How do I reconfirm free childcare hours every 3 months?

3-month reconfirm checklist (England)

Do this every quarter for Free Childcare for Working Parents and again for Tax-Free Childcare if you use both:

1. Open the email/SMS reminder from GOV.UK (or check the account calendar) — do not wait until nursery chases you.
2. Sign in at your childcare account.
3. Check each parent still meets the work/earnings rules (roughly 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage, under the upper income limit). Re-run the childcare calculator if hours or jobs changed.
4. Update partner status if you separated, reconciled, or a partner started/stopped work.
5. Submit reconfirmation and wait for the new code / confirmation — screenshot or save the reference.
6. Send the updated code to nursery the same day (email or parent app). Ask them to confirm it is active on their system.
7. Diary the next reconfirm date in a shared calendar the moment you finish — 11 weeks from now is a safe early reminder.

If you already missed it

Apply again as soon as you can. There can be a gap in funded hours while a new code is issued. Ask nursery what they will charge in the gap and whether Tax-Free Childcare top-ups still apply. Full toolkit: UK childcare funding tools. If “extras” feel compulsory on funded days, read nursery funded-hours extras fees.