2026–27 Checked 12 October 2026
Child Care Gap Fee Calculator
The gap fee is what is left after Child Care Subsidy: the fee the service charges, less the subsidy. This page works it out per hour, per day and per week — and shows which number is actually deciding your bill.
1 Your fee and income2 See the gap
Step 2 · your result
Gap fee a day
$0
what you actually pay
- Subsidy percentage
- 0%
- Hourly cap for this care
- $0
- Subsidy an hour
- $0
- Gap a week
- $0
- Subsidised hours a fortnight
- 0
Subsidy scale, hourly rate caps and hours rules from the Department of Social Services — Family Assistance Guide, checked 12 October 2026. Fees are set by each service. General information only.
The hourly rate caps
Subsidy is calculated on the lower of your fee and the cap. Charge more than the cap and the difference comes straight out of your pocket.
| Type of care | Cap — school-age child | Cap — younger child |
|---|---|---|
| Centre based day care (long day care) | $13.30 | $15.19 |
| Outside school hours care | $13.30 | $15.19 |
| Family day care | $14.08 | $14.08 |
| In home care | $41.31 | $41.31 |
How the three numbers fit together
Gap = fee − (lower of fee and cap) × your subsidy percentage
Worked example: $14.00 an hour, 10 hours a day, income $120,000. Your percentage is 83.7%, the cap is $15.19, so the subsidy is $11.72 an hour. A $140.00 day therefore costs you about $22.82.
- The cap only matters if you are charged above it. Below the cap, the gap is simply your fee less your percentage.
- The percentage steps, it does not slide. One dollar over a $5,000 threshold drops the whole year by one point.
- Hours are a separate limit. Even at a 90% subsidy you only get 72 hours a fortnight (100 above 48 hours of activity), so a fifth day can be full fee.
Frequently asked questions
What is a gap fee?
The gap fee is what you pay out of your own pocket after Child Care Subsidy. You are charged the full fee by the service, the subsidy is paid to the service (or to you), and the difference is the gap. It is the number that decides whether a day of care is worth working.
How is it worked out?
Three numbers, in this order. First, the subsidised percentage from your family income. Second, the hourly rate cap for the type of care — the subsidy is calculated on the lower of your actual fee and the cap, so a service charging above the cap leaves a bigger gap. Third, the number of subsidised hours: 72 a fortnight, or 100 if you and your partner together do more than 48 hours of recognised activity.
What does it look like on real numbers?
Long day care at $14 an hour, 10 hours a day, family income $120,000 (a subsidy of 83.7%): the cap is $15.19 an hour, so the subsidy is $11.72 an hour and the fee is $140.00 a day. The gap is about $22.82 a day — roughly 16% of the fee.
Why does the percentage keep changing?
The subsidy falls by one percentage point for every $5,000 of family income above $88,520, down to nothing at $538,520. Because it steps in $5,000 blocks, a small pay rise can drop your percentage for the whole year — which is why families near a step should check the effect before accepting extra hours.
What is not included?
The gap fee does not include Rent Assistance, Family Tax Benefit or the Child Care Subsidy balancing at tax time. Services also set their own fees, and some charge for public holidays, absences or extra hours — those are charged at the full rate unless your service passes on the subsidy.
Where do these figures come from?
The percentage scale, the hourly rate caps and the hours rules are the Department of Social Services Family Assistance Guide tables, checked 12 October 2026 and in force from Monday 6 July 2026. The same data drives our full CCS calculator.
Related
- Child Care Subsidy calculator — the full CCS calculation
- CCS hourly rate caps — every cap, with the source wording
- CCS activity test — why you get 72 or 100 hours
- Family Tax Benefit income cut-offs