What are your booked fees?
Days in care multiplied by the fee charged for each day.
Childcare Maths · Updated for 2026–27
What does childcare really cost your family?
Enter your family income, daily childcare fees, care days and session hours. ParentMath applies the 2026–27 Child Care Subsidy rate, hourly cap and subsidised-hour limit, then shows the estimated gap your family may pay each week, fortnight, month and year in one place.
Last updated 11 August 2026 · settings checked against published Australian Government rates
2026–27 Child Care Subsidy rates
Simple annual family income input
Private by default
No account required
Example family
These example family figures show how the calculator works. Change any figure to use your own.
1
Full financial year
What family income should you enter?
Enter your best estimate of both parents' income for the full financial year.
A simple starting point is the pay before tax shown on both parents' payslips. Services Australia calls the full measure adjusted taxable income and may include other amounts.
Use expected employment income for the full financial year. Your names stay on this device.
3 days
012345
Estimated annual employment income: $0
Estimated family adjusted taxable income for Child Care Subsidy: $0.
Advanced income settings
Included in family income for Child Care Subsidy, but excluded from employment take-home pay.
2
What care does each child use?
Add up to four children. Fees are entered per booked day.
3
Per child
How many subsidised hours can apply?
100 hours may apply where both parents exceed 48 hours of recognised participation per fortnight, for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children, approved exemptions or specified Additional Child Care Subsidy circumstances.
Show typical 5% Child Care Subsidy withholding
Withholding changes cash paid during the year, not your final estimated entitlement.
Return-to-work comparison
Is another workday worth it?
Adjust your workdays to compare scenarios.
Annual family difference$0
Retained per added workday$0
Break-even gross pay for the added day each week$0
This compares household employment income after estimated resident tax, Medicare levy and childcare. It excludes Family Tax Benefit, HELP repayments, tax offsets, deductions and super.
Plain English
How does the calculator estimate your gap?
How much Child Care Subsidy may apply?
Your Child Care Subsidy percentage applies to the lower of the hourly fee or government hourly cap, within your subsidised hours.
What gap is left?
The part left after Child Care Subsidy, including fees above the hourly cap and hours above your entitlement.
A quick worked example
How much childcare might you pay on a $120 day?
A family with an estimated annual income of $120,000 has a standard Child Care Subsidy rate of about 83.7%. For one child attending 3 days a week at $120 per 10-hour day, the calculator returns $360 in weekly fees, about $301.32 in Child Care Subsidy and a $58.68 weekly gap.
This illustrative example uses 60 care hours a fortnight, below the 72-hour entitlement, and a $12 hourly fee, below the $15.19 centre-based cap. It excludes the usual 5% withholding. The figures were verified against the ParentMath calculation engine on 11 August 2026.
Child Care Subsidy questions
What sits behind this estimate?
Short answers based on the 2026–27 settings published by Australian Government agencies.
What family income should I enter?
Enter both partners' estimated adjusted taxable income for the full financial year. This can include taxable income, reportable fringe benefits, reportable super contributions, net investment losses and some other amounts used for family assistance.
Services Australia: family income estimatesHow is the Child Care Subsidy percentage worked out in 2026–27?
The standard Child Care Subsidy rate is 90% for family income up to $88,520. Above that, the rate generally falls by 1 percentage point for every $5,000 of family income and reaches 0% at $538,520.
Department of Education: 2026–27 Child Care Subsidy ratesWhy might Child Care Subsidy apply to less than my full childcare fee?
Child Care Subsidy applies to the lower of your service's hourly fee or the government hourly rate cap, within your child's subsidised hours. Fees above the cap and care beyond the available hours remain part of your gap.
Department of Education: hourly caps and subsidised hoursWhy can the amount paid to my centre differ from this estimate?
Services Australia usually withholds 5% of Child Care Subsidy during the year and balances your entitlement later. Attendance records, income changes and eligibility rules can also change the amount paid.
Services Australia: income, withholding and balancingIs ParentMath an official Child Care Subsidy calculator?
No. ParentMath provides an independent educational estimate based on published government settings. Services Australia determines your actual eligibility and entitlement.
Services Australia: Child Care SubsidyWhat happens to Child Care Subsidy when my income goes up?
Your standard Child Care Subsidy rate generally falls as family adjusted taxable income rises. In 2026–27, it drops by 1 percentage point for every $5,000 above $88,520 and reaches 0% at $538,520. For example, family adjusted taxable income of $120,000 produces an estimated standard rate of 83.7%.
Services Australia: income and Child Care Subsidy percentageWhy can a fourth or fifth childcare day cost much more?
Your subsidised hours can run out. Four 10-hour care days use 80 hours a fortnight, so a family with the 72-hour entitlement pays 8 hours without Child Care Subsidy. Fees above the 2026–27 centre-based hourly cap of $15.19 also stay in the family gap.
Department of Education: 3 Day GuaranteeHow many childcare hours can my family get subsidised?
All families eligible for Child Care Subsidy can receive at least 72 subsidised hours per child each fortnight under the 3 Day Guarantee. Some families can receive 100 hours, including those with more than 48 hours of recognised participation each fortnight, approved exemptions or other qualifying circumstances.
Department of Education: subsidised hoursDoes a 90% Child Care Subsidy rate mean the government pays 90% of my childcare bill?
No. The percentage applies to the lower of your hourly fee or the government hourly cap, and only within your subsidised hours. A $180 fee for a 10-hour session equals $18 an hour, so the amount above the $15.19 centre-based cap receives no standard Child Care Subsidy.
Department of Education: Child Care Subsidy hourly capsOfficial sources checked 11 August 2026. Government settings can change.