2-Year-Old Eligibility Code Verification

What is a 2-Year-Old Eligibility Code?

Some 2-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours of free childcare per week. This is known as '2-year-old funding' or 'funded twos'. Parents must obtain an eligibility code from their local authority to claim this funding.

Who is Eligible?

2-year-old funding is available for families who receive:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit (with household income below £15,400 after tax)
• Tax Credits (with annual income below £16,190)
• Support through the National Asylum Support Service (NASS)
• Pension Credit

Also eligible are children who:

• Are looked after by the local authority
• Have a current Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan
• Receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Have left care through adoption, special guardianship, or a child arrangements order

Obtaining a Code

Parents apply through their local authority. The application process varies by council - most allow online applications through their website. Once approved, parents receive an eligibility code to provide to their nursery.

Verification Process

Staff must verify each 2-year-old code before approving a submission. The verification is done through your local authority's Provider Portal.

Step-by-Step Verification

1. Access the Review page for the submission
2. Note the 2-year-old code displayed in the Funding Information section
3. Click the verification link to open your local authority's Provider Portal
4. Enter the required details on the LA portal:
   • Child's date of birth
   • The eligibility code
   • Other details as required by your LA
5. Check the portal response - it confirms if the code is valid and shows the expiry date
6. Return to the submission and check the 'I confirm I have verified the 2-year-old code' checkbox
7. Upload evidence (optional but recommended):
   • Take a screenshot of the LA portal confirmation
   • Click 'Upload Evidence' and select the image/PDF file
   • Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, PDF (max 10MB)
8. Add verification notes (optional) - e.g., 'Verified on LA portal 15/01/2025, eligible under Universal Credit criteria'
9. Approve the submission - the verification is recorded with your user ID and timestamp

Verification Evidence

Uploaded evidence is stored with the submission and includes:

• The uploaded file (screenshot or PDF)
• Verification timestamp
• Name of staff member who verified
• Any notes added during verification

This creates an audit trail for compliance and local authority queries.

Code Expiry

2-year-old codes typically need to be reconfirmed annually, though this varies by local authority. Monitor expiry dates and:

• Remind parents before their code expires
• Advise them to reapply if their circumstances still qualify
• Update the expiry date in the system when reconfirmed

Blocking Approval

For submissions with a 2-year-old code:

• Approval is blocked until you confirm code verification
• You must check the verification checkbox to proceed
• Evidence upload is optional but strongly recommended