The Child Care Subsidy is the main way the Australian Government helps families with the cost of approved childcare, including long day care. Since 5 January 2026, a change known as the 3 Day Guarantee has made more subsidised hours available to many families. This article explains the basics in plain terms. It is general information only, so check your own situation with Services Australia.
What is the Child Care Subsidy?
The Child Care Subsidy, often shortened to CCS, is paid by the Australian Government directly to your approved childcare service. The centre then takes it off your fees, and you pay the difference, often called the gap fee. How much subsidy you receive depends on your family’s circumstances, including your combined family income.
You apply for the Child Care Subsidy through Services Australia, and you need to confirm your enrolment with the service your child attends.
What is the 3 Day Guarantee?
From 5 January 2026, all families eligible for the Child Care Subsidy can get at least 3 days of subsidised care a week, which works out to 72 hours per fortnight for each child. Before this change, the number of subsidised hours depended more closely on the activity test, which looked at hours of work, study, volunteering and similar activities.
Can families get more than 72 hours?
Yes. Families can get 100 hours of subsidised care per fortnight if they have more than 48 hours of recognised activity each fortnight, or if they have an exemption or are experiencing exceptional circumstances. Families wanting more than the base 72 hours need to report their recognised activity to Services Australia.
What about First Nations children?
Families caring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can get 100 hours of subsidised care each fortnight for that child.
Do existing families need to do anything?
According to the Australian Government’s Starting Blocks website, the 3 Day Guarantee applied automatically from 5 January 2026 for existing eligible families, based on the information already held, and families should not need to provide anything extra. It is still worth keeping your details up to date with Services Australia, especially if your income or activity changes.
Does it change how much subsidy I get?
No. The 3 Day Guarantee changes how many hours are subsidised, not how your rate of subsidy is worked out. Most families will still pay a gap fee. The difference is that more days may now attract the subsidy.
Does it guarantee a place?
No. The guarantee is about subsidised hours, not places. Whether your child can attend on particular days still depends on availability at the centre.
How to work out your likely cost
Services Australia has an online estimator that helps families work out their likely subsidy. Once you know your estimated rate, ask any centre you are considering for its daily fee so you can work out the gap. You can also ask our Fremantle or Maddington centre about fees when you call or visit.
Where to find official information
Because rules and figures change, always rely on official sources: Services Australia for your own claim, and the Department of Education and Starting Blocks for how the program works. You can read about our centres, hours and approach on our About page.
This article is general information, not financial advice.
A quick example of how it works
Say a family is eligible for the Child Care Subsidy and uses long day care three days a week. Under the 3 Day Guarantee, those three days are covered by subsidised hours, whatever the family’s activity level. If the same family wants care five days a week, they would need to meet the higher activity level, have an exemption or be experiencing exceptional circumstances to receive subsidy for the extra days. The rate of subsidy is set separately, based on family income.
This is a simplified illustration, not a calculation for any individual family.
Keeping your details current
Your subsidy is based on estimates, so update Services Australia if your income, work, study or family situation changes during the year. This helps avoid being overpaid or underpaid, which can lead to a debt or a top up when your payments are balanced after the end of the financial year.
To see how this works day to day, book a tour at our Fremantle centre on 08 9336 4965 or our Maddington centre on 08 9493 5071, or send us a message through our contact page.
