Claim an Early Years Teacher Recognition Payment

What is the early years teacher recognition payment scheme?

Early years teacher recognition payments are a new initiative designed to support the recruitment, retention, and recognition of early years teachers working in group-based settings that offer early education entitlements. Subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and expectations, teachers working in the areas of greatest need will receive payments of up to £4,500. 

Bolton is one of the 10 Local Authorities chosen to trial the 'Claim an Early Years Teacher Recognition Payment'. 

Any early years teacher who successfully applies during the trial period will receive a recognition payment - £4,500 tax free incentive for Early Years Teachers.

Eligible practitioners

To be eligible to claim an early years teacher recognition payment, you must:

• work within one of the target local authorities (Bolton); and
• hold a recognised graduate-level qualification, including
  • Qualified Teacher Status (QTS),
  • Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) or
  • Early Years Professional Status (EYPS); and
• work in an early years group-based setting offering early education entitlements

You must also confirm that you are meeting the following expectations:

• fulfilling the role of an early years teacher, as outlined in the Early years teacher standards, for at least 50% of your time at work; and
• not currently subject to any formal performance measures as a result of continuous poor teaching standards or disciplinary action.

What you'll need to make an application

You will need:

• your Teacher Reference Number (TRN) - you’ll have one if you have early years professional status (EYPS), early years teacher status (EYTS), or qualified teacher status (QTS)
• a GOV.UK One Login account to prove your identity - you’ll need a UK passport, UK photo driving licence or biometric residence permit to set it up
• your bank details, including the full name on the account, sort code and account number
• your gender as it appears on payroll
• a payslip from the last two months.

If you need to find a lost TRN, do this before you claim. It can take 5 working days to recover your TRN.

If you need to set up a One Login account, please note this can take 2 weeks.

How to claim

Applications processed through Department for Education (DfE) claims service Claim an early years teacher recognition payment – GOV.UK

Payments will be made within 16 weeks after submitting a sucessful claim.

The trial will end on 31 July 2026 at 5pm. No more claims will be reviewed after this date. Any eligible teacher who misses this window will be able to apply when the service reopens in November.