Author: CCSC

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CCS Eligibility CCS News

From 5 January 2026, families can get at least 72 subsidised hours of care each fortnight for each child

The Australian Government is replacing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Activity Test from January 2026 to guarantee at least 3 days of subsidised early childhood education and care (ECEC) each week for children who need it.

How will this initiative work?

From January 2026, all families will be eligible for at least 72 hours of subsidised ECEC per fortnight (3 days per week), regardless of their activity levels.

Families can still get 100 hours of subsidised ECEC per fortnight if they meet activity requirements or have a valid exemption.

Families caring for a First Nations child will be eligible for 100 hours of subsidised ECEC per fortnight.

Who will benefit?

The 3 Day Guarantee will benefit all families through certainty around eligibility for subsidised ECEC.

In its first full financial year the 3 Day Guarantee will benefit around 66,700 families, and more than 100,000 families will be eligible for additional hours of subsidised care.

Families earning over $533,280 in 2024-25 are not eligible for subsidised care – consistent with current settings.

Example of benefits

Sarah and Alex are a couple with one child accessing ECEC at 3 days (36 hours) per week. Their combined family income is $90,000 per annum. Sarah works full-time and Alex works 8 hours per week.

Previously, they were eligible for 18 hours of subsidised ECEC per week (36 hours per fortnight). From January 2026, they are eligible for 36 hours per week (72 hours per fortnight).

This saves them $230 per week of care ($11,400 per annum) from their provider charging the average Centre-Based Day Care hourly fee, assuming one child in care for 36 hours per week 50 weeks per year with the average projected fee for 2025-26.

For different family income thresholds, the better off amounts are:

If you want to estimate the possible benefits you might receive from this initiative you can use the 3 Day Guarantee – Early Education Child Care Subsidy Calculator.

How much will it cost?

The Australian Government will invest $426.7 million over five years from 2024-25, including implementation costs for Services Australia, to guarantee eligibility to at least 3 days of subsidised ECEC each week for children who need it.

If you want to learn more about the 3 days of subsidised ECEC you can visit the Fact Sheet – 3 Day Guarantee – Early Education page.

Categories
ACCS CCS Eligibility

Establishing Eligibility for ACCS Child Wellbeing

Establishing eligibility for ACCS child wellbeing

If you identify a child at risk of serious abuse or neglect at your service, they may be eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) child wellbeing.

Unlike other subsidies, providers apply on behalf of a family. There are important steps to take to ensure the family can get the subsidy. Families may miss out on payments if they delay claiming CCS or are not aware of the immunisation requirements.

CCS eligibility

Families can only get ACCS child wellbeing once they’ve:

  • lodged a CCS claim, and
  • been assessed as CCS eligible.

Services Australia can only backdate payments up to 28 days before the family lodged their successful claim. Families can lodge a CCS claim via their Centrelink online account.

Immunisation requirements

Children must meet immunisation requirements to be eligible for CCS. If a child does not meet the immunisation requirements, the claim will not be approved. The family will need to make a new claim once the child has met the immunisation requirements.

When to use a Provider Eligible Arrangement

In the rare case that you cannot identify a CCS-eligible parent or carer, you – the provider – may be able to get the subsidy on behalf of the child. This is known as a provider eligible arrangement or ‘PEA’. A PEA enables Services Australia to pay the subsidy directly to you. It can only be used in very limited circumstances.

Find detailed guidance about establishing eligibility for ACCS child wellbeing on our website.

Categories
CCS News OSHC

OSHC for Preschool Children from 22 July 2024

Previously, an OSHC service must provide care primarily to school aged children.

From 22 July 2024, OSHC services can also provide care primarily to preschool aged children either side of preschool sessions.

This means families can get CCS for care provided before and after preschool, for children who attend a preschool program. It will provide families with preschool children more options for affordable before-and-after hours care to help meet families’ needs. Preschool programs are delivered to children in the year before they start full-time school.

To be eligible to provide preschool OSHC, the care provided must differ from a preschool service. Some of the key factors we consider include:

  • Type of care program delivered. An OSHC service should not deliver the same type of educational program to the preschool service.
  • Hours of operation. Preschool and OSHC services must be separate.
  • Staffing. Roles and duties performed by staff can be clearly distinguished.

Providers who want to establish a preschool OSHC as will need to:

  • Obtain approval from their state or territory regulatory authority to operate a Centre Based Day Care service at the preschool premises. This must be a separate approval where the preschool OSHC provider is the same as the preschool provider.
  • Apply for CCS approval for the new OSHC service.

Find out more and read examples on our website at Outside School Hours Care.