Child Care Subsidy and the 2026–27 Christmas and New Year period

CCS Provider Helpdesk hours

The CCS Provider Helpdesk will close over the Christmas and New Year period. The helpdesk will close at 12.30 pm AEDT Thursday 24 December 2026 and reopen at 9 am AEDT Monday 4 January 2027.

If you need help during this period, please refer to the CCS Provider Helpdesk page on our website.

CCS payments

Families can only get CCS when your service is open and providing care, unless it is a public holiday or during a period of emergency.

Service closures

You do not need to let us know if you plan to close your service during the Christmas and New Year period if you are always closed (or plan to be) then. 

If your service closes earlier than usual on any day during this period, you must not report sessions beyond the time the service closed.

Please ensure that accurate sign-in and sign-out times are recorded for all children who attended.

Absences

You cannot report absences when your service is closed, except on a public holiday or during a period of emergency.

On a public holiday, you may only report absences for children who would have otherwise attended care on that day.

Families have 42 allowable absences per child, per financial year. Families who have used their allowable absences can access additional absences if one of the additional absence reasons applies.

A public holiday is not an additional absence reason.

You must continue to collect the gap fee from families when reporting absences over the holiday period.

Session reports

Session reports will continue to be processed throughout the Christmas and New Year period.

Session reports submitted on public holidays may experience short delays in processing or payment.

Remember – families can only get CCS when your service is open. You must not submit session reports if your service is closed, unless it is a public holiday which you charge for or during a period of emergency.

You must also report shorter sessions of care if you close early on Thursday 24 December 2026.

If you close

If you close your service, you must not submit session reports unless it is a public holiday or during a period of emergency where your service would have been otherwise open.

The following table outlines when a service that closes over the Christmas and New Year period may submit session reports and claim absences. 

If you only close for public holidays

If your service remains open, and only closes for public holidays, you may submit session reports as usual.

The following table outlines when a service that only closes for public holidays and weekends may submit session reports and claim absences.