CCS Age Changes: School, Turning 6, Beyond
Most birthdays do not change your Child Care Subsidy. But a few age and school milestones change your hourly cap, your higher CCS rate or your child's eligibility entirely.
The big ones are starting school, the eldest child turning 6, and moving into secondary school.
The short answer
The CCS age changes that matter:
- Turning 1. No specific CCS change.
- Kindergarten or preschool year. State funding may reduce fees separately from CCS.
- Starting school. Care type may change and the school-age hourly cap may apply.
- Eldest child turns 6. The higher CCS rate for younger children may end.
- Starts secondary school. CCS generally ends unless an exemption applies.
- Turns 13. CCS usually ends unless an exemption applies.
Do not assume everything updates correctly. Check myGov and your provider statement after major milestones.
Starting care as a baby
CCS can apply to approved care from infancy. There is no rule that a child must be a certain age before subsidy can apply.
The practical issues for babies are usually whether a provider has a place, whether your CCS claim is approved, whether one parent is on parental leave, whether your income estimate is realistic, and whether care starts before your claim is finalised.
If one parent is on paid or unpaid parental leave, those leave hours can count as recognised participation for CCS based on the hours they worked before leave. See going back to work after parental leave.
Turning 1: no CCS change
There is no specific CCS change when your child turns 1. For long day care, the same below-school-age hourly cap applies from birth until the child is treated as school age. For 2025-26, the Centre Based Day Care cap for children below school age is $14.63 per hour.
Your fees may still change because of your provider's room structure. A centre may charge different fees for nursery, toddler and kindergarten rooms. That is a provider fee change, not a CCS rule.
Moving rooms at childcare
Many centres move children between rooms based on age or development stage: nursery, toddler, junior kindy, pre-kindy, kindergarten or preschool room. This can affect your out-of-pocket cost if the daily fee or session length changes.
Check the new daily fee, the new session length, whether meals or nappies change, whether kindergarten funding applies, and whether the care type reported for CCS is still correct. A room change does not automatically mean your CCS percentage changes.
Kindergarten and preschool year
The year before school can affect childcare costs, but not always because of CCS.
Many states and territories provide kindergarten or preschool funding that operates separately from CCS and may reduce the fee your provider charges. How it works depends on your state, your provider and the program type.
Important points:
- CCS can apply to approved long day care services.
- Some stand-alone preschool or kindergarten programs are funded outside the CCS system.
- State kinder funding may reduce the fee before your CCS gap is calculated.
- The interaction varies by state and provider.
State guides:
- Queensland kindy 2026
- Victoria kinder 2026
- NSW preschool funding 2026
- SA preschool 2026
- WA kindergarten 2026
See also kindergarten and CCS for the general interaction.
Starting school: the care type can change
Starting school is one of the biggest CCS transitions. When your child moves from long day care to outside school hours care, the care type and hourly cap may change.
For 2025-26:
| Care type | 2025-26 hourly cap |
|---|---|
| Centre Based Day Care, below school age | $14.63 |
| OSHC, school age | $12.81 |
The lower school-age cap usually applies when your child is treated as school age and uses OSHC. This is not simply about a birthday. It depends on the child starting school and the care type being used.
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Check this after your child starts school
Do not assume your provider and myGov have updated everything. After your child starts school, check:
- the care type
- whether sessions are reported as OSHC
- the session length
- the hourly cap being used
- whether vacation care fees are different
- whether any old long day care enrolment should remain active
- whether your child still counts for higher CCS for younger siblings
This is especially important if your child starts school but still uses long day care during part of the transition. See OSHC and CCS.
Turning 6: the higher CCS rate can change
The most financially important birthday for many families is when the eldest child turns 6.
The higher CCS rate can apply where a family has more than one CCS eligible child aged 5 or under. Usually the eldest eligible child aged 5 or under gets the standard rate, and younger eligible children aged 5 or under may get the higher rate (standard rate plus 30 percentage points, capped at 95%).
