Our fees, and what you'll actually pay

Sign in to myGov and open Centrelink. Go to Payments and claims → Manage payments → Child Care Subsidy, and your current percentage is listed there for each child. The Express Plus Centrelink app shows the same thing under Child Care Subsidy.

If you have more than one child aged 5 or under in care, check each child separately — the younger ones usually have a higher percentage, and entering them individually above is what makes the estimate accurate.

Not enrolled with Centrelink yet? You claim Child Care Subsidy through myGov before your child starts, and the percentage appears once your claim is assessed.

Child Care Subsidy is paid per hour of the session you are charged for, up to a capped hourly rate set by the Australian Government ($15.19 from 6 July 2026 for centre-based care below school age). Your percentage is applied to the lower of our hourly rate and that cap. Subsidy is calculated over a fortnight, and your entitlement is consumed day by day — so if your booking exceeds your fortnightly hours, the later days in the fortnight attract less subsidy or none.

Centrelink withholds 5% of your Child Care Subsidy by default and reconciles it after you lodge your tax return. The calculator assumes the standard 5% withholding. Your withholding percentage can be varied through Centrelink and will change what you pay each week.

If you use the estimator, we apply the published Child Care Subsidy rates for the 2026–27 year. The standard rate is 90% for a combined family income up to $88,520, falling by 1% for every $5,000 above that, and reaching zero at $538,520. Your entitlement also depends on your activity level: since 5 January 2026 every eligible family receives at least 72 subsidised hours a fortnight, rising to 100 hours where the parent doing fewer hours meets 48 hours of recognised activity a fortnight.

It is an estimate from the published rates. It does not know your circumstances, and Centrelink assesses your actual entitlement — if their figure differs from ours, theirs is the one that counts.

If you have more than one child aged 5 or under in care, the eldest of them receives the standard rate and the younger ones receive a higher rate — up to 95%, worked out under a separate income test. The higher rate is 95% for a combined family income up to $146,437, then steps down to 80% and later to 50%, and stops applying entirely at $370,727, from which point every child receives the standard rate.

Your Centrelink online account shows a percentage for each child. Those figures override anything estimated here.

Free Kindy funding applies for 40 weeks of the year. During the remaining 12 weeks, Senior Kindy families pay the same as they would without it. Statements are issued weekly, so your amount will differ between term and holidays.

This estimate is general information only, based on the details you entered. It is not financial advice and should not be relied upon. Changes to law, policy or your circumstances may mean the subsidy you actually receive differs from the estimate. We do not guarantee the information is accurate, current or complete, and accept no responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on it. Confirm your entitlement with Services Australia.