Child Care Subsidy Info Hub.
Providing families with all they need to know about the Australian Government’s Child Care Subsidy Program.
What is the Child Care Subsidy?
Help Families Access Quality Child Care.
The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) makes early learning more affordable for families with the Australian Government by subsidising a portion of your child care fees.
The amount of subsidy you will receive will depend on the following three factors:
1. The amount of income your family earns,
2. The type of childcare your child attends (for Sunkids Families, this will be centre-based care, or outside hours care for our vacation care programs), and
3. The amount of work-related activity you and your partner undertake each fortnight.
The Child Care Subsidy is paid directly to your chosen child care service to be passed on to you as a fee reduction. Families are then required to pay the difference between the fee charged and the subsidy amount.
Additional information on the Child Care Subsidy can be found on the Education Department website by clicking here.
Eligibility Criteria For Child Care Subsidy:
Am I Eligible for Child Care Subsidies?
To qualify for a Child Care Subsidy, certain eligibility criteria must be met. These include:
1. The age of the child (must be aged 13 or under and not attending secondary school, except in certain circumstances).
2. The child meets immunization requirements.
3. The individual, or their partner, meets the residency requirements listed in the legislation.
For more information or assistance on how to complete other tasks, please visit the Services Australia website.
Subsidy Amounts and Calculation:
How Much Subsidy will I receive?
The amount of Child Care Subsidy you can receive depends on your individual circumstances. The subsidy amount is calculated based on three factors:
1. The amount of income your family earns – calculates the percentage of subsidy you will receive.
2. The type of childcare your child attends – calculates the dollar amount your subsidy percentage applies to.
3. The amount of work-related activity you do – calculates the number of hours of subsidised care you can receive each fortnight.
For more information or assistance on how to complete other tasks, please visit the Services Australia website.
1. Family Income.
Your Child Care Subsidy percentage is calculated based on the total income your family earns each financial year. The percentage varies as follows:
- $0 to $80,000: 90%
- More than $80,000 to below $530,000: Between 90% and 0%
- The percentage goes down by 1% for every $5,000 of income your family earns above $80,000.
- $530,000 or more: 0%
The income limit for CCS has also increased from $356,756 to $530,000.
- If you have more than one child aged 5 or younger, you may get a higher rate for one or more of your children.
- You can still claim CCS even if your family income estimate is $530,000 or more. If you earn less than this, we’ll pay you the subsidy you’re entitled to when we balance your payments at the end of the financial year.
2. Type of Child Care.
Your Child Care Subsidy percentage will apply to the lowest of either the hourly rate cap or the hourly fee charged by your child care service.
Hourly Rate Caps: There’s a different hourly rate cap depending on both the type of approved child care you use and your child’s age.
Children below school age: A child below school age is a child who is either:
- not attending school
- is younger than 6 years old.
Hourly Rate Cap: Centre-based Day Care – long day care and occasional care: $13.73
3. Activity Levels.
The number of hours of subsidised child care you can receive each fortnight depends on how many recognised activities you and your partner engage in, and the type of activity you’re doing.
Your activity level is used to determine your entitlement to subsidised child care.
If you have a partner, both of your activity levels will be considered, and the lower of the two will be used to calculate your hours of subsidised care. The allocated hours of subsidised child care apply to each child.
There are 4 activity levels:
Activity level each fortnight – Hours of subsidised care each fortnight
- Less than 8 hours: 0 hours if you earn above $80,000, 24 hours if you earn $80,000 or below
- More than 8 to 16 hours: 36 hours
- More than 16 to 48 hours: 72 hours
- More than 48 hours: 100 hours
If volunteering or looking for work is your only recognised activity, the first 16 hours will be counted toward your activity level.
Recognised Activities:
To be eligible for the Child Care Subsidy, you need to engage in a recognised activity. These activities can include any of the following:
- Paid work, including being self-employed
- Paid or unpaid leave, including paid or unpaid parental or maternity leave
- Unpaid work in a family business
- Unpaid work experience or unpaid internship
- Actively setting up a business
These recognised activities can also include:
- Completing an approved course of education or study
- Undertaking training to improve work skills or employment prospects
- Actively looking for work
- Volunteering
- Other activities on a case-by-case basis
Please note that there are limitations on how long we recognise some of these activities:
- Periods of unpaid leave for up to 6 months (excluding unpaid parental leave)
- Setting up a business for 6 months out of every 12 months
- Counting 16 hours per fortnight if your sole activity is volunteering or actively looking for work.
If you initially set up a business and then start working in the business, it’s essential to update your activity details from “setting up a business” to “paid work.” This ensures that your Child Care Subsidy accurately reflects your current situation.
Additional Child Care Subsidies.
Help for those who need it most.
Help for those who need it most.
If you’re eligible for Child Care Subsidy, you may be able to get extra help with the cost of approved child care through Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS). There are different types of ACCS, including:
Additional Child Care Subsidy (Temporary Financial Hardship)
Designed to provide short-term support to families facing significant financial stress due to exceptional circumstances beyond their control. It covers childcare fees for up to 100 hours per fortnight for a maximum of 13 weeks per event.
Additional Child Care Subsidy (Transition to Work)
Offers support to families transitioning to work from income support. Eligibility criteria include having an eligible income support payment and a Job Plan.
Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent)
Provides increased child care fee assistance to grandparents on income support who are the principal carers of their grandchildren.
For each type of ACCS, there are specific eligibility criteria, application procedures, and documentation requirements.
How-to Guides for CCS.
Guides to Help You Claim CCS.
To ensure you can claim Child Care Subsidy, continue claiming when circumstances change, and claim Additional Child Care Subsidy when required, here are some essential How-to Guides. These guides provide step-by-step instructions for completing various tasks related to CCS and maintaining eligibility.
For more information or assistance on how to complete other tasks, please visit the Services Australia website.
Note: The information provided on this page is correct at time of publishing. For the most up to date information, we encourage you to visit education.gov.au or servicesaustralia.gov.au