Early Years Education Funding Payment and Statutory Guidance
Funding is received by local authorities from the Department for Education (DfE), with funding for early years entitlements determined through the Early Years National Funding Formula.
- Terms and conditions
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Hampshire County Council uses the DfE's Early Education and Childcare Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities to inform Hampshire's Early Years Education (EYE) Funding Payment Terms and Conditions.
April 2026
Following the publication of updated DfE statutory guidance on 9 February 2026, which came into effect on 1 April 2026, Hampshire has updated its Early Years Education Funding Payment Terms and Conditions.
The April 2026 Terms and Conditions replace the May 2025 version and all previous versions.
Current Terms and Conditions:
Final 2026 Early Years Education Funding Payment Terms and ConditionsLetter of Variation
A Letter of Variation will be issued to all active providers. This sets out the changes made to the existing Agreement following the latest DfE guidance.
Providers will be required to review, agree and sign the Letter of Variation. The letter will be sent directly to each provider.
Letter of Variation - EYE Funding 2026
Replacement Schedules
Replacement Schedules are also available below. These have been provided with changes clearly identified so providers can easily see what has changed.
Fees and Charges Compliance
Providers delivering government-funded early years entitlements must ensure that their approach to fees and charges complies with the Department for Education's statutory guidance and Hampshire's Early Years Education Funding Payment Terms and Conditions.
To support providers, Hampshire County Council has produced a Fees and Charging Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document. This provides practical guidance on applying the requirements and will be updated as new queries and issues arise.
The FAQs include guidance on:
- consumables, snacks, meals and additional private hours
- notice periods
- additional activities
- voluntary charges
- registration fees and deposits
- Parent Declaration Forms
- meals and packed lunches
- allocation and flexibility of funded places
- invoicing requirements
- funding rates
- withdrawing a funded place.
Providers are encouraged to refer to these FAQs alongside the statutory guidance and Hampshire's Funding Payment Terms and Conditions when reviewing their fees, charges, policies and information provided to parents.
Fees and Charging Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 2026
September 2025
Previous Terms and Conditions: September 2025
The May 2025 Terms and Conditions came into effect from September 2025 and replaced the February 2024 version and all previous versions.
These have now been superseded by the April 2026 Terms and Conditions and are retained here for reference.
Early Years Education Funding Payment Terms and Conditions Final May 2025
A version showing the changes made between the February 2024 and May 2025 Terms and Conditions is also available:
Early Years Education Funding Payment Terms and Conditions May 2025 - Highlighted Changes
- Census guidance
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The Early Years Census is a statutory census that takes place every January. All local authorities are required to submit data as part of the census.
- Early Years Education Funding compliance reviews
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If you have any questions about the delivery of, or compliance with, the Early Years Education Funding Payment Terms and Conditions, local business surgeries are available.
Please contact your area Childcare Development Officer for further information.