2026-27 rates. Six quick questions. Your CCS rate, daily and annual subsidy, out-of-pocket gap, and a clear flag if your fee is above the hourly cap. Same engine the paid dashboard uses.
Estimate using Services Australia FY2026-27 figures + the Cost of Children-style fee cap. Your actual subsidy depends on your specific care arrangement. How CCS works →
Free account · no credit card · your result is saved to your profile so you can compare scenarios later.
By signing up you agree to our privacy policy. We never share your data.
Free always stays free. Our paid plan is kept low on purpose — meant for mums to lean on, not another subscription that hurts.
2 minutes to set up. Saves your scenario, unlocks per-child fee + days + ages, First Nations + Additional CCS rates, holiday care planning, EOFY reconciliation projection, plus how CCS interacts with FTB-A. We've already saved your income from the playground.
Complete my profile →Not financial advice · FY 2026-27 rates from Services Australia · NestWise estimate, verify before relying on it
Five inputs decide how much Child Care Subsidy your family receives:
Families on the standard rate get up to 90% subsidy on the first income bracket, tapering down across higher income bands. Families with TWO OR MORE children under 6 in care can qualify for the higher rate— up to 95% subsidy on the younger child(ren). The calculator above applies whichever rate gives you more.
Centrelink holds back 5% of every CCS payment as a buffer for end-of-year reconciliation. You don’t lose this — it gets returned at recon if your actual income matches your estimate, or used to offset any debt if your actual income was higher than estimated.
James and Priya Lee have two kids in centre-based care: Maya (age 4) and Sam (age 1). Combined family income $115,000 (both work part-time). Both kids attend 3 days/fortnight at $155/day, 10 hours per day. Priya works ~30 hours per fortnight, James works ~60 hours per fortnight.
On $115,000 combined, the standard subsidy rate tapers down from the maximum. For FY 2026-27the standard rate at this income lands around 82% — the calculator above gives you the exact figure when you enter your number.
Because the Lees have two kids under 6 in care, Sam (age 1) qualifies for the higher rate (~95% at this income). Maya stays on the standard rate (~82%).
$155/day ÷ 10 hours = $15.50/hr. Centre-based cap for under-school-age children is ~$15.19/hr (FY 2026-27). Subsidy is calculated on the LOWER of the two: $15.19/hr for both kids.
Priya is the lower-earning partner at 30 hrs/fn of recognised participation — that puts her in the “72–99 hrs/fortnight” band, which gives 72 hrs of subsidised care per child. Each kid uses 30 hrs (3 days × 10hr) — well inside the cap, so the participation test isn’t binding here.
Sam’s subsidy: $15.19/hr × 10hr × 95% × 3 days × 26 fortnights ≈ $11256.00/yr
Maya’s subsidy: $15.19/hr × 10hr × 82% × 3 days × 26 fortnights ≈ $9716.00/yr
Total annual subsidy: ~$20971.00/year
(Less the 5% withholding held back during the year, returned at recon if no debt.)
The Services Australia online Payment and Service Finder will tell you whether you qualify and roughly what you’ll get. The NestWise CCS calculator implements the same subsidy formula with rates source-traced to the same Services Australia rate tables. Figures should match within rounding.
CCS rates and thresholds re-index every 1 July. Beyond that, you should re-run the calculator when:
Run the calculator above with your new numbers, then read the full CCS guide before updating your estimate via myGov.