Child Care Subsidy Calculator
Discover how affordable quality childcare could be for your family!
Welcome to Sorella Early Learning, a place where adventure, learning, and growth come together to create a beautiful environment for your child’s development.
We are a family-owned Early Learning Centre, driven by a mission to nurture and empower each child, allowing them to blossom into their best selves.
Located in Griffin, our centre boasts fantastic indoor and outdoor learning environments that are carefully curated to ignite curiosity and provide stimulating experiences for our children.
Use our Child Care Subsidy (CCS) calculator to discover how affordable quality childcare could be for your family!
"Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play, children learn how to learn." – O. Fred Donaldson
Helpful FAQs
What is the Child Care Subsidy?
The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a government payment designed to help families with the cost of childcare. To be eligible, you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident and meet certain income and activity level criteria.
CCS is calculated based on two key factors:
- Subsidy Percentage: This is the percentage of your childcare fees that the government will cover.
- Approved Hours Per Fortnight: This is the maximum number of hours per fortnight that your child can attend childcare and receive the subsidy.
When should I apply for the CCS?
It can take 6-8 weeks to be approved so we recommended applying as soon as possible! You can begin applying for CCS before you have even decided on a centre.
You can wait and apply for CCS once your child has started, however you will have to pay full fees until your subsidy is approved.
How do I apply for the Child Care Subsidy?
Most families can apply through Centrelink online. However some families will need to call Centrelink to get started.
Five easy steps to apply for Child Care Subsidy
- Sign into your MyGov Account and go to Centrelink.
- From the menu select ‘Payment and Claims’, ‘Claims’ and then ‘Make a claim’.
- Under ‘Families’ select ‘get started’.
- Answer all the questions.
- Press submit.
Find out more – https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/how-to-claim-child-care-subsidy?context=41186
How much will childcare actually cost me?
What is the hourly rate?
When completing your Centrelink application they may ask you what the hourly fee for your centre is. To work out the hourly rate you take the daily fee and divide it by the number of hours.
E.g. Daily fee / number of hours = hourly rate
For Arden Nursery the daily fee is $113 and the centre is open 11.5 hours so the hourly rate is $9.83.
Centrelink does apply an hourly cap of $12.31 per hour. If you choose a centre where the hourly fee is higher than this you will have a larger gap fee.
Where can i find out more information about the Child Care Subsidy?
Please visit https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/child-care-subsidy for more information.
Top Tips for Centrelink
- Consider calling Centrelink early in the morning, around 8 AM. Many people tend to call later in the day, so you may be able to get through to an agent more quickly. Another good time to call is during the dinner or bedtime routine, when many families are occupied.
- If your income, employment status, or family situation changes, be sure to notify Centrelink immediately. This will ensure you receive the correct amount of benefits.
- Centrelink withholds 5% of your payment to prevent overpayments. This amount is returned to you at the end of the financial year. You can increase the amount Centrelink withholds to use as a savings strategy.
Absolutely cannot fault the team at Sorella, love everything about the centre! Facilities are amazing and super clean, onsite chef prepares fresh nutritious meals daily and the entire team are so friendly and welcoming and have a true passion for caring for our little people. Couldn’t imagine ever sending my two little ones anywhere else!
– Regina, Sorella Parent
Contact us
Phone: 07 2111 6711
Address: 32 Tesch Rd, Griffin QLD 4503
Hours: 06:30am-06:30pm Monday-Friday