - universal 15 hours for 3/4 year olds doesn't need a code. Tell them to confirm with the LA and that's 100% right.

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