A Child Care Benefit in Australia

A Child Care Benefit in Australia, a great aid for our out-of-the-pocket budget in raising a child in Australia that is offered by Australian Government.

What is a Child Care Benefit? It is what the Australian government pays to help you cutting off your budget and Child Care costs. It is a priviledge as what we can call to have at least slash off some amount from our child care expenses that is not available in all countries. Only a few offer it.

How Important is a Child Care Benefit to a family?In Australia, it is worth seeing what your family can get. Government offers a financial assistance to the citizens of Australia who are qualified and those who meet the qualification and entitlement for CCB ( Child Care Benefit). Thru Child Care Benefit, families get help in raising their children. If you will be able to use Child Care benefit, a big chunk from your Child Care expenses will be at least taken out from your budget. it depends on your estimate of your yearly  family income for the financial year where it runs from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

People who are entitled for Child Care Benefit are those with a child in their care like parents, if you are a  foster parent/s, or grandparents whose kids are going to Child Care Services whether it is approved or registered. A Child Care Service is the service that our child gets from mostly referred as Types of Child Care such as Preschool, Kindergarten, Day Care Centre, Long, Family or Occasional Care Centre, Vacation Care, Home Based Care or an Outside School Hour Care. The amount of Child Care Benefit always depends on your eligibility that includes your income, the type of care you use or you will use, longevity or the amount of a child care, the reasons why you are using a child care, and of course the number of kids in a child care. You also need to know whether a service charges fees when the children are not in or away, if it is closed on public holidays or does it include the charge for meals and other things like nappies. To find out your eligibility and an estimate amount that you can get, you can go to Government Child Care Estimator.

There are 2 types of Child Care Provider. We have Approved Child Care and Registered Child Care. AnApproved Child Care is where you can allow a child care provider to receive the child care benefit from the government in your behalf which of course you pay less. You can claim up to 24 hours of Child Care Benefit – Approved Care per week and a max of 50 hours per week. Usually vacation care, In home care, Occasional Care and After school care ( including before and after school and during school holidays) those Approved Child Care Providers. It also includes Long Day Care and Family Day Care. Australian government sets some requirements where approved child care providers should meet and that includes and not limited to having permit to operate, having educated and qualified staff, well trained carer, setting particular hours, health and safety measures and other quality standards.Approved Child Care can be paid as a Fee Reduction where you will have to pay any outstanding fee gaps and it will be paid directly to your Child Care Benefit approved child care service provider or  Lump sum where you will pay your child care provider fees in full and at the end of financial year you can claim child care benefit.

Registered Child Care is a care provided by a grandparent, friends and relatives or nannies and you won’t be able to get any rebate from this type of child care. However, carer or teacher for this type needs to be registered with the Family Assistance Office or the Department of Human Services. This can also be provided by some people(carer or teacher) in private preschools, kindergartens, outside school hours care and occasional care centres. The Requirements of Eligibility to get Child Care Benefit:

• can be determined on your residency. You or your partner must be an Australian Citizen, a  permanent resident in Australia.
• Kids under 7 years old should meet the Government immunisation requirements.
• You must be responsible in paying your child care costs or expenses. If you are working for a private sector or employer, you should discuss it with them on who will be paying the child care costs.
• Work, Training and Study Test ( this can be an exemption for registered care if you are studying, training or engage in any work related commiment that entitles you of up to 50 hours of child care on a week period.

Work related commitments can be self employment, paid work, you are working or studying, you are working on some skills improvement, or you are busy setting up a business and in that case income must not affect your child care benefit for a registered care.

Fact Point: Child care benefit can’t be claimed thru a tax system coz it is not a tax benefit.