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Need help? Please check out the examples:
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Early Learning Centre


Example:

Your child (below school age) is attending an Early Learning Centre (ELC). The hours for the Early Learning Centre are 8.10am-3.10pm at $120, with After School Care at $20 from 3.10pm to 6pm. The Centre also runs Vacation Care during the School Holidays that runs from 8am-6pm for $100 per day.

Your child is enrolled in the ELC care and After School Care 5 days per week for 40 weeks per year. In addition your child is enrolled in Vacation Care 5 days per week for 10 weeks per year in the same centre.

How to Fill in the Information:

The days per week are all same across different care types so you only need to convert the daily fees and daily hours to the average over 50 weeks.

The ELC part is simple as it is Centre Based Day Care:

    The Daily Hours = (7 hrs X 40 weeks) / 50 weeks = 5.6 hrs per day

    The Daily Fees = ($120 X 40 weeks) / 50 weeks = $96 per day

The tricky part is the after school care and Vacation Care as both are Outside School Hours Care:

    The Daily Hours = (3 hrs X 40 weeks + 10 hrs X 10 weeks) / 50 weeks = 4.4 hrs per day

    The Daily Fees = ($20 X 40 weeks + $100 X 10 weeks) / 50 weeks = $36 per day

Now you need to choose "No" for the "Is this child attending school?" question.

Then you enter your numbers into the calculator as shown below:

Per Week
Hours
$
Weeks
Per Week
Hours
$
Weeks
×

Long Day Care + Family Day Care


Example:

Your child (below school age) is enrolled at two child care centres:

    (1) at a Centre Based Day Care 3 days (10 hours per day) per week at $120 per day for 50 weeks per year;

    (2) and at a Family Day Care 2 days (10 hours per day) per week at $110 per day for 50 weeks per year.

How to Fill in the Information:

For the Centre Based Day Care:

    The Days = 3 days per week

    The Daily Hours = 10 hrs per day

    The Daily Fees = $120 per day

For the Family Day Care:

    The Days = 2 days per week

    The Daily Hours = 10 hrs per day

    The Daily Fees = $110 per day

Now you need to choose "No" for the "Is this child attending school?" question.

Then you enter your numbers into the calculator as shown below:

Per Week
Hours
$
Weeks
Per Week
f
Hours
$
Weeks
×

After School Care + Vacation Care


Example:

Your school aged child is enrolled in both After School Care and Vacation Care (both are Outside School Hours Care):

    (1) in the After School Care 4 days (3 hours per day) per week at $30 per day for 40 weeks per year;

    (2) and in the Vacation Care 5 days (10 hours per day) per week at $90 per day for 10 weeks per year.

How to Fill in the Information:

For the After School Care, you need to convert the numbers to 5 days per week (same as the Vacation Care):

    The Days = 5 days per week

    The Daily Hours = (3 hrs X 4 days) / 5 days = 2.4 hrs per day

    The Daily Fees = ($30 X 4 days) / 5 days = $24 per day

    Weeks per Year = 40 weeks

For the Vacation Care, you need to convert the numbers to 40 weeks (same as the After School Care):

    The Days = 5 days per week

    The Daily Hours = (10 hrs X 10 weeks) / 40 weeks = 2.5 hrs per day

    The Daily Fees = ($90 X 10 weeks) / 40 weeks = $22.5 per day

    Weeks per Year = 40 weeks

Now you need to choose "Yes" for the "Is this child attending school?" question.

Then you enter your numbers into the calculator as shown below:

    The Days = 5 days

    The Daily Hours = 2.4 hrs per day + 2.5 hrs per day = 4.9 hrs per day

    The Daily Fees = $24 per day + $22.5 per day = $46.5 per day

    Weeks per Year = 40 weeks

Make sure you change the Centre Based Day Care Daily Hours & Family Day Care Daily Hours to 0!

Per Week
Hours
$
Weeks
Step 3.1 - Fill in details for child 1
What type of childcare(s) does this child attend?
Centre Based Day Care
Per Week
Hours
$
Weeks
Child 1 Summary [Standard CCS Rate 90.00%] Weekly Average Quarterly Average Yearly
Child Care Fees $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Child Care Subsidy $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Child Care Subsidy Withholding $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Child Care Subsidy Paid to Service Provider $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Out-of-pocket Child Care Cost $0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Child Care Cost after EOY Reconciliation $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Calculation

In case you wonder how the CCS is calculated please read through the CCS calculation steps listed below. In Step 4.4 to Step 4.9 calculations for both standard CCS and higher CCS will be shown. If your child is attending more than one type of care this will be accurate only if you estimate one type of care at a time. Some calculations might be a bit off due to rounding numbers to two decimals.

