4 mins read
Raising a family can be extremely rewarding, but also incredibly expensive. And now, more and more parents are relying on paid child care services so they themselves can continue working - even when their kids are still very young.
Fortunately, Australian families can receive a helping hand from the government to keep up with the rising costs of child care.
The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is based on:
To apply for the CCS, you need to complete a Child Care Subsidy Assessment online through myGov. Depending on your income and your work or study situation, you could receive a subsidy to cover between 20% and 85% of your child care fees.
| Your family income | Child Care Subsidy percentage |
|---|---|
| $0 to $70,015 | 85% |
| More than $70,015 to below $175,015 | Between 85% and 50% The percentage goes down by 1% for every $3,000 of income your family earns |
| $175,015 to below $254,305 | 50% |
| $254,305 to below $344,305 | Between 50% and 20% The percentage goes down by 1% for every $3,000 of income your family earns |
| $344,305 to below $354,305 | 20% |
| $354,305 or more | 0% |
CCS payments are made directly to your child care provider. This means you only need to pay your provider the gap between your subsidy amount and the total fee.
You can out find more on the Department of Education, Skills and Employment website.
Talking to a financial planner can help you understand your situation and make confident financial decisions (big or small) so you can get the most out of life.
