Factsheet - Child Care Benefit
Child Care Benefit is a payment from the Australian Government that helps you with the cost of your child care.
Can I get Child Care Benefit?
You can get Child Care Benefit if you are a parent, foster parent or grandparent with a child in your care who is attending child care services approved by, or registered with, the Government.You can get Child Care Benefit if:
- you have a child in your care
- your child attends approved or registered care and you are liable to pay the child care fees
- your child meets the immunisation requirements (or has an exemption)
- you or your partner meet the residency requirements (or have an exemption)
- you meet the income test
Approved Care
Approved child care is care provided by a service provider that has been approved to receive Child Care Benefit payments on behalf of eligible families. Most long day care, family day care, before and after school care, vacation care, some occasional care and some in home care child care services are approved child care providers. Your child care service can tell you if they are an approved provider.To find an approved child care service and vacancies in your area, you can ring the Child Care Access Hotline on 1800 670 305 (TTY 1800 639 327) between 8am and 9pm AEST Monday to Friday or search the mychild.gov.au website.
Registered Care
Registered care is care for work related purposes that is provided by grandparents, relatives, friends or nannies who are registered as carers with the Family Assistance Office. Registered care may also be provided by individuals in some private preschools, kindergartens, some outside school hours care services and some occasional care centres. Carers or teachers in these services must be registered with the Family Assistance Office. Your carer can tell you if they are registered.Eligible Hours
- All eligible families using approved care can get up to 24 hours of Child Care Benefit a week per child
- You can claim up to 50 hours of Child Care Benefit for each child in approved or registered care if you and your partner are working or looking for work, training, studying or be exempt from this requirement
- You can get more than 50 hours of Child Care Benefit for each child in approved care if you or your partner are not available to care for your child for more than 50 hours a week because of work, study or training commitments (including travel to and from work) or if your family is experiencing exceptional circumstances.
How much can I get?
Rates - Approved Care
There is no longer a non-income tested minimum rate of Child Care Benefit. This means if you no longer receive a payment of Child Care Benefit you may still be eligible for the 50 per cent Child Care Rebate.For families using approved care you are entitled to the maximum rate of Child Care Benefit if your annual family income is $37,960 or less.
| Number of children in care |
Per week (for 50 hours of care) |
Per hour for each child |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $180.00 | $3.60 |
| 2 | $376.21 | $3.76 |
3 |
$587.13 | $3.91 |
Maximum rate for a school child is 85 percent of the maximum non-school child rate
You will not receive any Child Care Benefit if your income is more than the limits in the following table.
| Number of Children in care |
Income limits |
|---|---|
| 1 | $131,560 |
| 2 | $136,375 |
| 3 | $153,995 add $29,077 for each extra child in care |
Registered care rate
Families using registered care are entitled to the following rate of Child Care Benefit.| Per hour for each child | Maximum per week for each child (for 50 hours a week) |
|---|---|
| $0.602 | $30.10 |
The registered care rate for a school child is 85 percent of the rate for non-school child.
Please Note: you cannot get the Child Care Rebate for registered care.
Payment Options
You can choose to receive your Child Care Benefit for approved care in the following ways:- Reduced fees-your Child Care Benefit will be paid directly to your child care service, who will pass it to you in the form of fee reductions so you pay less in fees, (you will have to pay any 'gap' in outstanding fees) or
- lump sum-you will pay full child care fees to your child care service during the year, and after the end of the financial year you may make a claim for Child Care Benefit as a lump sum.
Please Note: You must claim Child Care Benefit as reduced fees if you want to receive your Child Care Rebate as a quarterly payment even if you are assessed at the zero rate of Child Care Benefit. If you choose to receive your Child Care Benefit as a lump sum payment, any Child Care Rebate will also be paid as a lump sum at the end of that year. You can change how you receive your Child Care Rebate (i.e. quarterly to annually) at any time by contacting the Family Assistance Office on 13 6150.
Registered Care
If you use registered care only, you can claim your Child Care Benefit by:- Taking your child care receipts to the Family Assistance Office and completing the Claim for Child Care Benefit for registered care form (FA018).
- You must claim your benefit within 12 months after the date the care has been provided.
- We will pay your Child Care Benefit into your bank or credit union account after you submit a claim.
If you us a combination of approved care and registered care you need to claim Child Care Benefit separately for each type of care.
[ Top ]