Child Care Benefit

Child Care Benefit helps cover the cost of approved child care, including long day care, family day care, occasional day care and before and after school care.

You may get Child Care Benefit if:

• Your child attends approved or registered child care and you are responsible for paying the child care fees
• your child is immunised, on an immunisation catch up schedule, or is exempt from having to be immunised 
• you meet the income test and residency requirements

The amount of Child Care Benefit you get depends on your circumstances such as the amount and type of care you use, your income and the number of children you have in care.

Approved child care

A child care service is approved if it meets certain Australian Government requirements such as qualified staff and health and safety quality standards. Approved child care includes outside school hours care, family day care, vacation care, long day care, in home care and some occasional care services. To find out if your child care is approved ask your child care service or call the Child Care Access Hotline on Freecall 1800 670 305 8AM to 9PM EST.

Registered care

Registered child care is child care provided by grandparents, relatives, friends or nannies who are registered as carers with the Family Assistance Office. In some circumstances it can also include care provided by individuals in private schools, kindergartens and outside school hour services. Carers or teachers in these services must be registered with the Family Assistance Office. You can only claim Child Care Benefit for registered care if you are working, studying or training at sometime during the week in which you used child care.

Guardians, foster parents and grandparents

If you are a guardian, including foster parents and grandparents, responsible for the day-to-day care of children or grandchildren you may also be able to get Child Care Benefit.