Skip to main content
Guidance

Early years financial incentives

Support for early years providers to make incentive payments when recruiting new staff.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Education
Published:
8 February 2024
Last updated:
15 October 2025
Show all updates

  1. Updated the 'Early years financial incentives 2025 to 2026: toolkit for providers and local authorities'.

  2. Added 'Early years financial incentives 2025 to 2026: toolkit for providers and local authorities participating in the programme'.

  3. Updated to include information about the financial incentives live test.

  4. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Early years financial incentives 2025 to 2026: toolkit for providers and local authorities

HTML

Details

This programme provides new and returning eligible early years workers with a recruitment bonus of £1,000 after tax and National Insurance shortly after they take up post.

This toolkit is for:

  • early years providers and local authorities in England who are participating in the early years financial incentives programme
  • individuals in participating local authority areas who may be able to claim a financial incentive

It may also be of interest to local authorities and early years providers not involved in the programme this year.

Earlier versions of this toolkit are available on the National Archives.

Sign up for emails or print this page