Guidance

Early years funding: 2025 to 2026

Information for local authorities and settings about early years funding for the 2025 to 2026 financial year.

Applies to England

Documents

Early years funding rates and step-by-step calculations 2025 to 2026

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Details

Operational guide

Local authorities should follow this guidance when funding providers to deliver the early years entitlements in the financial year 2025 to 2026.

Technical note

Read the technical note and step-by-step guide (in the funding rates table) to understand how the funding rates for early years have been calculated.

Funding rates

View the funding rates for your local authority area.

Easy explainer: early years funding rates

This document is aimed at early years providers and explains, in an accessible format, how the funding rates are calculated and distributed.

Local authority case studies

Case studies to support local authorities communicate rates to providers by the 28 February.

Further information

You can view the rates and calculations for previous financial years on the early years funding: 2024 to 2025 page.

You can find out further information, including details about the 2025 to 2026 final funding allocation methodology for the new entitlements in the early years funding: termly data collection in 2025 to 2026 guidance.

Updates to this page

Published 10 December 2024

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