The new Child Care Package

Published May 23, 2018

With just over a month until the new financial year, we know there are a lot of things for individuals and families to organise. If your family currently receives child care fee assistance, you will need to complete the online assessment to receive your benefit.

Starting on 2 July 2018, the new Child Care Subsidy will replace the current Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Rebate. The new subsidy will be paid directly to the child care provider and the changes to the annual cap will make child care services more affordable to most families.

From April 2018, families will need to complete their Child Care Subsidy assessment so that you are ready to claim on 2 July 2018 when the transition will take place. If this is not completed, you may not receive any child care fee assistance and may be required to pay the full fee.

Families will need to complete the assessment and provide new details to be eligible for the new subsidy. This will help determine the percentage of the subsidy, and how many subsidised hours you are eligible for. You will need to provide the following details through myGov:

• Combined family income
• The activity level of you and your partner
• The type of child care services your family utilises

Providing these details will determine the level of subsidy you are eligible for. ­­­Along with these details, other requirements that your child needs to meet are:

• Age (13 years and under)
• School status (must not be attending secondary school)
• Enrolment details
• Immunisation requirements
• The parent/parents meet residency requirements

Supplying all of these details before 2 July 2018 will ensure that you are ready for the new Subsidy. For more information go to https://www.education.gov.au/ChildCarePackage