Family Assistance Office
What is approved care?
Approved child care is care provided by a service provider that participates satisfactorily in the Australian Government funded quality assurance system and 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 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 information on 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.
The amount of Child Care Benefit you can get for approved child care will depend on
- the number of hours child care you use
- your Child Care Benefit percentage, and
- whether your child is a school child or a non-school child.
Eligibility requirements for up to 24 hours
All eligible families using approved care can get up to 24 hours of Child Care Benefit per child per week.
Eligibility requirements for up to 50 hours
Families using approved care can receive up to the maximum rate of Child Care Benefit for up to 50 hours per child per week if both parents (or the lone parent) are working or looking for work, training, studying or have an exemption from this requirement. For more information see the work, training, study test.
Eligibility requirements for more than 50 hours
Families may be eligible to receive more than 50 hours of Child Care Benefit per child per week if both parents (or the lone parent) are not available to care for their child for more than 50 hours a week because of work, study or training commitments (including travel to and from work) or if the family is experiencing exceptional circumstances. Contact us for more information.
This information is a guide only. For a personal assessment, use the secure online Family Assistance Estimator or contact us.
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URL: http://www.familyassist.gov.au/content/payments-ccb-how_much-what_approved_care.htm
This page last modified on 01/07/2008.
This page accessed on 21/11/2008.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2008