Families where both parents or the sole parent work, study or train for at least 15 hours per week are eligible to receive:
- up to 50 hours of Child Care Benefit per child per week
- a rebate of 50 per cent for their remaining out-of-pocket child care expenses, up to a maximum of $7,500 per child per year.
Parents re-entering the workforce or who have just entered the workforce may be eligible for additional assistance to cover most of the gap between child care costs and the Child Care Benefit.
Assistance for parents re-entering the workforce
Joan is a single parent of 4-year-old James, and in receipt of Parenting Payment. Joan is currently completing a Diploma of Primary Teaching, and plans on working at a primary school in her local neighbourhood when she finishes.
While Joan is studying, she is entitled to:
- the Child Care e Benefit
- the Child Care Tax Rebate
- the Jobs Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance, which covers almost all of her remaining child care costs.
When Joan begins full-time work, she will be entitled to:
- the Child Care Benefit
- the Child Care Tax Rebate
- the Jobs Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance, for the first 26 weeks of her new job.
Assistance for parents working full time
Denise and Wayne are parents working full time to provide for their two children, Shane and Sally. Denise earns $90,000 a year and Wayne $60,000 a year.
With both of them working full time, Denise and Wayne need access to quality child care for their children. Sally attends long day care for 10 hours a day, while Shane attends after school care for 3 hours a day.
Denise and Wayne pay just over $16,900 in child care costs but receive just over $8,450 in child care assistance, accounting for 50 per cent of their gross child care costs. This is around $2,050 more than they would have received without the Government's Working Families Support Package.