Local families will benefit from greater childcare support sooner, according to the Federal Government, as a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for multiple children has been brought forward by four months.
From March 7, families with two or more children aged five years and under in care will have their CCS rate increased by 30 percentage points for their second child and younger children, up to a maximum rate of 95 per cent.
A family earning $11,000 a year with two kids in care, four days a week will be better off by $100 a week.
Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks, said the support would be targeted to those that need it most.
“We know childcare costs can really add up when you have two, three or more children in care and this package will help those families by significantly reducing out-of-pocket costs for the second child and younger children,” Wicks said.
“This will make a real difference in the lives of families in our region.
“The changes will also see the Morrison Government’s total investment in childcare grow to $11B a year, building on the Child Care Package we introduced in 2018 that is still keeping out-of-pocket costs low.”
The $10,655 annual cap will also be scrapped on December 10, 2021, and applied retrospectively for the whole 2021-22 financial year, meaning families who hit the cap before the date will receive a refund on any excess fees paid.
The Federal Government has been able to work with Commonwealth agencies and service providers to make necessary technical changes sooner.
There are around 2,300 families across the Central Coast that have two or more children in care and could benefit from the increased subsidy.
More than half of eligible Australian families will receive the maximum 95 per cent subsidy.
Source:
Media release, Oct 12
Federal Member for Robertson, Lucy Wicks