Please note that until you enter your actual information into the CCS Calculator, the below calculations are based off the assumptions that your hours of recognised activities per fortnight are more than 48 hours and your standard CCS rate is 55%, with the daily fee being $180 and the session hours being 10 hours. Any actual information that you enter into the CCS Calculator will replace the relevant information in the above mentioned assumptions. Once you enter all the needed actual information into the CCS Calculator, the below calculations will be based on your actual information.

Step 4.1 - Work out the CCS hours per fortnight

In your case since the hours of recognised activities per fortnight are more than 48 hours, the maximum CCS hours per fortnight will be 100 hours. This means you are eligible for up to 100 hours of subsidy per fortnight (up to 50 hours per week).

Step 4.2 - Work out the hourly fee

In your case you pay a daily fee of $180 for a 10 hours session so the hourly fee is the daily fee ÷ the session hours: $180 ÷ 10 = $18.

Step 4.3 - Work out the lower of the hourly fee and the hourly CCS rate cap

In your case the hourly CCS rate cap is $14.29 which is lower than the hourly fee $18. This mean the CCS will be calculated based on the hourly CCS rate cap $14.29 instead of the hourly fee $18.

Step 4.4 - Work out the hourly CCS amount

In your case since your CCS rate is 55% the hourly CCS amount will be the lower of the hourly fee and the hourly rate cap × the CCS rate: $14.29 × 55% = $7.86.

If you are eligible for higher CCS, your CCS rate will be 80% and the hourly CCS amount will be $14.29 × 80% = $11.43.

Step 4.5 - Work out the weekly CCS amount

In your case you can get 50 hours of subsidy per week so your weekly CCS entitlement is the hourly CCS amount × the hours of subsidy per week: $7.86 × 50 = $393.00.

If you are eligible for higher CCS, the weekly CCS entitlement will be $11.43 × 50 = $571.50.

Step 4.6 - Work out the weekly withholding amount

In your case the withholding percentage is 5% so the weekly withholding amount is the weekly CCS amount × the withholding percentage: $393.00 × 5% = $19.65.

If you are eligible for higher CCS, the weekly withholding amount will be $571.50 × 5% = $28.58.

Step 4.7 - Work out the weekly CCS paid to the service provider

In your case the weekly CCS paid to the service provider is the weekly CCS amount − the weekly withholding amount: $393.00 $19.65 = $373.35.

If you are eligible for higher CCS, the weekly CCS paid to the service provider will be $571.50 $28.58 = $542.93.

Step 4.8 - Work out the weekly out-of-pocket cost (also known as the gap fee)

In your case the weekly out-of-pocket child care cost (gap fee) is the daily fee × the days enrolled per week − the weekly CCS paid to the service provider: $180 × 5 $373.35 = $526.65.

If you are eligible for higher CCS, the weekly out-of-pocket child care cost (gap fee) will be $180 × 5 $542.93 = $357.08.

Step 4.9 - Work out the weekly cost after EOY reconciliation

In your case once you get the withholding amount back after the end of year (EOY) reconciliation the weekly child care cost will be the weekly out-of-pocket cost − the weekly withholding amount: $526.65 $19.65 = $507.00.

If you are eligible for higher CCS, the weekly child care cost will be $357.08 $28.58 = $328.50.

Is it a good child care centre? All parents will ask the same question when they choose a child care centre for their child. Many of parents do not know that there is an official quality rating for each child care centre operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF). The rating is National Quality Standard (NQS) rating. If you want to learn more about the NQS quality rating, please click the Child Care Centres NQS Quality Rating link.

Instructions

Please follow the steps below to check the quality rating of any child care centre.

  • 1. Type in a few letters into the search box below;
  • 2. Pick the child care centre name from the suggested list;
  • 3. Click on the "Check Quality Rating Now" button;
  • 4. The centre's NQS quality rating will be displayed in a table below the "Check Quality Rating Now" button.

You can compare centres by checking their quality ratings one by one. The results will appear in the same table.


Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS)

The section below shows how much CCS you can get if you are eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS). The ACCS provides assistance in the following circumstances:

  • ACCS (Child Wellbeing) for families who require practical help to support their child's safety and wellbeing;
  • ACCS (Grandparent) for grandparent primary carers on income support;
  • ACCS (Temporary Financial Hardship) for families experiencing temporary financial hardship;
  • ACCS (Transition to Work) is available for parents transitioning to work from income support.

