What is an absence day?
Under the Child Care Subsidy, families are allowed 42 absence days per child, per financial year. These 42 allowable absences can be taken for any reason, including public holidays and when children are sick, without the need for families to provide documentation.
Changes to absences
From 13 July 2020, families can receive CCS for absences up to seven days before a child’s first, and after a child’s last, physical attendance at a service, where a session of care would have usually been provided, for any of the following reasons:
- any of the additional absence reasons
- the child, the individual who cares for the child, the individual’s partner or another person with whom the child lives is ill (no medical certificate required if the child has not used 42 absence days)
- the service has changed ownership
- the usual service is closed and the child is attending a different service under the same provider
- a family tragedy (a major event including the death of an immediate family member) has occurred, or
- the enrolment ceased incorrectly.
This amendment was made in response to feedback from the sector and has been timed to coincide with the start of the 2020-21 CCS year.
Families can continue to claim additional absences for COVID-19 related reasons without the need for medical evidence until 31 December 2020.
For more information check out the updated absences fact sheet and FAQs from Department of Education, Skills and Employment.