ACCS Grandparent Childcare Subsidy in South Australia

What ACCS (Grandparent) Actually Covers

The Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) is a federal payment through Services Australia that covers up to 100% of approved childcare fees — up to 120% of the standard hourly rate cap — for up to 100 hours per fortnight per child. For a grandparent on the Age Pension paying hundreds of dollars a week for a grandchild's early learning centre, this subsidy can eliminate the out-of-pocket cost entirely.

It sits on top of the standard Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Where CCS covers a percentage based on your income and activity, ACCS (Grandparent) bumps that coverage to the maximum tier specifically because you are a grandparent carer on income support.

Who Qualifies

To receive ACCS (Grandparent) you must meet all five criteria:

1. Eligible for standard CCS — the child is attending an approved childcare service and you have a CCS assessment in place
2. Receiving an eligible income support payment — Age Pension, JobSeeker, Parenting Payment Single, Carer Payment or another qualifying Centrelink payment
3. A grandparent of the child — biological, adoptive, step or great-grandparent. Aunts, uncles and other relatives do not qualify for ACCS (Grandparent) specifically, though they may access ACCS (Child Wellbeing) through a different pathway
4. Primary carer with 65% or more care — you must hold day-to-day decision-making responsibility
5. Activity test exempt — and this is the big one. ACCS (Grandparent) recipients are completely exempt from the standard CCS activity test. You do not need to be working, studying or volunteering to access the full 100 hours per fortnight

Why the Activity Test Exemption Matters

Under standard CCS, the number of subsidised hours you receive depends on how many hours per fortnight you (and your partner) spend working, studying or doing recognised activities. For a grandparent who has retired, this test would slash subsidised hours to a minimum.

ACCS (Grandparent) removes that barrier entirely. The 100 fortnightly hours are yours regardless of employment or study status, which means the grandchild gets consistent access to early childhood education while you get structured respite during the day.

How to Apply in South Australia

The application runs through your myGov account linked to Centrelink:

1. Make sure you have an active Child Care Subsidy assessment — if you do not, claim CCS first through the Centrelink online services
2. Once CCS is in place, apply for the ACCS (Grandparent) add-on through the same portal
3. Upload supporting evidence that you are the grandparent and primary carer — your statutory declaration, Medicare card showing the child, and school or childcare enrolment confirmation
4. Centrelink assesses your income support status and care percentage, then applies the higher subsidy rate directly to your childcare provider's payments

If you need help with the application, call the Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line on 1800 245 965. The specialist advisers handle ACCS claims regularly and can coordinate the documentation.

If You Are Not a Grandparent

Aunts, uncles and other relatives cannot access ACCS (Grandparent), but there is an alternative. If the child is vulnerable or at risk of harm, abuse or neglect, the childcare service can apply for ACCS (Child Wellbeing) on your behalf, which also provides higher subsidy rates. Talk to the centre director — they make the application, not you.

Fitting ACCS into the Bigger Picture

ACCS (Grandparent) is one piece of the financial puzzle for SA grandparent carers. It combines with Family Tax Benefit, the Cost of Living Concession, School Card and other payments to build a household budget that actually works. Our SA kinship carer guide maps every payment in one place and walks you through the claim sequence so nothing gets missed.

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