Child Care Subsidy

From 10 July 2023, Child Care Subsidy (CCS) will change.

Service Australia (“Centrelink”) pays this subsidy directly to childcare providers to reduce the fees you pay. The amount you may be eligible for depends on:

Your total combined family income
How much ‘work-related’ activity (see education.gov.au) you and your partner undertake each fortnight. The entitlement is based on the lesser activity figure for a member of a couple.
the hourly rate cap based on the type of childcare you use and your child’s age

Child Care Subsidy has increased

The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) has increased. Most families using early childhood education and care (ECEC) will get more subsidy and more families are also now eligible for CCS.

Changes include:

The family income limit to get CCS has increased to $530,000.
The maximum amount of CCS has increased from 85% to 90%.
Families earning $80,000 or less get a CCS rate of 90%.
Families earning over $80,000 get a CCS rate that decreases by 1% for each $5,000 of family income. This rate reaches 0% for families earning $530,000.
Families earning below $362,408 with more than one child aged 5 or under in care get a higher rate for their second and younger children.
Families with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in their care can get at least 36 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, regardless of their circumstances.

What do families need to do?

Families already getting CCS don’t need to do anything to get the new rates. Services Australia is applying the changes automatically.

Families who earn between $356,756 and $530,000 may now be entitled to CCS. These families can lodge a CCS claim with Services Australia.

Some families already using care may currently be assessed for CCS and get 0% but are now eligible for an increased rate. These families should check that their income estimate is up to date through their Centrelink online account.

Families should tell Services Australia that they have an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in their care if they would like to get at least 36 hours of subsidised care.

Families can call Services Australia on the Centrelink families line to let them know a child in their care is an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person. It is voluntary to tell Services Australia this.

Families do not need to do anything if they already get more than 36 hours of subsidy based on their circumstances.

Our Flexible Session Options

Help You Minimise Out-of-Pocket Cost

We understand that each family has its individual situations and needs when it comes to your young child and your CCS entitlements. We are here to help you.

We offer four different sessions to help you maximise the CCS you can receive from the government, therefore minimise your out-of-pocket cost.

You can choose between:

a full-day session from 7:00am to 6:00pm, or
a 10 hour session from 7:30am to 5:30pm, or
a 9 hour session from 8:00am to 5:00pm, or

Based on how many hours of subsidised care you are entitled to, and your personal situations, we can help you choose the best session that meets your needs and minimise your out-of-pocket cost for childcare. You are welcomed to give us a call during our opening hours to find out how we are able to help.

If you have known your CCS percentage and hours, you can also use the CCS Calculator provided by the government for a free and discrete assessment of how much CCS you may be entitled to and how much weekly cost you will be paying out of pocket. We have no data sharing with them at all. So using this link ensures that the privacy of your personal information is totally secure, and there will be no unsolicited contacts sent to you.

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