Child Care Subsidy Calculator
Estimate your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) percentage, how many hours are subsidised and the gap fee you pay for up to three children, using Services Australia’s 2026–27 rates.
Your result
Your gap fee
$204.02 a fortnight
CCS 81.70% · subsidy $707.38 of $911.40 in fees · about $5,305 a year
- You can get 72 hours of subsidised care a fortnight for each child.
- $37.23 a fortnight is withheld to lower the chance of an overpayment. When your payments are balanced after the financial year, it goes towards any debt, or is paid to you if you got too little.
An estimate using Services Australia’s 2026–27 rates. The default fee is an example: a 10-hour day charged at the long day care hourly rate cap. Enter your service’s fee. General information only.
Rates checked 13 October 2026 against Services Australia · How we calculate · Calculated in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Subsidy for each child
| Child 1 (age 3) | |
|---|---|
| CCS percentage | 81.70% |
| Hourly fee | $15.19 |
| Hourly rate cap | $15.19 |
| Hours charged a fortnight | 60 |
| Subsidised hours a fortnight | 60 |
| Fees a fortnight | $911.40 |
| Child Care Subsidy | $744.61 |
| Withheld (5%) | $37.23 |
| Gap fee a fortnight | $204.02 |
Income thresholds
The standard CCS rate is 90% for family income up to $88,520. Above that it falls by 1 percentage point for every $5,000 of income, reaching 0% at $538,520. On $130,000 the rate is 81.70%, matching Services Australia’s own example.
For a second or younger child aged 5 or under, the higher rate is 95% up to $146,437, falls by 1 point per $3,000 to 80% at $191,437, stays at 80% to $270,727, falls again to 50% at $360,727, and stops at $370,727.
| Family income | Standard CCS rate |
|---|---|
| $80,000 | 90% |
| $100,000 | 87.70% |
| $130,000 | 81.70% |
| $160,000 | 75.70% |
| $200,000 | 67.70% |
| $250,000 | 57.70% |
| $300,000 | 47.70% |
| $400,000 | 27.70% |
| $500,000 | 7.70% |
Sources: Your income can affect Child Care Subsidy, Services Australia, last updated 13 July 2026; Your number of children in care can affect your higher Child Care Subsidy, Services Australia, last updated 6 July 2026.
Hourly rate caps
Your CCS percentage applies to your hourly fee or the hourly rate cap, whichever is lower. If your service charges a daily fee, the hourly fee is the daily fee divided by the hours in the session.
| Type of care | Below school age | At school |
|---|---|---|
| Centre Based Day Care (long day care) | $15.19 | $13.30 |
| Family Day Care | $14.08 | $14.08 |
| Outside School Hours Care | $15.19 | $13.30 |
In Home Care has a cap of $41.31 an hour per family and isn’t covered by this calculator. Source: The type of child care you use can affect Child Care Subsidy, Services Australia, last updated 20 July 2026.
Activity test and hours
The activity test was replaced on 5 January 2026. Every eligible family now gets at least 72 hours of subsidised care a fortnight for each child. If you and your partner each do more than 48 hours of recognised participation a fortnight, such as paid work, study or training, you get 100 hours. Services Australia uses the lower of the two of you. If volunteering or looking for work is your only participation, only the first 16 hours count.
Hours are counted as your service charges them. A 10-hour session counts as 10 hours even if your child is there for 7, so 3 days a week uses 60 of your 72 hours. Any hours over your limit are charged at the full fee.
Source: Recognised participation and activity test for Child Care Subsidy, Services Australia, last updated 6 July 2026.
Fitting child care into your budget
The default example leaves a gap fee of $204.02 a fortnight. Work out your take-home pay with the pay calculator, then add child care costs to the budget planner to see what’s left.
Frequently asked questions
What income is used for Child Care Subsidy?
Your family’s adjusted taxable income: yours and your partner’s, if you have one. It starts with taxable income and adds items such as reportable fringe benefits and reportable super contributions. You give Services Australia an estimate, and they balance your payments against your actual income after the end of the financial year. Source: What adjusted taxable income is, Services Australia, last updated 29 May 2026.
Who gets the higher rate of CCS?
Families with income under $370,727 and more than one child aged 5 or under in care. The eldest child aged 5 or under usually gets the standard rate, and each younger child gets the higher rate, up to 95%. Source: Your number of children in care can affect your higher Child Care Subsidy, Services Australia, last updated 6 July 2026.
How many hours of child care are subsidised?
From 5 January 2026, at least 72 hours a fortnight for each child, whatever your activity. You get 100 hours if you and your partner each do more than 48 hours of recognised participation a fortnight, if you have a valid exemption, or for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander child. Source: Recognised participation and activity test for Child Care Subsidy, Services Australia, last updated 6 July 2026.
Why is my gap fee higher than I expected?
Three things can push it up: your service charges for the whole session even if your child attends for less, so you use subsidised hours faster; the hourly fee is above the hourly rate cap, so the extra isn’t subsidised; or 5% of the subsidy is being withheld. The table above shows each one.