How to Apply for Childcare Assistance

Sending your children to childcare can be a priceless experience. It can help your little one to develop valuable social skills, set the foundations for their schooling and allow working parents to rejoin the workforce. But covering the cost of regular childcare can be difficult for some families. 

When going through the enrolment process you might be wondering whether you can get childcare paid for or how to get a childcare rebate to help ease the financial pressure of sending your child to childcare. Luckily, the Australian government offers a Childcare Subsidy to eligible families to assist with the cost of childcare. 

Read on to learn more about the application process, including how to apply for the Childcare Subsidy and when to apply for childcare. 

How to get the Childcare Subsidy 

The Childcare Subsidy is paid by Services Australia directly to the childcare provider, which in turn reduces the out-of-pocket fees you must pay. The amount of Childcare Subsidy you can receive depends on your family’s circumstances, including your family’s income, the hourly rate cap for the type of childcare you use, your child’s age, the hours of activity you and your partner undertake and how many children you have in your care. 

In order to receive the Childcare Subsidy, you must or your partner must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Care for a child 13 or younger who's not attending secondary school, unless an exemption applies,

• Use an approved childcare service,

• Be responsible for paying the childcare fees, and

• Meet residency and immunisation requirements.

For more detailed information on the complete Childcare Subsidy eligibility requirements, you can head to the Services Australia website. 

How to apply for childcare assistance 

Once you’ve established whether or not you’re eligible to get the Childcare Subsidy, you can file a new claim online through the Services Australia website. If you’re unable to claim online, you can call the Centrelink families line on 136 150. 

Here’s how to get childcare assistance in just four simple steps.

1. Set up an online account

To start the claims process, you’ll need to create a myGov account, which allows you to access government services online.  

Once your myGov account is up and running, you’ll need to link it to Centrelink so you can access Australian government social security payments and services, which include payments like the Childcare Subsidy.  

How you link your myGov account to Centrelink will depend on whether or not you’ve claimed a payment via Centrelink in the past.

If you have claimed a payment previously, you can use your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) to link Centrelink to your myGov account. 

If you don’t know what your CRN is or you’ve never claimed a payment before, you’ll be asked to prove your identity online via myGov. To do so, just sign into your myGov account and select ‘Apply for support’. Once you’re there, you’ll be asked to provide the following information:

• Details from two acceptable identity documents and your Medicare card, and

• Additional personal information.

Once you’ve proved your identity, you’ll be able to link your Centrelink with your myGov account. 

2. Prove your identity

In order to claim a payment or service, you need to prove your identity and get a CRN. You can do this online, over the phone or by visiting your local service centre.  

Prove your identity online

You can prove your identity online once you’ve set up your myGov account. Whether you choose to just use your myGov account or instead use a Digital Identity, you’ll still need a myGov account and to enter the details of your identification documents. If you choose to use a Digital Identity, you won’t need to visit a service centre in person. However, if you use your myGov account to prove your identity you might be required to bring a photo ID to a service centre to finalise the process. 

Prove your identity over the phone

Alternatively, you can prove who you are over the phone by providing details from a commencement document that details your birth or arrival in Australia, as well as a primary and secondary document that both show the use of your identity in the community. It’s worth noting that when proving your identity over the phone you’ll still need to provide an acceptable photo ID in person by visiting a service centre before lodging a claim.

Prove your identity in person

Lastly, you can also prove your identity in person by visiting a service centre and providing commencement, primary and secondary documentation. At least one of these forms of identification must be an acceptable photo ID. 

3. Provide supporting documents

When you submit a claim for a payment or service, you’ll be asked to provide specific documentation to support your claim. 

As part of your claim, Centrelink will tell you exactly which supporting documents you need to provide in order to process your claim. These documents can be uploaded via your Centrelink online account or the Express Plus Centrelink application. You can also supply these documents via mail, fax or by visiting a service centre in person.

4. Confirm enrolment

Lastly, once you’ve enrolled your child in childcare you’ll need to confirm their enrolment before the subsidy can be paid. Your childcare service provider will input your child’s enrolment details and lodge the application. Once this has been completed, it’s up to you to check that the details of your child’s enrolment match the Complying Written Arrangement (CWA) provided by the childcare service, which details information like the childcare fees and care sessions. If these details don’t match up, get in touch with your childcare provider. They’ll be able to explain the discrepancy or amend the details. 

How long does it take for childcare to be approved? 

It can take up to 28 days for Childcare Subsidy claims to be processed, during which time you’ll be required to pay the fees in full. Although Childcare Subsidy claims can be backdated up to 28 days, it’s worth applying early so the payment is set up and ready to go for your child’s first day of care. 

How to add a child to Centrelink for childcare 

If you already receive the Childcare Subsidy, it’s simple to add another child to your claim. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Sign into your myGov account,

2. Select the Centrelink option,

3. Select the Childcare option from the families menu,

4. Select the option to Add child to Childcare Subsidy,

5. Start your claim and answer the questions, and

6. Review and confirm your claim before submitting it.

You can track the progress of your claim online via the Centrelink online account in your myGov account or using the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app. Once your claim has been processed, Centrelink will send you a letter detailing the outcome of your claim. If your claim is successful, the letter will detail when you can expect to receive your first payment and how much you’ll get.

Need a hand finding the best childcare provider for your little one? Care for Kids is on hand to help with a number of different resources and a huge library of your local childcare options.