Families get help with the cost of early childhood education and care through the Child Care Subsidy (CCS). In most cases, CCS is paid to approved providers and passed on to families as a fee reduction.
On this page:
Understanding family eligibility and entitlement
Families must meet requirements to get CCS. The amount of CCS a family can get depends on their circumstances.
- Read the eligibility rules for parents and children
- See what Services Australia will look at to determine entitlements
- Find out how families can apply
Accessing the Child Care Subsidy System
The Child Care Subsidy System is the online system we use to administer CCS payments. It holds records like enrolments and session reports. This information is used to calculate payments for families.
- See how families and providers access the system
- Register with Provider Digital Access (PRODA)
- Find task cards on the Provider Entry Point (PEP)
Charging fees
There are important rules about the fees you charge families.
CCS is generally paid to providers who pass it on to families as a fee reduction. Families must make a co-contribution by paying the gap fee. You must report fee information to the government.
- Learn how to report fees
- Understand gap fees
- Find out when you can waive the gap fee
- See when a third party can pay the gap fee
- See when we pay CCS to families
Enrolling children
Children who attend care must be enrolled. Children who get CCS must have the right enrolment in place for payments to be made.
- Learn about the enrolment process
- See how to submit, update and end enrolments
Learn about enrolling children
Managing and reporting sessions of care
You must report accurate sessions of care to the government. Services Australia uses this information to calculate and process CCS payments.
- Learn how to submit session reports
- Understand your reporting obligations
Managing absences
Families can get CCS when their child is unable to attend care up to 42 days a year.
- Learn how to report absences
- See when we’ll provide extra absences
- Read the absences before and after care rules
Understanding overpayments and debts
You may sometimes receive more CCS than you're entitled to. We also issue debt notices in certain circumstances.
- Learn how overpayments occur and how we recover CCS
- See when we issue debt notices
- Understand how to avoid overpayments and debts
Balancing payments
Families must confirm their income each financial year to ensure they get the correct amount of CCS. This is called balancing. It is primarily a matter between families and Services Australia.
- Understand the balancing process
- Check for any upcoming deadlines
- Access resources to help families understand balancing
Provider tool kit
Find our most commonly used resources for providers and services, including:
- guides
- online portals
- task cards
- forms
- videos and more.