Families eligible for ACCS (Child Wellbeing), ACCS (Grandparent) or ACCS (Temporary Financial Hardship) will receive a subsidy equal to the actual fee charged, up to 120 per cent of the CCS hourly rate cap. Those families will not be subject to the activity test, and will be entitled to up to 100 hours of care per child, per fortnight.

ACCS (Transition to Work) is available for parents transitioning to work from income support. Eligible families will receive a subsidy of 95 per cent of the actual fee charged or up to 95 percent of the CCS hourly rate cap, whichever is lower. Hours of subsidised care will be determined by the Child Care Subsidy Activity Test.

The five per cent (5%) mandatory withholding of Child Care Subsidy entitlement will not apply to ACCS payments and neither will the annual cap.

Note: You can only get 1 type of Additional Child Care Subsidy at a time. If you meet the criteria for more than 1 type, you will be paid the one that benefits you the most. For more information please refer to Additional Child Care Subsidy from Australian Government agency of Services Australia. Children who are entitled to both the higher CCS rate and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) will be paid the ACCS rate.

Weekly Summary ACCS (Child Wellbeing, Grandparent, Temporary Financial Hardship) ACCS (Transition to Work)
Child Care Fees $0.00 $0.00
Child Care Subsidy $0.00 $0.00
Child Care Subsidy Withholding $0.00 $0.00
Child Care Subsidy Paid to Service Provider $0.00 $0.00
Out-of-pocket Child Care Cost $0.00 $0.00

Higher Child Care Subsidy

A family can get higher child care subsidy if they:

  • earn less than $365,611 (2024–25), and
  • have more than one child aged under 6 in care.

The Australian Government increases the subsidy (capped at 95%) for a family's second child and subsequent children aged under 6 in care. The standard rate child will get the standard CCS rate. This is usually the eldest CCS-eligible child aged 5 or under in the family. Younger children will get the higher subsidy.

Note: The increased subsidy will not apply to In Home Care sessions as IHC is subsidised on a family rather than per child basis. However, children aged 5 or under in IHC are included in the family unit when determining the standard rate child. A family with their standard rate child in IHC will get the higher subsidy for younger children who attend other care types.

The table below is a summary of the Standard CCS from July 2024.

Combined Family Adjusted Taxable Income (ATI) Standard CCS
Up to $83,280 90%
More than $83,280 to below $533,280 Decreasing from 90%
The percentage decreases by 1% for every $5,000 of income a family earns
$533,280 or more 0%

The table below is a summary of the Higher CCS from July 2024.

Combined Family Adjusted Taxable Income (ATI) Higher CCS
$0 to $141,321 95%
More than $141,321 to below $186,321 Decreasing from 95%
The percentage decreases by 1% for every $3,000 of income a family earns
$186,321 to below $265,611 80%
$265,611 to below $355,611 Decreasing from 80%
The percentage decreases by 1% for every $3,000 of income a family earns
$355,611 to below $365,611 50%
$365,611 or more Higher CCS rates no longer apply, all children in the family will receive the standard CCS rate

As you may know that the Government generally calculates your CCS at the start of a CCS fortnight (A CCS fortnight is a 2-week period that starts every second Monday, for example, the first CCS fortnight for the 2024–25 financial year started on Monday 8 July 2024). The CCS amount continues for the whole fortnight regardless of any change of circumstance. This means that if your eldest eligible child turns 6 partway through a CCS fortnight, your younger children will keep the higher subsidy for the whole CCS fortnight.

If you want to learn more about the Higher Child Care Subsidy, you can visit the Higher Child Care Subsidy information page.

Child Care Subsidy Hourly Fee Caps

The amount of CCS a family can get depends on the type of care they use. A family's CCS percentage will apply to the lowest of either:

  • the hourly rate cap
  • the hourly fee you charge at your service.

The table below shows the CCS hourly rate caps from July 2024 set by the Australian Government that are being used in this Child Care Subsidy calculator.

Service type Maximum hourly fee cap (children below school age) Maximum hourly fee cap (school aged children)
Centre Based Day Care (Long Day Care and Occasional Care) $14.29 $12.51
Outside School Hours Care (Before, After, and Vacation care) $14.29 $12.51
Family Day Care $13.24
In Home Care $38.87 (per family)

The Australian Government does not set early childhood education and care fees or require services to charge on an hourly basis. The hourly rate caps above are a guide for providers and families about what a "high fee" might be.

If you want to learn more about the Child Care Subsidy Hourly Fee Caps, you can visit the CCS Family Eligibility and Entitlement information page.