Guidance on free childcare, free school meals and state services via GOV.UK

GOV.UK provides authoritative, free information about entitlements and how to apply — including 15–30 hours of government-funded childcare for eligible parents, free school meals for low-income families, state pension forecasting, and HMRC tax services. Eligibility rules vary (eg age of child, household income, work status), so use the online checkers and apply pages to confirm what you qualify for and to make applications or contact your local authority. No fee to view guidance or start most online applications.