Park Ridge Child Care & Kindergarten Fees CCS Subsidy

Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

Child Care Subsidy (CCS) helps families with the costs of child care. Families must meet eligibility criteria to get CCS. The amount of CCS a family can get depends on their circumstances.

From 5 January 2026, all CCS eligible families can now get at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight. Families can get 100 hours of subsidised care each fortnight in certain circumstances. Read about the 3 Day Guarantee.

Family eligibility

Families must meet eligibility criteria to get CCS.

The parent must:

care for their child at least 2 nights per fortnight or have 14% share of care
be liable for child care fees at an approved early childhood education and care service
meet residency requirements.

Their child must:

meet immunisation requirements
not be attending secondary school (unless an exemption applies)
be 13 or under (except in certain circumstances).
If a child doesn’t attend a session of care at least once in 26 consecutive weeks, they will stop being eligible for CCS. If a child starts to attend care again, a family can make a new claim for CCS.

Family entitlement

The amount of CCS a family can get depends on their circumstances.

Services Australia looks at:

a family’s income
how many children a family has in their care
the age of the children in their care
whether the child identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
a family’s participation level
the type of care a family uses.

3 Day Guarantee

All CCS eligible families can now get 3 days of subsidised child care per week.

Families can get 100 hours of subsidised child care each fortnight for each child if they:

care for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child
have more than 48 hours of recognised participation each fortnight
have an exemption or experience exceptional circumstances
receive Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) child wellbeing, temporary financial hardship or grandparent payments.

Families that already receive CCS will automatically get 72 or 100 hours of subsidy based on their circumstances. They do not have to provide any additional information.

For new families applying for CCS, or families wishing to update their CCS claim from 5 January 2026, a simplified application process will apply.

Families must still pay a gap fee, except in certain circumstances.

Subsidised hours

Your situation	Hours of subsidised care each fortnight per child
48 hours or less of recognised participation each fortnight	72 hours
More than 48 hours of recognised participation each fortnight Caring for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child Approved exemptions Getting ACCS child wellbeing, temporary financial hardship or grandparent payments	100 hours

Family income

Services Australia works out a family’s CCS percentage based on their family income estimate.

A family’s CCS subsidy rate is the percentage of the hourly rate the government will subsidise. It will apply to the hourly fee or the relevant hourly rate cap, whichever is lower.

CCS rates 2025-26

Family Income	Subsidy Rate
Up to $85,279	90%
More than $85,279 to below $535,279	Between 90% and 0% The percentage decreases by 1% for every $5,000 of income a family earns
$535,279 or more	0%

Number of children in care

Families with more than one child aged 5 or under in care may get a higher subsidy for their second child and younger children, based on the ‘standard rate child’ and ‘higher rate child’ definitions. Siblings do not need to attend the same service to get the higher subsidy.

The rates for each child are worked out using two separate income tests.

The ‘standard rate child’ is usually the eldest CCS eligible child aged 5 or under. The standard rate child will get the standard CCS rates.
The ‘higher rate child’ is the second and any younger children aged 5 or under. The higher rate for second and younger children is calculated using the rates for second and younger children.

Rates for second and younger children 2025-26

Family Income	Second and younger children subsidy rate
$0 to $143,273	95%
More than $143,273 to below $188,273	Decreasing from 95% The percentage decreases by 1% for every $3,000 of income a family earns
$188,273 to below $267,563	80%
$267,563 to below $357,563	Decreasing from 80% The percentage decreases by 1% for every $3,000 of income a family earns
$357,563 to below $367,563	50%
$367,563 or more	Higher CCS rates no longer apply, all children in the family will receive the standard CCS rate

Combined families are where both members of a couple get CCS for different children in their family. Services Australia counts all CCS-eligible children in a combined family when determining entitlement to the higher rate for second and younger children.

In Home Care (IHC) sessions do not attract the higher subsidy. This is because IHC is subsidised per family, rather than per child.

Children who are entitled to both the higher subsidy and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) will be paid the ACCS rate.

Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Information