Childcare Subsidy Family Eligibility and Entitlement
The Australian Government provides eligible families with financial assistance on childcare fees.
To help families with childcare fees, the Australian Government provides the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) to eligible families. Their childcare provider must be approved by Australia’s Department of Education to receive CCS on behalf of the families.
Family Eligibility Criteria
For families to receive CCS, they must
- meet the criteria set by the government.
- take care of their children two nights during a fortnight or take part in 14% of the care.
- be liable for childcare fees at an approved childcare service.
- meet residency requirements.
To be eligible, children must
- meet immunization requirements
- not be attending secondary school. (In certain circumstances, some children attending secondary school may still be eligible if it can be determined they need supervision.)
- be either younger than 14 or between 14 and 18 years old with a disability.
Parents must provide evidence that their children cannot be left unsupervised in these circumstances. An example would be evidence of a child’s disability and confirmation that an adult cannot care for the child during the specified time. The parent responsible for paying childcare fees must apply for this subsidy and meet the criteria.
As of July 11, 2022, CCS is unavailable to children who have not attended a care session for 26 consecutive weeks.
Family circumstances determine how much CCS a family can receive. The family’s income, the number of children in care, the age of the children, the family’s activity level and the type of care the family uses are all considered by Services Australia.
Approved Care Types
Australia’s CCS can be administered to four types of care.
- Centre-Based Day Care
- Family Day Care
- Outside School Hours Care
- In-Home Care
Centre-Based Day Care
Centre-based care usually offers more structured care to children in the same age group in a classroom-like setting. Compared to home-based centres, their learning environment and facilities are more commercial. Their hours are usually all day, and they provide care for infants, toddlers and/or pre-schoolers.
Family Day Care
Home-based childcare, in which a parent or educator takes care of a small group of children, is referred to as family childcare. Family Day Care regulations may vary by state and affect where they can operate. In local communities, they can be set up in houses, apartments or condos and are usually neighbourhood based.
Outside School Hours Care
Out-of-school hours care (OSHC) offers care for children before and after school hours and during school vacations and holidays. OSHC is especially helpful to parents and families who need childcare before or after regular school hours or outside the standard 9 am-3 pm school hours.
In-Home Care
In-home care involves providing care in a child’s home from an educator with experience in early childhood education. To be eligible for this kind of care, families must be unable to access other early childhood education programs.
Childcare providers who need a helping hand with submitting attendances and getting government subsidies can benefit greatly from comprehensive and efficient CCS software like Office. Office is Australia’s highest-rated CCS software. It features automatic CCS submissions, reminders, government messages, and automatic digital CWAs containing sessions. More information on automated CCS submission with Office available here.
Patricia Podolig Donaldson
Marketing Content Specialist
