The CCS Calculator is based on the new FY23/24 subsidies which come into effect on the 10th July 2023 and can help you estimate how much support you could be eligible for. This can be found on the below link.
New changes coming
From 10 July 2023, the Commonwealth Government Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is making high-quality early education and care more affordable for Australian families.
- The family income threshold (meaning the amount you can earn to access CCS) will increase from $356,756 to $530,000, making subsidised childcare available to more families.
- Families earning up to $80,000 a year will get a maximum CCS rate of 90%, up from 85%.
- Your Child Care Subsidy rates will decrease 1% for every additional $5,000 earned over $80,000.
- Families with more than one child aged 5 or under can still get a higher rate for their second and younger children.
- First Nations children will be eligible for at least 36 hours of subsidised care per fortnight.
- Families can get more subsidised hours based on their circumstances.
Who is eligible?
Prior to calculating the amount of subsidy your family can claim, you must first assess your family’s eligibility.
To be eligible for the CCS, you or your partner must meet all of the following four (4) eligibility criteria:
- care for your child 2 or more days per fortnight (or have at least 14% care),
- be responsible for paying the childcare fees,
- live in Australia for at least 46 weeks of the financial year, and
- meet the residency requirements, those being:
- have Australian citizenship, or
- hold a permanent visa, or
- hold a Special Category visa, or
- hold a certain temporary visa type
If the fourth criteria is not met, you may seek an exemption if you or your partner are a student sponsored by the Australian Government, are experiencing hardship or have special circumstances.
In addition to you or your partner meeting the eligibility criteria, your child must also meet the eligibility criteria in order for your family to be eligible for child care support.
Your child must be:
- up to date with immunisations listed in the National Immunisation Program Schedule published by the Department of Health.
Exemptions may apply if your child is:
- on an immunisation catch-up schedule according to the current Australian Immunisation Handbook
- has an approved medical exemption from immunisation which has been recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)
To qualify for an exemption, you must also offer evidence as to why your child cannot be left without supervision, and confirm that there are no adults available to care for your child.
How are subsidies claimed?
The payments you receive are paid directly to your childcare provider and apply against your childcare fees to determine your family’s out of pocket costs.
For payments to be paid to your childcare provider, you will be required to complete several steps:
- apply for a customer reference number (CRN) from Centrelink
- create a Centrelink account online
- create a MyGov account, and
- complete your Child Care Subsidy assessment and make a claim
If you already have a customer reference number, Centrelink account online and MyGov account then you should be able to progress straight to step 4 above. To do so, log into myGov and select Services > Centrelink. Select Complete your assessment task and work through the steps to complete your application.
