What is Child Care Subsidy (CCS)?

The amount you get depends on your family’s income, the type of childcare you use and the hours you and your partner work and other recognised activities that improve your skills.

Eligibility & criteria

What classifies as recognised activity?

• Paid work (including annual leave and parental leave)

• Self-employment

• Business start-up

• Doing unpaid work in the family business

• Enrolled in approved study or training course

• Actively seeking work

• Recognised volunteering

• Other activities on a case-by-case basis

Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS)

ACCS may also be paid in circumstances where a child is at risk, or has been at risk, of serious abuse or neglect. To discuss further, contact our Customer Care Team on 1300 105 343 for a confidential conversation with a Specialist Team member.

Child Care Subsidy for siblings

You may get a higher CCS if you have more than one child aged 5 or younger in care. This may apply to one or more of your children.

This means, Centrelink will assess which children get the higher subsidy by working out both the ‘standard rate child’ and the ‘higher rate child’ or the ‘higher rate children’.

The ‘standard rate child’ is usually your eldest CCS eligible child aged 5 or under (based on your family income estimate). The ‘higher rate child’ refers to your younger eligible child or children, where you’ll get the higher subsidy rate for them. You can get a 30% higher subsidy for your ‘higher rate child’. This is an increase on your standard CCS percentage and will cap this at a maximum of 95%.

You’ll continue to get the standard rate of CCS if these apply:

• You have children aged 6 and above
• You have one child aged 5 or under

The higher subsidy rate only applies if you have more than one eligible child aged 5 or under. Read HERE for examples to help you understand your higher Child Care Subsidy.

How to apply for CCS

• If you don’t already have one, register for a MyGov account, as this is how the government will communicate with you

• Complete your Child Care Subsidy application

• Confirm your activity hours

• Create your bookings with Camp Australia (if you haven’t already)

• Ensure you have provided Camp Australia with individual DOBs (Date of Birth) and CRNs (Customer Reference Number) for all children, and the parent claiming the Subsidy

• When prompted by the government, log into your MyGov accountand confirm the enrolments for Outside School Hours Care.

Billing

If your CCS has not been applied, has changed, or has recently been removed, it may be due to the following reasons:

• Your activity test results have expired

• You have recently updated your activity test and your CCS is being recalculated

• You have submitted an ACCS claim which is currently pending

• You have not yet confirmed your Camp Australia enrolment

• Your ACCS claim has ended/expired

• Your child has not attended a Camp Australia service for 14 continuous weeks

• Your child has not attended a Camp Australia service for 14 continuous weeks and the enrolment has been ceased

• Your child has not yet physically attended a Camp Australia service

• You have exceeded your Allowable Absences (the threshold is 52 absent bookings per child, per financial year)

• From 11 July 2022, children who haven’t attended a session of care in 26 consecutive weeks will no longer be eligible for Child Care Subsidy

Things to remember

• Your Child Care Subsidy application must be approved by Centrelink before CCS will be applied

• Your Camp Australia account must be formalised, and your enrolment confirmed for CCS to be paid

• Changes in circumstances or extended periods of absence may result in recalculation of your CCS