How to claim Early Years Free Entitlements (EYFE) funding

About Early Years Free Entitlement (EYFE) funding

We fund Early Years Free Entitlements (EYFE) in accordance with the Early Years National Funding Formula. 

Read our current Early Years Single Funding formula.

Funding is paid to providers termly, in 2 instalments. 

The first instalment is based on the total estimated EYFE hours for that term. The payment is 75% of the total estimated EYFE hours and is made at the beginning of each term. 

The second instalment is based on actual EYFE hours provided to the council in the termly headcount. This balancing payment is made after half term, enabling any adjustments to be made, for example if actual hours differ from the estimate.

EYFE headcount timetable

The EYFE headcount and payments timetable gives provisional dates for the financial year 2025 to 2026.

Parental declaration form

When a child starts their EYFE at a setting, providers must ask their parent or carer to complete a parental declaration form.

This form gives providers the information they need to submit accurate headcount and census information. 

Download a parental declaration form

Parental change of attendance form

If there is a change to a child's EYFE, for example changing sessions, increasing hours, the provider should use the parental change of attendance form. 

Download a Parental Change of Attendance Form

All signed EYFE paperwork should be kept securely by the provider for audit purposes.

Submitting information

We use the Synergy online Provider Portal for all EYFE providers to submit all information required to claim EYFE funding.

This includes:

• termly headcount submissions
• annual census information about your premises
• termly estimated hours and any in-term adjustments, for example when children start or leave after headcount

We email guidance to all providers regularly regarding funding information we require via the portal, including how to submit it and deadlines for submission.

Data privacy

Where a provider retains a copy of documentation this must be stored securely and deleted in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 when there is no longer a good reason to keep the data. Providers should refer to the data privacy guidance set out in the parental declaration form.

The Department for Education have produced a Privacy Notice Template (“Privacy Notice: suggested text for pupils”) for providers to give to parents to explain how their information will be used. Early Years providers will need to change it to be appropriate to their provision.

Read our childcare provider records privacy notice for details about how we use and store information about childcare providers.