Blog - Australian Childcare Alliance

Families make sure youre ready

What is the new Child Care Subsidy (CCS)?

In July 2018 the Australian Government will introduce a new child care fee assistance package, which will include a new payment known as the Child Care Subsidy.

The new Child Care Subsidy (CCS) will replace the existing child care fee payments known as the Child Care Benefit (CCB) and the Child Care Rebate (CCR).

How can I find out how much my new CCS rate and eligible hours are?

The first place to start is to register for the new Child Care Subsidy (CCS) - this process needs to take place before the government can inform you of your eligible hours per fortnight and your CCS rate. Once you have followed the online registration process outlined below, you might like to do a quick estimate of your CCS rate, eligible hours and out of pocket costs using our CCS calculator, before seeking your actual subsidy details in myGov - details about this are provided further below.

How to register for the new Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

If you already have children attending early learning (child care) services, or you are in the process of enrolling your child/children in an early learning service, you will need to register for the new Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

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What is a Complying Written Arrangement (CWA)?

A Complying Written Arrangement (CWA) is an ongoing agreement between an ECEC service provider and a Parent/Guardian, to provide care in return for fees.

The CWA must contain a minimum amount of information as defined by the Government.

Service providers are required to have a CWA in place for each child in their care, as set out in subsection 200B(3) of the Family Assistance Administration Act.

To ensure a smooth transition across to the new Child Care Subsidy (CCS), Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services will need to prepare their staff for the upcoming changes, both from an operational perspective, as well as to help them successfully explain the new requirements when engaging with families.

The Department of Education and Training (DET) recommends that ECEC services take the following steps as soon as possible, to ensure they are ready to receive the new CCS payments from 2 July this year:

Complete P RODA registration
You will not be able to complete the next step unless at least one person with Management or Control has registered with PRODA.
Complete the on-line transition form
Activate, register and set up your Child care software.
This will involve a number of considerations that will be different for each ECEC service’s circumstances.
If you are not using software, you can download Task Cards from DET's Provider Transition webpage (scroll to the bottom) so that you can complete the next step in the PEP (Provider Entry Point)
Update and create enrolments, link personnel into PRODA and check service details using your child care software OR the PEP (Provider Entry Point)