Child Care in Australia




Australia has some pre-school options, provided normally by private organisations, and parents can get a reduction on this cost, up to about 85%, depending on income, from: Centrelink.

May people comment that these places are very difficult to get, and you need to be booked in years ahead, however my area of Brisbane seems to have no problems like that.

An example of one of the larger companies that provide this, is The ABC Learning Centres http://www.childcare.com.au/

In April 2005 the full fee, for our local one, for a 3yr old child was quoted as about $41 per day before the Centrelink Discount. This can reduce to about $6 per day after the benefit.




Some Child Care Costs quoted in my local area today 28th April 2009

Working Full Time:

• 5 days costs $235.00 (without any Child Care Benefit CCB entitlement)
  
• 5 Days costs $61.50 with 100% CCB entitlement.
  

Not Working

• 2 days costs $8.40
  

These prices are for one Child Care Centre in my area, in the Redlands, others may or may not be similar.




Types of Child Care




Approved child care

Approved child care - is care provided by a service that has been approved by the Australian Government to pass Child Care Benefit on to families as a reduction in their child care fees.

Most long day care, family day care, before and after school care, vacation care, some in-home care and occasional care services offer approved care.




Registered care

Registered care - is care provided by nannies, grandparents, relatives or friends and, in some circumstances, private pre-schools, kindergartens, occasional care centres and outside school hours care centres that are registered with the Family Assistance Office.

You are entitled to the minimum rate of Child Care Benefit for a maximum of 50 hours of care per child per week, but you are not entitled to the Child Care Tax Rebate.

Your child carer MUST be registered with the Family Assistance Office for you to claim Child Care Benefit.

• Centrelink Approved and Registered child care

Child Care Benefit is subject to an income test if you use approved care.

• Child Care Benefit Income Test

Registered care is not subject to an income test.




Child Care Tax Rebate

On 1 July 2009, the Child Care Tax Rebate was re-named the Child Care Rebate. The name change is in recognition that the rebate is no longer a tax offset under taxation legislation but is paid to families under the Family Assistance Law by the Family Assistance Office.

• www.facs.gov.au

The Child Care Rebate is an extra payment from the Australian Government, that may be payable as well as the Child Care Benefit, to help working families with the cost of child care.

If you are eligible for Child Care Benefit for approved care, even if the eligibility rate is 0%, you may also be eligible to receive the Child Care Tax Rebate, if you are using the approved child care for work, training or study related reasons.

This rebate can be worth 50% of any extra out of pocket child care costs, up to $7,500 (indexed) for each child each year, that you incur.

There is currently no Income Test for this Child Care Tax Rebate.

Payments will be made quarterly once the child care attendance details from your approved child care service have been received. The final quarters payment of the Child Care Rebate will be made after your tax returns have been lodged and all your child care attendance information has been received.

More details at:

• www.centrelink.gov.au
• www.mychild.gov.au

Links

• Playgroup Australia - Playgroups are set up and run by parents and carers, with children choosing from a range of activities set up to meet their varying needs
• National Childcare Accreditation Council - NCAC is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Quality Assurance (QA) systems for family day care schemes, outside school hours care services and long day care centres across Australia.