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If your family has more than one child aged 5 or younger in care, you may get a higher Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for one or more of your children.
Watch this video to learn more about a higher rate of CCS.
Who can get a higher subsidy
You can get a higher subsidy for one or more of your children, if all of these apply:
- you get or will be eligible for CCS
- your family’s combined income is under $365,611
- your family has more than one CCS eligible child aged 5, or younger.
If your family has more than one child aged 5 or under we’ll assess which children get a higher subsidy by working out both:
- the ‘standard rate child’
- the ‘higher rate child’ or the ‘higher rate children’.
The ‘standard rate child’ is usually your eldest CCS eligible child aged 5 or under. This child will get the standard CCS percentage.
The ‘higher rate child’ is any CCS eligible child younger than your standard rate child. You’ll get a higher subsidy rate for them.
For children born on the same date, such as twins, we’ll automatically determine one child as the ‘standard rate child’. We’ll then apply a higher rate to other eligible children.
We won’t pay a higher subsidy for sessions of In Home Care (IHC). This is because IHC is subsidised for the family, rather than for each child. IHC will continue to be paid the standard CCS rate.
How to check your CCS percentage
If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov, you can check your CCS percentage online.
To do this:
- Select My family.
- Under Child care, select Child Care Subsidy summary.
How much you can get
The rates for each child are worked out separately.
The ‘standard rate child’ is usually your eldest CCS eligible child aged 5 or under. This child will get the standard CCS percentage.
The ‘higher rate child’ is any CCS eligible child younger than your standard rate child. You’ll get a higher subsidy rate for them.
Use the Child Care Subsidy calculator on the Starting Blocks website to see what you may be eligible for.
CCS rates for higher rate children
| Your family income | Child Care Subsidy percentage |
|---|---|
| $0 to $141,321 | 95% |
| More than $141,321 to below $186,321 | Between 95% and 80% The percentage goes down by 1% for every $3,000 of income your family earns |
| $186,321 to below $265,611 | 80% |
| $265,611 to below $355,611 | Between 80% and 50% The percentage goes down by 1% for every $3,000 of income your family earns |
| $355,611, to below $365,611 | 50% |
| $365,611 or more | Higher CCS rates no longer apply, all children in the family will get the standard CCS rate |
There are examples to help you understand how your CCS is calculated based on your family situation.
Combined families
Combined families are where both members of the couple get CCS for different children in their family.
Your combined family will be assessed as a whole for a higher rate of CCS. This includes all CCS eligible children aged 5 and under in your care and your partner’s care.
What you need to do
We’ll automatically work out if you’re eligible. If you are, we’ll apply a higher subsidy to any eligible children in your family and start paying it to your child care service to reduce your fees.