The amount of Child Care Subsidy (CCS) paid for care is determined by:

● Family income—the adjusted taxable income of the individual claimant and their partner (if they have one)

● Results of an activity test—this test considers the number of hours in a CCS fortnight that an individual engages in a recognised activity (such as paid work or a training course to improve their employment prospects) and affects the number of hours of subsidised care available to the individual

● Type of eligible child care services—a different CCS hourly rate cap applies depending on the type of service the child attends

Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS)

Additional Child Care Subsidy provides additional fee assistance to support vulnerable or disadvantaged families and children. There are four different payments:

● Child wellbeing—a subsidy equal to 100 per cent of the actual fee charged, up to 120 per cent of the Child Care Subsidy hourly rate cap, for up to 100 hours of assistance per fortnight

● Grandparent—a subsidy equal to 100 per cent of the actual fee charged, up to 120 per cent of the Child Care Subsidy hourly rate cap, for up to 100 hours of assistance per fortnight

● Temporary financial hardship—a subsidy equal to 100 per cent of the actual fee charged, up to 120 per cent of the Child Care Subsidy hourly rate cap, up to 100 hours of assistance per fortnight. It is limited to 13 weeks per event that gives rise to the temporary financial hardship

● Transition to work—a subsidy equal to 95 per cent of the actual fee charged (up to 95 per cent of the Child Care Subsidy hourly rate cap)

Child Care Subsidy - Withholding

● Services Australia withholds a percentage of Child Care Subsidy (this is usually 5 per cent) to reduce the likelihood that individuals will incur debts. This means that the full subsidy amount, less the withholding amount, is paid to providers on behalf of families following submission of session reports

● Mini Miners Early Learning Centre will be able to see the amount withheld on the payment advice they receive each fortnight. The amount withheld will be part of the gap fee that needs to be paid by families or carer to the provider.

Child Care Subsidy - Reconciliation

● After the end of each financial year, when families settle their tax affairs (completing tax return), the total entitlements and payments for each child will be reconciled against the individual’s adjusted taxable income. After this review, any outstanding subsidy amount will be paid to the individual or they will be advised of any debt. This process of reviewing and recalculating entitlements for the full year is called ‘reconciliation’ (also called income review or balancing