Family Transition To The Child Care Subsidy For Early Childhood Services

All families currently in receipt of Child Care Benefit and/or Child Care Rebate for approved care will receive a Centrelink letter about the transition to Child Care Subsidy.  Families should follow the instructions in their Centrelink letter and go online to complete their Child Care Subsidy assessment or claim for Child Care Subsidy as soon as possible. The following provides information on the childcare subsidy, new families starting care from April and their requirements, family transition checklist, additional childcare subsidy and more. 

From April 2018

Families who currently receive Child Care Benefit or Child Care Rebate as a fee reduction for approved care will need to complete a streamlined online Child Care Subsidy assessment by providing their 2018‑19 family income estimate, their activity details and confirming their child’s enrolment. These details can be provided through their Centrelink online account via my.gov.au or through the Express Plus Centrelink mobile App.

Grandparent Child Care Benefit recipients will receive the April 2018 Centrelink letter. They will need to go online to provide their Child Care Subsidy information and claim for Additional Child Care Subsidy (grandparent) – this will require documentary evidence.

Jobs, Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance (JETCCFA) recipients will receive a Centrelink letter about Child Care Subsidy in April 2018 and a letter about Additional Child Care Subsidy (transition to work) in June 2018. They will need to provide their Child Care Subsidy details and then claim for Additional Child Care Subsidy (transition to work) from June 2018 after they receive their second Centrelink letter.

Special Child Care Benefit recipients will receive the April 2018 Centrelink letter and will need to complete their online Child Care Subsidy assessment.

Families currently receiving Child Care Benefit as a lump sum will need to complete a full Child Care Subsidy claim online. If eligible and entitled, their Child Care Subsidy will commence on 2 July 2018 and will be paid directly to provider/s. These families will need to go to my.gov.au and use their Centrelink online account to claim. If they don’t already have a myGov account, they can create one at my.gov.au and link it to their Centrelink online account.

Centrelink will send families an assessment of their Child Care Subsidy eligibility and entitlement after they complete their Child Care Subsidy assessment or Child Care Subsidy claim online. Child Care Subsidy will be paid directly to provider/s on behalf of these families from 2 July 2018.

New Families

•New families starting approved child care from April 2018 will be able to complete a combined online Child Care Benefit and Child Care Subsidy claim from April 2018. If assessed as eligible and entitled for both they will receive Child Care Benefit until 1 July 2018 and the Child Care Subsidy from 2 July 2018.
•New families starting approved child care from 2 July 2018 will be able to claim for new Child Care Subsidy online from April 2018 and if assessed as eligible and entitled Child Care Subsidy will be paid on their behalf to their approved provider from 2 July 2018.
•Information about Child Care Subsidy for new families can be found on the Department of Human Services website. 

Family Transition Checklist

Families currently receiving Child Care Benefit and/or Child Care Rebate will need to:

•Create a myGov account if they don’t already have one by going to my.gov.au and then linking it to their Centrelink online account.
•Check for their Centrelink letters from April 2018 onwards.
•Follow the instructions in their Centrelink letter and go online as soon as possible via my.gov.au and complete their Child Care Subsidy assessment or their Child Care Subsidy claim.
•Do this as soon as possible after they receive their Centrelink letter.

Important points to note:

•Child Care Subsidy cannot be paid to providers on behalf of families who have not completed their Child Care Subsidy assessment or claim and been assessed as eligible and entitled.
•In May and June, 2018 Centrelink will send reminders to families who have not completed their Child Care Subsidy streamlined assessment or claim.
•From April 2018 new families starting child care before 2 July 2018 can claim for Child Care Benefit and Child Care Subsidy in one step. They will receive Child Care Benefit until the Child Care Subsidy starts on 2 July 2018.
•From April 2018 new families planning to use approved care for the first time in early July 2018 can claim for Child Care Subsidy. This includes families starting in outside school hours care for the first time in July 2018. These claims will be assessed by Centrelink to take effect from 2 July 2018.
•Families can provide their Child Care Subsidy information to Centrelink verbally from April 2018 if they cannot provide it online. 

Additional Child Care Subsidy

•In May 2018 the Department of Education and Training will write to providers about Additional Child Care Subsidy (child well-being). From 2 July 2018 providers can give a certificate for Additional Child Care Subsidy (child well-being) for an initial period of six weeks.
•Providers can then apply to Centrelink for further periods. Where a child is at risk of serious abuse or neglect and an eligible adult cannot be identified an ‘Additional Child Care Subsidy (child well-being) provider eligible arrangement’ may be considered.
•From 2 July 2018 families can apply to Centrelink for Additional Child Care Subsidy (temporary financial hardship) – after they have been assessed as eligible for Child Care Subsidy.

For more information: 

Additional Childcare Subsidy
Childcare Safety Net
Childcare Subsidy

Reference:
Family Transition Facts For Providers, Department Of Education and Training