The daily rate charged by the childcare service you intend to use

Before we begin

Recognised activity includes paid work, paid and unpaid leave and approved study. For more information, visit 

Recognised activities for Child Care Subsidy - Services Australia


You may be exempt from the Child Care Subsidy activity test if you are the principal carer of your grandchild, unable to work due to a disability or medical condition, or a Carer Payment recipient.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children may be entitled to a minimum of 36 hours of subsidised care, regardless of activity levels. Low income families may be entitled to a minimum of 24 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, regardless of activity levels.
To find out if any other Child Care Subsidy activity test exemptions apply, visit 

Exemptions and Activity level and subsidised care for Child Care Subsidy - Services Australia.

Recognised activities

Annual income is your and your partner’s adjusted taxable income for the whole financial year. For more information, visit 

Your income can affect Child Care Subsidy - Child Care Subsidy - Services Australia

Family's estimates annual income

About this tool

This quick and easy Child Care Subsidy calculator tool helps you find out what your family might pay for early childhood education and care.

For a more comprehensive estimate across a range of payments, including Child Care Subsidy, Family Tax Benefit and Income Support Payments, see 

Services Australia's Payment and Service Finder.

What is the Child Care Subsidy

Who can receive the Child Care Subsidy

Eligibility and entitlement

Recent changes

Find the right early learning service based on fees, vacancies, quality ratings and inclusions.

Looking for quality early childhood education and care?

Child Care Subsidy rates are changing soon. 

The amount of Child Care Subsidy you get depends on your circumstances. These estimates are based on the information you provide. To learn more go to 

Child Care Subsidy Calculator

All approved early childhood education and care services across Australia are assessed by their state or territory government regulatory authority and receive a quality rating.

They are assessed against the 7 quality areas of the National Quality Standard (NQS) to promote continuous improvement and help families make informed decisions about their child's education and care:

The 7 quality areas

Collaborative partnerships with families and communities

How ratings work

There are five quality ratings that a service can be awarded:

Excellent

Exceeding National Quality Standard

Meeting National Quality Standard

Working Towards National Quality Standard

Significant Improvement Required

Provisional - Not Yet Assessed

How the National Quality Framework (NQF) works

Let's talk about quality.

We've created a new tool aimed at explaining some of the key concepts and terminology used when finding early learning services.

This tool will guide you through gathering any preferences you have, as well as help you calculate your Child Care Subsidy if you are interested.

Understand the types of early learning services

Get a shareable link with easy to compare options

This tool will guide you through gathering any preferences you have, as well as help you calculate your Child Care Subsidy if you are interested. TEST TEST

Guided service finder