How is Child Care Subsidy worked out?

Child Care Subsidy depends on your family income, the type of approved care you use, your child’s age, the current hourly rate cap, and the number of subsidised hours you can access.

How many subsidised hours can families get after 5 January 2026?

From 5 January 2026, all CCS eligible families can access at least 72 subsidised hours per fortnight. Families can access 100 hours if the recognised participation rules are met or a valid exemption applies.

Why can my gap fee still be high even with a strong CCS percentage?

Your CCS percentage only applies to the lower of your service’s hourly fee or the government hourly rate cap. If your provider charges above the cap, you pay the extra amount yourself.

Does this calculator include Additional Child Care Subsidy or year-end balancing?

No. This tool is a practical standard CCS estimate for one child at a time. It does not model Additional Child Care Subsidy, balancing adjustments, or every Services Australia edge case.

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Child Care Subsidy Calculator

Estimate your CCS rate, subsidised hours, and child care gap fees

Estimate Your Child Care Subsidy

This calculator estimates standard Child Care Subsidy for Australian families using current family income thresholds, child care hourly caps, and the current post-5 January 2026 subsidised-hours rules.

Enter your family income, the child care type, your child's age group, and your service fees to estimate the CCS percentage, subsidy paid to your provider, and likely out-of-pocket cost.

Child Care Subsidy Inputs

Estimate one child's CCS using your family income, care fees, and recognised participation.

Family Income

Use your combined adjusted taxable income estimate for the financial year.

Care Type

Choose the approved child care type because hourly rate caps differ by care setting.

Child Age

Rate caps differ for children below school age and children above school age.

Rate Type

Use the higher rate only for a second or younger child aged 5 or under when your family qualifies.

Session Fee

Enter the fee your service charges for one booked session before CCS is applied.

Session Hours

Use the number of billable hours in the booked session, not just the hours your child attends.

Sessions Per Fortnight

Enter how many booked sessions you expect to use in a typical fortnight.

Recognised Participation (Hours/Fortnight)

This helps decide whether your family gets 72 or 100 subsidised hours per fortnight. If you have a partner, enter the lower recognised participation figure.

Withholding (%)

Services Australia withholds 5% by default to reduce the risk of overpayment at balancing time.

Valid Exemption

Use this if Services Australia recognises a CCS exemption for your family.

Aboriginal Or Torres Strait Islander Child

Eligible children can access 100 subsidised hours per fortnight.

Child Care Subsidy Estimate

This estimate uses the current CCS settings and your entered session fee assumptions.

Important estimate notes

Your hourly fee is $18.00, so CCS is capped at $14.63 per hour.

CCS Percentage

83.06%

Subsidised Hours / Fortnight

72 hours

Hourly Rate Cap

$14.63

Estimated CCS Entitlement

$729.10

Subsidy Paid To Provider

$692.64

Withheld Amount

$36.46

Total Fortnightly Fee

$1,080.00

Out-Of-Pocket Cost

$387.36

Assumptions used in this estimate:

It applies the current post-5 January 2026 72-hour and 100-hour CCS rules.
It estimates standard CCS or higher-rate-child CCS for one child at a time.
It uses the lower of your hourly fee and the current hourly rate cap.
It does not model Additional Child Care Subsidy, balancing adjustments, or complex family edge cases.

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What This Estimate Covers

This tool is built for quick planning. It applies current CCS percentage rules and the current minimum 72 subsidised hours per fortnight that started on 5 January 2026, with support for the 100-hour settings where relevant.

Standard CCS rate and higher-rate-child CCS for one child at a time.
Current hourly rate caps by care type and child age group.
Default 5% withholding, which you can change to match your own settings.
Estimated gap fee based on your entered session fee and hours.

Need Pay Or Tax Estimates Too?

If you also want salary tax, superannuation, or Medicare estimates, use our Australian Pay Calculator.