New changes to the CCS. Are you eligible for an increased subsidy?

The first thing to know is that these new changes only apply to families with more than one child under five who is currently enrolled in an approved child care setting. That’s because these new changes have been designed to assist families who currently pay the most, which can be a barrier to participating in work. 

If that sounds like your family there are a couple of requirements you need to meet before accessing the higher subsidy. To access the increased subsidy you need to meet certain requirements:   

• Eligible or already receiving CCS 
• Have more than 1 child enrolled 
• Collective family income below $354,305 

If you meet the above conditions, you’re probably wondering how much your subsidy can increase. The answer is different for every family, but it will range from an extra 30% up to a maximum of 95% off. 

This increased subsidy will be applied to the ‘high rate child’ who is your youngest eligible child or children. You don’t need to identify or nominate which child or children you’d like the subsidy applied to – Services Australia will do this automatically.  It’s also good to know that children within the same family who attend different centres or are enrolled on different days are still eligible for the increased subsidy. 

These changes are new and can feel complex, but the good news is, you don’t have do anything to access these new CCS increases. Your child’s early education or care setting will be working directly with Services Australia to apply these changes automatically.  

If these changes don’t apply to you because you only have one child receiving Child Care Subsidy, don’t forget recent changes in December removed the annual cap for all families regardless of the number of children in care. If you have more questions, always feel free to talk to your child’s early education or care setting, or if you’re keen to learn more you can find more information at www.servicesaustralia.gov.au. 

The site has case studies and examples of how the new changes can affect you.