Absences for Child Care Benefit (CCB) and JET Child Care fee assistance (JETCCFA) 007-03060040

CCB, CCR and JETTCCFA can be paid for allowable or approved additional absences.

CCB, CCR and JETCCFA cannot be paid for unapproved or disregarded absences. When calculating child care payments, these absences will be deducted from the total fee for the child, for that week and the customer will be assessed as ineligible for CCB for these absences.

If there is no eligibility for CCB then there is no eligibility for CCR or JETCCFA. Where a customer receives CCB at zero rate and their child has a disregarded or unapproved absence, they are not eligible for CCB for the absence (even though they are zero rate customers) and therefore are also not eligible for CCR and JETCCFA.

The Process page contains further information on viewing absences on a customer’s record.

Allowable absences

Customers can be paid CCB and JETCCFA for up to 42 absence days for each child for any reason each financial year. This applies across all services the child attends, not for each service.

Public holidays are counted as an absence and are not payable as an additional absence over the 42 day limit if the child would normally have attended the service on that day (if it were not a public holiday) and fees have been charged for that day for the child.

The family's relevant 24, 50 or over 50 weekly CCB eligible hour limit still applies to allowable absence days.

Additional absences

Evidence is required for CCB, CCR and JETCCFA to be paid for absence days above the limit. Customers will need to provide any supporting documentation required to the child care service. The child care service will decide whether the absence is approved. The child must have used all of their 42 absence days before they can access additional absence days.

Unapproved absences

When a customer has exceeded their eligible 42 absence day limit and no further evidence is provided, it is deemed an 'unapproved absence'.

Disregarded absences

Disregarded absences are absences that are considered to have occurred within the hours for which no CCF fee reduction is paid. For example, child care service claimed 60 hours with 2 x 12 hour absences and the customer is only entitled to 24 hours care. The absences are disregarded as they are absorbed in the 36 hours for which no CCF fee reduction is payable. No Child Care Rebate (CCR) is payable for fees paid for any disregarded absences now or at the end of the financial year.

CCB and Child Care Rebate (CCR) are not payable for absence days either before the first day a child physically attends or after the last day the child physically attends a service, as an absence for CCB purposes can only be attributed to on which care would otherwise have been provided. Customers whose child is due to start at a child care service or who is required to provide notification that their child is leaving a service and does not send their child during that period will be liable for full fees. Any absences submitted by the child care service will be disregarded for the purpose of CCB and the customer will be liable for full fees.

Occasional Care

Occasional Care absences are not assessed against the 42 day absence limit. This is because of the nature of when Occasional Care is provided.

Registered Care

Absences are not recorded for children in the care of Registered Carers (RCP). However, an RCP can include any absences they have charged for in the 'week of care' section of the Receipt for Registered Child Care (FA031) issued to customers, for which CCB can be claimed.

Customers registered online can view details of their weekly child care attendance reported by CCMS services using the 'View Child Care Details' option.

Staff can view details via:

• Staff portal if the customer is registered online, and
• Families Assistance > View Child Care Attendance

Approved child care services record absences so that families receive their correct CCB entitlement. Services include this information in child care attendance details that are used to reconcile CCB.

Child care usage/attendance used to calculate the customer's correct CCB entitlement for the relevant year can be viewed from the CCB Calculation Period Assessment (CPAC) screen.

The service can be selected to display the absence dates and whether or not CCB was paid for the absence. Services have no Customer Reference Number (CRN) displayed.