Child Care Subsidy Eligibility

Some basic requirements must be satisfied for an individual to be eligible to receive Child Care Subsidy for a child. These include:

• the age of the child (must be 13 or under and not attending secondary school)
• the child meeting immunisation requirements
• the individual, or their partner, meets the residency requirements.

In addition, to be eligible for Child Care Subsidy the individual must be liable to pay for care provided, the care must be delivered in Australia by an approved childcare provider, and not be part of a compulsory education program.

How does it work?

There are three factors that will determine a family's level of Child Care Subsidy. These are:

• Combined Family Income
• Activity Test – the activity level of both parents
• Service Type – type of childcare service

The Child Care Subsidy will be paid directly to providers to be passed on to families as a fee reduction. Families will make a co-contribution to their childcare fees and pay to the provider the difference between the fee charged and the subsidy amount.

The New Child Care Package also provides targeted additional fee assistance for vulnerable families through the Child Care Safety Net.