How To Get Childcare Subsidy?

To Get Child Care Subsidy (CCS) you must:

• care for a child 13 or younger who's not attending secondary school, unless an exemption applies
• use an approved child care service
• be responsible for paying the child care fees
• meet residency and immunisation requirements.

Who can get it

You need to meet some requirements to get Child Care Subsidy. We pay this subsidy directly to your child care provider to reduce the fees you pay.  You may be eligible if you or your partner meet all of the following:

• care for your child at least 2 nights per fortnight, or have 14% care
• are liable for fees for care provided at an approved child care service
• meet the residence rules.

Your child must also meet both of these:

• immunisation requirements
• not be attending secondary school unless an exemption applies.

If your child attends secondary school, you may still be eligible if they need supervision. They must be either:

• 13 or under
• 14 to 18 with disability.

In these circumstances, you must provide evidence why your child can’t be unsupervised. This may include evidence of your child’s disability. You also need to confirm an adult cannot to care for your child during this time.  Each person that’s liable to pay child care fees will need to apply for this subsidy and meet these criteria.

Extra support

Some families can get Additional Child Care Subsidy. We pay it on top of Child Care Subsidy to provide extra support with childcare fees.  There are 3 different types of Additional Child Care Subsidy that you can apply for. You can apply if you’re either:

• a grandparent
• transitioning to work
• experiencing temporary financial hardship.
• Immunisation requirements

Your child must meet immunisation requirements if you get Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A or child care fee assistance. 

What you need to do

To meet the requirements, all of your children younger than 20 need to do one of the following:

• meet the Childhood schedule on the Department of Health and Aged Care’s National Immunisation Program Schedule
• be on a suitable catch up schedule in line with the Department of Health and Aged Care’s current Australian Immunisation Handbook
• have an approved medical exemption recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

How we check

When you claim Family Tax Benefit or Child Care Subsidy we’ll ask you to provide both your child’s:

• Medicare Card number
• Individual Reference Number - this is the number next to their name on your Medicare card.

We’ll use these details to check with the AIR that they meet immunisation requirements. If your child isn’t eligible for a Medicare card, tell us when you complete your claim.

You don’t need to tell us when your child:

• gets a vaccination
• is up to date with their vaccinations
• starts a catch up schedule. Your child’s immunisation history statement will show what’s recorded on the AIR.

How this can affect your payments

Your child must meet immunisation requirements to get:

• Child Care Subsidy and Additional Child Care Subsidy
• the full rate of FTB Part A.

Child Care Subsidy

If you get this and your child stops meeting these requirements, you have 63 days to start meeting them again. If you don’t, your subsidy will stop.

FTB Part A

We may reduce your FTB Part A payments if your child doesn’t meet the immunisation requirements. Your payments may reduce by up to $30.66 per fortnight. This will apply for each child that doesn’t meet the requirements. We’ll check that we’ve paid you the correct rate of FTB when we balance your payment. We balance your payment at the end of the financial year. For lump sum claims, we’ll check your child’s immunisation status when we process the claim. If your child doesn’t meet the requirements, we’ll reduce your payment of FTB Part A. We’ll reduce this for the entire lump sum claim period. You don’t need to tell us your child meets the immunisation requirements. We’ll get this information from the AIR. We’ll send you a letter if your child’s vaccinations aren’t up to date. The letter will tell you what you need to do before it affects your payment.

 

How to keep up to date

You must make sure your child is up to date with their vaccinations to meet the requirements. Your vaccination provider will update the AIR. If your child misses any vaccinations on the National Immunisation Programme Schedule, talk to your vaccination provider. For example, a general practitioner or community health clinic. They can arrange a catch up schedule. This schedule needs to be in line with the current Department of Health and Aged Care’s Australian Immunisation Handbook.

What if your child was vaccinated overseas

You need to take evidence of this to your vaccination provider in Australia. They’ll update the AIR for you. Help may be available to have your child’s immunisation evidence translated. Read about the Free Translating Service on the Department of Home Affairs website. When there’s a medical reason your child can’t be immunised

There must be a valid medical reason not to get a vaccine. Read about reasons for immunisation medical exemptions and who can grant immunisation medical exemptions.

What counts as a medical exemption

The only reasons you might be able to get an exemption from having a vaccine are if you:

• had anaphylaxis after a previous dose of a vaccine
• had anaphylaxis after a dose of any component of a vaccine
• are significantly immunocompromised—for live vaccines only
• have natural immunity—for hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox only. What doesn’t count as a medical exemption You won't be able to get an exemption if your reason for not having a vaccine isn't valid.

These aren’t valid reasons:

• mild illness without fever—meaning your temperature is below 38.5ºC
• any family history of adverse events following immunisation
• history of convulsions
• treatment with antibiotics
• treatment with locally acting steroids, inhaled or low dose topical
• replacement corticosteroids
• asthma, eczema, atopy, hay fever or sniffles
• previous infection with the same pathogen
• prematurity, vaccination shouldn’t be postponed and can be given if the infant is medically stable
• history of neonatal jaundice
• low weight in an otherwise healthy child
• neurological conditions, including cerebral palsy and Down syndrome
• contact with an infectious disease
• child’s mother is pregnant
• child is being breastfed
• woman is breastfeeding
• recent or planned surgery.

Who can grant a medical exemption

Not every health professional can grant a medical exemption. Health professionals who can grant an exemption are:

• general practice registrars on an approved 3GA training placement
• paediatricians
• public health physicians
• infectious disease physicians
• clinical immunologists
• GPs who meet certain criteria.

GPs need to be one of the following:

• vocationally registered
• a fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)
• a fellow of the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).

Your GP will know if they can grant you an exemption.

Other medical practitioners working in general practice can’t give exemptions. But they may give vaccines and provide other medical services. To grant an exemption, they must tell us by updating the AIR or completing a form.