Eligible hours for Child Care Benefit (CCB) 007-03040020
Expand allFrom 2 July 2018:
- Child Care Subsidy (CCS) replaced Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR)
- Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) replaced Special Child Care Benefit (SCCB) Child at Risk and Temporary Financial Hardship, Jobs, Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance (JETCCFA) and Grandparent Child Care Benefit (GCCB)
For more information, see Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS).
Claims for CCB and CCR lump sum for approved care and CCB Registered Care, for care received prior to 2 July 2018, can be lodged up until 30 June 2019.
This document outlines the limit that applies to the number of hours a customer may be paid Child Care Benefit (CCB) for registered care and approved care for each child each week for the past period. It explains the work/training/study test used to assess a customer's eligible hour limit, exceptions and how the eligible hour limit is recorded. It also explains how the test applied to Child Care Rebate (CCR).
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CCB for Registered care
To be eligible for CCB for registered care, the customer and their partner (if applicable) both must undertake an activity to meet the work/training/study test or an exception applies. The activity to meet the test only needs to be undertaken at some time during the week that child care was provided, that is no minimum number of hours is required.
CCB for registered care can be paid up to 50 hours per child per week.
If the customer (and their partner) do not undertake any activities in a week, they do not satisfy the test for that week.
CCB for Approved care
All CCB for approved care customers were eligible for up to 24 hours per child per week without undertaking any activities to meet the work/training/study test.
To have been eligible for more than 24 hours and up to 50 hours per child per week, 1 of the following must have applied:
- The customer was an eligible grandparent with primary care of a grandchild using approved care, or
- The customer (and their partner) both must have undertaken activities to meet the work/training/study test or an exception applies. The activities to meet the test must have been undertaken for at least 15 hours per week (or 30 hours per fortnight)
Note: a person could have combined activities for the purpose of meeting the work/training/study test. For example, part time or casual work could have been combined with study, looking for work, or voluntary work (that improves work prospects), to calculate the number of hours. This is particularly important where a customer/partner is determining whether they (and their partner) meet the number of hours required to satisfy the work/training/study test for more than 24 hours of care per child per week.
Child Care Rebate
To have been eligible for the CCR, both the customer (and their partner) must have undertaken an activity to have met the work/training/study test or an exception applied. The activity to meet the test had to be undertaken at some time during the week that the approved child care was provided, that is, no minimum number of hours was required.
Self-service options
Customers can no longer update their or their partner's working/training/study details online for CCB/CCR purposes. If they wish to update their details retrospectively they will need to contact the agency for a Service Officer to update the CWTS screen. There are time limits which apply.
The Resources page contains links to the Services Australia website, the Starting Blocks website and example text for letters sent when backdating a change to a customer's weekly eligible hour limit retrospectively.
Related links
Eligibility for Child Care Benefit (CCB) for approved care and registered care
Assessing Child Care Benefit (CCB) claims for approved care and registered care