To transition, you will need to complete an online Child Care Subsidy assessment using your Centrelink online account through myGov. You will be asked to provide some new information and confirm your current details, including:
- Combined family income for the 2018–2019 financial year;
- Activity level of parents; and
- Type of child care service
There are also changes to the annual cap which will make child care more affordable for most families. Three things will determine a family’s level of Child Care Subsidy:
- A family’s income will determine the percentage of subsidy they are eligible for;
- An activity test will determine how many hours of subsidised care families can access, up to a maximum of 100 per fortnight, and
- The type of child care service will determine the hourly rate cap.
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; and
- the individual, or their partner, meeting the residency requirements.
ANNUAL SUBSIDY CAP
Families earning a combined annual family income of $186,958 or less will have no cap on the amount of Child Care Subsidy they can claim. Families earning over $186,958 and under $351,248 will benefit from an increase in the current cap of $7,613 to $10,190 per child, per year.