Estimate your Child Care Subsidy
Drag the sliders. The estimate updates as you go.
What you'd pay
How much does child care cost in Sydney?
Long day care in Sydney commonly sits somewhere between $130 and $220 a day before the subsidy, depending on the suburb and what the fee includes. At Dashing Ducks, our average daily fee is $160 at Castle Hill and $150 at Croydon, and that covers meals cooked onsite, nappies, wipes and sunscreen. There are no surprise extras on your invoice.
The sticker price is not what most families pay, though. Once the Child Care Subsidy is applied, a family on a combined income of $120,000 pays around $32 a day at Castle Hill. That is the number worth knowing before you rule child care out on cost.
What families actually pay at Dashing Ducks
Here is what the daily out-of-pocket cost looks like at our Castle Hill centre ($160 a day) for one child, using current subsidy rates:
| Combined family income | CCS rate | You pay (per day) |
|---|---|---|
| $85,000 | 90% | about $23 |
| $120,000 | 84% | about $32 |
| $150,000 | 78% | about $41 |
| $200,000 | 68% | about $57 |
Use the calculator above to put in your own income, days and fee. It updates as you drag the sliders.
Current Child Care Subsidy rates
The Child Care Subsidy is the Australian Government payment that covers part of your child care fees. Your rate depends on your combined family income. Families earning up to $88,520 get the maximum 90%, and the rate drops by 1% for every $5,000 above that, reaching zero at $538,520.
CCS rates by family income
| Combined family income | Approximate CCS rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $88,520 | 90% |
| $100,000 | 88% |
| $120,000 | 84% |
| $150,000 | 78% |
| $180,000 | 72% |
| $200,000 | 68% |
| $250,000 | 58% |
| $300,000 | 48% |
| $350,000 | 38% |
| $538,520 and over | 0% |
These are the current published thresholds. Services Australia sets your exact rate from your income estimate, so treat this as a close guide rather than a quote.
The hourly rate cap
The subsidy is calculated on an hourly cap set by the government, which is $15.19 an hour for centre based care. If a centre charges above the cap, the gap is yours regardless of your CCS rate. Our fees work out close to or under the cap across an 11-hour day, which is part of why the out-of-pocket numbers above look better than many families expect.
Why your first bill can look higher: the 5% withholding
Centrelink holds back 5% of your subsidy through the year as a buffer in case your income estimate is too low. You get it back at tax time once your actual income is confirmed. Our calculator already builds this in, so the number it shows you is the realistic weekly cost, not the optimistic one.
The 3 Day Guarantee explained
The old activity test is gone. Under the 3 Day Guarantee, every family that qualifies for CCS gets at least 72 subsidised hours a fortnight, which is three days a week, no matter how much you work or study. If you and your partner have more than 48 hours of activity a fortnight between you, that rises to 100 subsidised hours.
In practice this means a parent working part time, studying, or at home with a baby can still put an older child into care three days a week with the subsidy applied. For a lot of Castle Hill and Croydon families this change made a second or third day affordable for the first time.
Have more than one child in care? You get a higher rate
If you have two or more children aged 5 or under in care, your second and younger children get a higher subsidy: your standard rate plus 30%, capped at 95%. A family on $120,000 gets 84% for their eldest and 95% for their younger child. The higher rate stops once family income passes $370,727.
Tick the box in the calculator above to see it applied. For two children attending three days a week, the difference is usually thousands of dollars a year.
How to claim the Child Care Subsidy
Claiming is a one-off job that takes about 20 minutes, and you can do it before you have even chosen a centre.
- Sign in to myGov and go to Centrelink.
- Make a Child Care Subsidy claim. You will need your income estimate for the financial year, plus details for each child.
- Centrelink confirms your percentage and sends you a Customer Reference Number (CRN) for you and each child.
- Give us both CRNs when you enrol. We link them in our system and submit your attendance each week.
- The subsidy is paid straight to Dashing Ducks and comes off your invoice automatically. You only ever pay the gap.
If your income changes during the year, update your estimate in Centrelink so your rate stays accurate. For the full detail, read our complete Child Care Subsidy guide.
What our daily fee includes
Comparing centres on the daily fee alone can be misleading, because centres differ in what the fee covers. At both our centres the fee includes fresh meals prepared by our onsite chef, nappies, wipes, sunscreen and all learning programs, including our school readiness program. A centre that looks $10 cheaper can cost more once you add nappies and food from home five days a week.
We are family owned and have been part of the community for over 30 years. If you want to see where the money goes, the honest answer is: into the rooms, the food and the people. Book a tour and judge it in person.
Our child care subsidy calculator is an estimate only. For the official rules and current rates, see Services Australia, or check a service’s quality rating on the Starting Blocks website. When you are ready, book a tour at Castle Hill or Croydon.
Want The Exact Numbers?
Tell us your days and your child’s age. We’ll reply with the fees for your room, the subsidy applied, and a short guide to setting up your CCS with Centrelink.
Castle Hill
Croydon
See Our Frequently Asked Questions
What Castle Hill and Croydon families ask us most about the subsidy
You apply once through your Centrelink account on myGov. Once approved, give us your CRN and your child's CRN. We submit attendance each week and the subsidy comes off your invoice automatically.
Every CCS-eligible family gets at least 72 subsidised hours a fortnight (three days a week) regardless of work or study hours. Families with more than 48 activity hours a fortnight get 100 subsidised hours.
It uses the current official income thresholds and hourly rate caps, so it will be close for most families. Your exact rate is set by Services Australia based on your circumstances. If anything is unclear, ask us and we'll walk you through it.
It is paid directly to us and deducted from your invoice, so you only ever pay the gap. You do not need to claim anything back afterwards.
Fees depend on the room and the centre. Our average daily fee is $160 at Castle Hill and $150 at Croydon. Ask us for a quote for your days and we'll show you the cost with your subsidy applied.
If you have two or more children aged 5 or under in care, your second and younger children usually get a higher rate, up to 95%, while your family income is under the government's limit.
Update your income estimate in Centrelink and your rate adjusts. Centrelink also withholds 5% of your subsidy through the year as a buffer, then settles it at tax time, so small changes rarely cause a debt.
Yes. Our preschool rooms run inside our long day care service, so CCS applies to those days the same way it does for younger children.