Each Acre Woods Childcare centre is approved under Federal Government guidelines to provide you with full access to both childcare fee subsidies currently available. For many families this means that the net cost of their childcare through Acre Woods is less than half of the standard daily fee rate.

There are currently two different fee subsidies provided by the Federal Government, which are the:

1. Child Care Benefit (CCB); and
2. 50% Child Care Tax Rebate (CCTR).
 

 

Both subsidies are managed by the Family Assistance Office (FAO). In order to receive either subsidy you will be required to register your family’s details with the FAO. Please see the section below “Registering with the Family Assistance Office” for further information on how to do this.

Child Care Benefit (CCB)

The Child Care Benefit is a Federal Government childcare fee discount system. It is means tested and therefore not every family will qualify, but for those who do the discount can be as high as approximately $36 per day.

There are two ways to receive the CCB fee subsidy, which are:
1. Reduced Fee: the amount of your fee subsidy is deducted from the daily fee you pay to us, and we collect the CCB subsidy on your behalf from the Government; or
2. Full Fee: you may elect to pay the full daily fee to us, and then you claim a lump sum refund via the Family Assistance Office at the end of the financial year.

Please note: If you choose the Reduced Fee option we are not permitted to reduce your fee until we have received written notification about your registration directly from the FAO. However, we are allowed to back-date your CCB fee subsidy for up to three weeks, and therefore please ensure that you apply to the FAO as soon as possible after confirming the enrolment of your child.

Child Care Tax Rebate

The Child Care Tax Rebate (CCTR) provides eligible families with a 50% rebate of their out-of-pocket child care fees, to a maximum of $7,778 per annum per child, indexed each year.

That is, it is 50% of the fee paid after deducting the CCB subsidy referred to above, and the CCTR is now payable to qualifying families at the end of each quarter.

As it is NOT means tested it means that most families will qualify to receive this, even if their CCB % rate is zero. Further information and the eligibility details can be found on the Family Assistance Office website www.familyassist.gov.au

Registering with the Family Assistance Office

Registering with the FAO can be done as follows:
In person:     At Medicare offices, Centrelink offices or Tax Office Shopfronts.
Internet:         www.familyassist.gov.au
Phone:          13 6150 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday)

When speaking to the FAO please advise them that we are designated as a provider of “Approved Care”, and you will also need to confirm that we are operating under "CCMS".

Please note: Even if you have previously registered with the FAO for another childcare centre you will still need to contact the FAO again to provide the specific details of your child’s enrolment at Acre Woods. You may also need to provide updated information relating to the 2009/10 financial year. If you are unsure about anything it is recommended that you contact the FAO to verify your family's details.