Child Care Subsidy Changes – What the 3 Day Guarantee Means for Your Family
From January 2026, the Australian Government will introduce a major change to the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) called the 3 Day Guarantee. This initiative aims to make early childhood education and care (ECEC) more accessible for all families, regardless of their work or study hours.
What’s Changing?
Currently, the number of subsidised care hours you receive depends on your family’s “activity test” results – based on your work, study, or volunteering hours.
From January 2026:
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All families will be eligible for at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight (that’s 3 days a week), no matter their activity levels.
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Families who meet the activity requirements or have a valid exemption can still access up to 100 hours per fortnight.
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Families caring for a First Nations child will automatically receive 100 hours per fortnight.
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Families earning over $533,280 per year (2024–25 threshold) will remain ineligible for subsidised care.
Why This Matters
The 3 Day Guarantee helps ensure children have consistent access to early education, giving them the best start in life and preparing them for school. It’s also a welcome cost-of-living boost, particularly for families who previously didn’t qualify for enough subsidised hours under the current activity test.
Who Will Benefit?
This change will benefit:
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Families with limited work, study, or volunteering hours
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Families looking to enrol their child in early education for more days each week
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Families wanting certainty around their CCS eligibility
Example
Sarah and Alex have one child attending early learning 3 days per week.
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Before January 2026: They only received 36 hours of subsidised care per fortnight (18 hours per week) because Alex worked 8 hours per week.
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From January 2026: They will receive 72 hours per fortnight (36 hours per week), doubling their subsidised hours.
Based on the average projected hourly fee in 2025–26, this change could save them around $230 per week – that’s $11,400 per year.
