How to claim Early Years Free Entitlements (EYFE) funding
Find out about Early Years Free Entitlements funding (EYFE) and how to claim it.
About Early Years Free Entitlement (EYFE) funding
Brighton & Hove City Council funds Early Years Free Entitlements (EYFE) in accordance with the Early Years National Funding Formula.
Read the Brighton and Hove City Council Early Years Single Funding formula for 2024 to 2025.
Funding is paid to providers termly, in two 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 BHCC 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 2024 to 2025.
Summer term 2024
The EYFE payments are to be made in 2 instalments, one in April and one in June.
The EYFE headcount date for the Summer term is 3 May 2024.
April payment
75% of the Summer payment is made.
The provisional payments dates are:
- week beginning 5 April for EYFE
- 17 May 2024 for Additional Support Funding
June payment
The final balancing payment is made, including EYPP.
The provisional payments dates are:
- week beginning 10 June for EYFE
- 25 June 2024 for Disability Access Fund
- 4 October 2024 for Additional Support Funding
Autumn term 2024
The EYFE payments are to be made in 2 instalments, one in September and one in November.
The EYFE headcount date for the Autumn term is 26 September 2024.
September payment
75% of the Autumn payment is made.
The provisional payments dates are:
- week beginning 6 September for EYFE
- 25 October 2024 for Additional Support Funding
November payment
The final balancing payment is made, including EYPP.
The provisional payments dates are:
- week beginning 4 November for EYFE
- 18 November 2024 for Disability Access Fund
- 31 January 2025 for Additional Support Funding
Spring term 2025
The EYFE payments are to be made in 2 instalments, one in December and one in March.
The EYFE headcount date for the Spring term is 16 January 2025.
December payment
75% of the Spring payment is made.
The provisional payments dates are:
- week beginning 14 December 2025 for EYFE
- 7 February 2025 for Additional Support Funding
March payment
The final balancing payment is made, including EYPP.
The provisional payments dates are:
- week beginning 26 February 2025 for EYFE
- 7 March 2025 for Disability Access Fund
- 2 May 2025 for Additional Support Funding
Parental declaration form
When a child starts their EYFE at a setting, providers must ask their parent/carer to complete a parental declaration form.
This form gives providers the information they need to submit accurate headcount and census information, 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. All signed EYFE paperwork should be kept securely by the provider for audit purposes.
BHCC 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
Guidance is emailed 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 part 6.
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 the Data Privacy Notice: childcare provider records for details about how BHCC uses and stores information about childcare providers in the city.