Bondi Beach from above. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Eucalyptus trees in the Australian bush. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Sunrise over the Australian coast. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, FAL.

Absences from child care

Children get sick, families take holidays, and services close on public holidays. The CCS absence rules decide whether the subsidy still applies on days your child would normally attend but does not. The rules are generous for the first block of absences and strict afterwards, so counting your days matters.

The 42 allowable absences

Each child receives 42 allowable absence days per financial year for which CCS can be paid. These can be used for any reason, including illness, holidays, and public holidays, and no evidence is required. The count is per child, across all services the child attends, not per service. If your child is absent from both a before-school and an after-school session on the same day, that counts as one absence day, not two. Public holidays count as absences if the service charges a fee for the day and your child would normally have attended.

After the 42 days

Once the 42 allowable absences are used, CCS is only payable for additional absences in specific circumstances, such as illness supported by a medical certificate, or other reasons set out in Family Assistance Law. Evidence must be given to the service. Absences for ordinary reasons after the limit, such as another holiday, are charged at the full fee. Families who travel for six weeks or more overseas also face a separate rule: entitlement generally stops after six weeks overseas until the family returns to Australia.

Practical counting

Your service keeps the absence record, and you can view absences in your Centrelink account in myGov. Check the count before booking a long holiday late in the financial year: a family that has already used 40 days by May has almost no room left for a June break. If your child is genuinely ill, get the medical certificate at the time, not months later, because additional absences need evidence from the period of the absence.

Sources: Department of Education, managing absences guidance; Department of Social Services, Family Assistance Guide, absences; Services Australia, child care absences guidance.

General information only. This page explains Australia's Child Care Subsidy in plain English. It is not legal, financial, or tax advice, and it cannot decide whether you qualify or how much you would receive. Only Services Australia can decide a concrete case. Rules, amounts, and dates change over time, so always confirm the current position with Services Australia before you act on it. Contact: hello [at] tapetoolhq.com.