Additional Child Care Subsidy Grandparent: 100 Hours of Subsidised Childcare in WA

Standard Child Care Subsidy requires you to meet an activity test — proof you're working, studying, or volunteering enough hours. If you're a grandparent on the Age Pension who's raising a grandchild, that requirement makes no sense. The Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) stream removes it entirely.

What ACCS Grandparent Provides

Under the ACCS Grandparent stream, the federal government subsidises up to 100% of the actual childcare fee, capped at 120% of the standard CCS hourly rate. You get up to 100 hours of subsidised care per fortnight — with a complete exemption from the activity test.

That means no logging work hours or volunteering requirements. The subsidy goes directly to the childcare provider; fees above the hourly rate cap can still leave an out-of-pocket cost.

Eligibility

To qualify, you must be:

• A grandparent or step-grandparent of the child
• The principal carer — providing 65% or more of the child's care
• Receiving a qualifying Centrelink income support payment such as Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, or JobSeeker Payment

All three conditions must be met. If you're a grandparent but not on an income support payment, you'll use the standard CCS instead (which is still partially subsidised based on your income). If you're an aunt or uncle, you can't access ACCS Grandparent at all — only grandparents qualify.

The 2026 Three-Day Guarantee

Under 2026 early childhood education reforms, every CCS-eligible child gets a baseline of 72 subsidised hours per fortnight regardless of the activity test. For grandparents already on ACCS, this doesn't change much — your 100 hours already exceed it. But for non-grandparent kinship carers who only qualify for standard CCS, the three-day guarantee provides a floor.

How to Apply

1. Claim Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for the child. If you do not already get CCS, you can apply for it and ACCS (Grandparent) together.
2. If you already get CCS, sign in to myGov, open Centrelink, then under Child care select Additional Child Care Subsidy (grandparent).
3. Submit the application and provide any supporting documents Centrelink requests, such as evidence of your grandparent relationship and principal-carer status.

You can also call the Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Advisers on 1800 245 965 for help with the application.

Non-Grandparent Relatives

If you're an employed aunt or sibling caring for a young child, your route is standard CCS — your subsidised hours depend on your household income and activity test hours. If the child is at risk of harm, speak with the childcare service about ACCS (Child Wellbeing); the service applies on your behalf, and the subsidy can cover up to 100% of fees for up to 12 months.

The WA Kinship Carer Support Guide covers both the grandparent and non-grandparent childcare pathways alongside every other payment and enrolment step.

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