When the eldest child turns 6, they are no longer aged 5 or under. That can change whether younger siblings still qualify for the higher rate.
Turning 6 example: two children
Family has Child A (age 5) and Child B (age 3). Child A is the standard rate child. Child B may receive the higher rate.
When Child A turns 6, only one child aged 5 or under remains. Result: the higher rate usually ends, and Child B moves back to the standard income-tested CCS rate. This can increase out-of-pocket costs even if your income and fees have not changed.
Turning 6 example: three children
Family has Child A (age 6), Child B (age 4) and Child C (age 2). Child A is no longer aged 5 or under. Child B becomes the standard rate child. Child C may still receive the higher CCS rate.
Result: the family may still get a higher rate for the youngest child. See CCS with three or more children.
Starting secondary school or turning 13
CCS is generally for children aged 13 or under who are not attending secondary school. Once a child attends secondary school, CCS generally does not apply unless an exemption applies.
Some exemptions may apply for children who need supervision, including some children aged 14 to 18 with disability. If your child is in secondary school and you think an exemption may apply, contact Services Australia.
Quick reference table
| Milestone | What may change |
|---|---|
| Birth to school age | CCS can apply to approved care |
| Turning 1 | No specific CCS change |
| Moving childcare rooms | Provider fee may change |
| Kinder or preschool year | State funding may reduce fees |
| Starting school | Care type and hourly cap may change |
| Eldest child turns 6 | Higher CCS rate may change |
| Starts secondary school | CCS generally ends unless exemption applies |
| Turns 13 | CCS usually ends unless exemption applies |
What to check in myGov and provider statements
After a major milestone, check the care type, session length, the child's school-age status, the hourly cap, the CCS percentage, the higher rate for younger children, your income estimate, your care days and fees, and whether old enrolments are still active.
Small changes can have a large effect across a full year.
What this means for you
Age transitions are exactly where annual modelling helps. A child turning 6 mid-year, starting school or moving into OSHC can change your annual out-of-pocket cost even if this week's fees look fine.
Run your current care setup, then run the post-milestone setup, and compare. The difference is often big enough to plan around.
All figures are estimates based on current CCS settings and the inputs you provide. Final entitlement is determined by Services Australia.
Key takeaways
- Most birthdays do not change CCS. The exceptions matter a lot.
- Starting school usually drops the hourly cap from $14.63 to $12.81 for that child.
- The eldest child turning 6 can end the higher CCS rate for a younger sibling.
- CCS generally ends at secondary school or age 13 unless an exemption applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my CCS percentage drop when my child turns 6?
Not by itself. The CCS percentage is based on family income. What can change is the higher rate for a younger sibling, because the higher rate requires more than one CCS eligible child aged 5 or under.
What changes financially when my child starts school?
The care type usually moves from long day care to OSHC, and the school-age cap of $12.81 per hour applies for OSHC sessions. Daily fees and session lengths usually drop in term time, but vacation care can be expensive.
Does kindergarten funding count as CCS?
No. State and territory kindergarten or preschool funding is separate from CCS. It may reduce the fee your provider charges before CCS is applied. Check your state guide and your provider's statement to see how the two interact.
Can my teenager still get CCS?
Generally no. CCS is for children aged 13 or under who are not attending secondary school. Limited exemptions may apply, including for some children aged 14 to 18 with disability. Contact Services Australia if you think an exemption may apply.
Will Services Australia update everything automatically when my child starts school?
Sometimes, but not always. Check your child's care type, the hourly cap being used, and whether the higher rate for siblings is still in place. If the result looks wrong, contact Services Australia or your provider.
Official sources
- Services Australia — Child Care Subsidy
- Services Australia — Higher CCS for additional children
- Department of Education — Child Care Subsidy hourly rate caps
- Department of Education — 3 Day Guarantee