The Child Care Subsidy at Senses ELC
The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is the Australian Government payment that helps families with the cost of approved early education and care. It's paid directly to your provider, who passes it on as a fee reduction, so you only ever pay the gap. Senses ELC is an approved provider, which means families enrolled with us can receive CCS on their daily fee.
This page explains how the subsidy works in plain terms. Our enrolments team walks new families through it every week, so if anything here raises a question about your own situation, get in touch or ask when you book a tour.
The biggest change to the subsidy in years arrived in January 2026. Every CCS-eligible family is now guaranteed at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, which is three days a week, regardless of how much the parents work or study. This replaced the old activity test, which tied subsidised hours to parents' work and study commitments and left some families with reduced hours or none at all.
Families can receive 100 hours per fortnight if each parent has over 48 hours of recognised participation (such as work or study) per fortnight, and families caring for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child receive 100 hours regardless of participation. If you were already receiving CCS, the new minimum was applied automatically, and if you're claiming for the first time the guarantee applies once your claim is approved.
The 3 Day Guarantee
Are you eligible?
To receive CCS, your child must be 13 or under and not attending secondary school, your child must be enrolled with an approved service, your child must meet the government's immunisation requirements, and the parent claiming must meet Australian residency rules. Senses ELC cares for children from 6 weeks to 6 years across our Nursery, Toddler and Preschool programs, all of which attract the subsidy.
Three things determine what you receive. Your combined family income sets your CCS percentage, with lower incomes receiving a higher percentage and the subsidy tapering as income rises. Your hours of subsidised care start at the guaranteed 72 per fortnight and rise to 100 if you meet the participation level above. And the government's hourly rate cap sets the maximum hourly fee the subsidy applies to for centre based care.
Families with two or more children aged 5 and under in care receive a higher subsidy rate for their second and younger children, which is applied automatically once Services Australia has your details.
The income thresholds, rate caps and percentages are indexed each July, so rather than publish figures that go stale, we'd point you to the government's Starting Blocks CCS estimator for a personalised estimate, and to Services Australia for the current rates.
How your subsidy is worked out
What you'll still pay
The 3 Day Guarantee doesn't change how your rate of CCS is worked out, and most families still pay a gap fee, which is the difference between your subsidy and the daily fee. Services Australia also withholds a small portion of the subsidy through the year, reconciled at tax time, so your out of pocket cost can adjust slightly after your income is confirmed.
At Senses ELC the daily fee includes five meals prepared fresh by our on-site chef, nappies, and our full enrichment program, so the gap fee covers the whole day with nothing added on top.
How to apply
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You'll need a myGov account linked to Centrelink. If you already have one from a previous claim or payment, you're ready to go.
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Sign in to myGov, go to Centrelink, and make a claim under the families category. Each child needs their own claim, and you'll be asked for supporting documents such as proof of identity and your income estimate.
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Once you've accepted a place with us, we'll create your enrolment in the government system. You then confirm it through your myGov account, which links your subsidy to Senses ELC so it's applied straight to your fees.
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You can track your claim in myGov, and it's worth keeping your income estimate current through the year so your subsidy stays accurate.
Our enrolments team handles this process with families all the time, and we're happy to sit with you and untangle any step. Call us on 02 9003 1300 or email enrolments@senseselc.com.au.
Frequently asked questions
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No. The guarantee is a ceiling on subsidised hours, not a minimum attendance. A child attending one or two days still receives the subsidy for those days.
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No. Since January 2026, every eligible family receives at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight regardless of work or study hours. Higher participation unlocks 100 hours.
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It's paid directly to us, and we apply it as a reduction on your fees. You only pay the gap.
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Run your details through the Starting Blocks estimator for your CCS percentage, then talk to our enrolments team, who can show you exactly what that looks like against our current daily fee.