Do I have to reconfirm the 30 hours childcare code every 3 months?

How do I reconfirm the 30 hours code?

GOV.UK’s after you have applied page says you must sign in to your childcare account every 3 months to confirm you are still eligible. The same account is used for Free Childcare for Working Parents and, if you have it, Tax-Free Childcare. Best Start in Life says you log in with your Government Gateway user ID; the dates you should reconfirm are shown once you are in.

1. 1
   Open the official childcare account Use Sign in to your childcare account on GOV.UK. This is the HMRC Childcare Service, not a nursery portal and not a third-party ‘code checker’.
2. 2
   Read the reconfirmation dates on the account Best Start in Life says the dates between which you should reconfirm are displayed when you log in. Dorset Council, explaining the same national process, says you can also find the date under secure messages and that you can reconfirm from 4 weeks before the deadline.
3. 3
   Confirm or amend your details If nothing has changed, you confirm that. If work, income or household details have changed, you amend and resubmit. Company directors who do not send regular PAYE information may need evidence again — the apply page says that can apply each time you reconfirm.
4. 4
   Give the same code to the provider if they ask Dorset Council says you do not receive a new code when circumstances are unchanged: the existing 11-digit code is extended for another 3 months. Still pass your National Insurance number and the child’s date of birth if the setting is checking the code.

If you applied more than 3 months before childcare starts, GOV.UK says you still have to reconfirm to keep the code valid. The reminder timetable does not wait until the first funded day.

Do I reconfirm before the funded place starts?

Yes. Best Start in Life is explicit: once you have the code, you need to reconfirm every 3 months even if you have not yet started using the entitlement. GOV.UK matches that: apply more than 3 months early and you still reconfirm. The clock is the Childcare Service period, not the nursery start date.

That matters if you apply from 23 weeks of age for a place that only begins the term after 9 months. The code can sit unused and still expire if you ignore the 3-month check.

What reminders does HMRC send, and when?

Best Start in Life (updated 8 April 2026) sets out the reminder sequence. Messages come from GOV.UK. Keep the email and mobile number on the account current so they arrive.

Best Start in Life says reconfirmation usually takes a few minutes, longer if HMRC asks for more information. The reminder is not the reconfirmation — you still have to sign in.

Do I get a new 11-digit code each time?

Not if nothing has changed. GOV.UK says the approved application puts an 11-digit code in the account. Dorset Council, walking parents through the same HMRC process, says ticking that circumstances are unchanged extends the existing code for another 3 months rather than issuing a replacement. Which? also notes that codes need to be renewed every 3 months.

If you applied by phone, Dorset says you may need the Childcare Service helpline to reconfirm. If the code is a temporary one (Dorset says those start with 11), that council tells parents to complete a new application in the account for a permanent code. Treat that as local-authority guidance on the national service and follow what the account or helpline shows for your login.

What if I miss the reconfirmation window?

Best Start in Life says eligibility for Tax-Free Childcare and/or the working-parent hours lapses if you miss the window. If the child already has a place using the entitlement, a grace period applies: they can continue for a short time, and you need to submit another application as soon as you can. You can apply again whenever you meet the criteria, then show the new or restored code to the provider.

Dorset Council adds that a grace period always ends at the end of a term and only applies if the child is already in a 30 hours place when you fall out of eligibility. That is one council’s wording of the national grace-period idea — ask your provider and local authority how they apply it to your place.

In shortIn short: the 3-month sign-in is the live eligibility check. Same code if nothing changed; reconfirm even before day one; use GOV.UK, not a random checker. Miss it and the code can stop; an existing place may have a short grace period while you apply again.