Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) in Australia

Child care fees can run $100 or more per day in Australia, and that's money most grandparents raising a grandchild simply don't have. The Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) — known as ACCS Grandparent — exists precisely for this situation: eligible grandparents can receive a subsidy covering up to 100% of eligible fees, within the hourly rate cap, for up to 100 hours per fortnight.

What ACCS Grandparent Actually Covers

ACCS Grandparent pays 100 percent of the actual child care fee charged by the provider, capped at 120 percent of the national hourly rate cap. In most long day care centres, this means the gap fee disappears entirely. It covers Long Day Care, Family Day Care, Outside School Hours Care, and In-Home Care — any approved service that participates in the Child Care Subsidy system.

You also get 100 subsidised hours per fortnight automatically, with no activity test. That means you don't need to prove you're working, studying, or volunteering to access full hours — unlike standard CCS recipients who need to show recognised activity.

The Five Requirements

To qualify, you must meet all five conditions simultaneously:

1. Standard CCS eligibility. You need to be an Australian resident, the child must be immunised, and the child must attend an approved service.

2. Grandparent or great-grandparent relationship. This includes biological, adoptive, step-grandparents (including former step-grandparents), great-grandparents, and their current or former partners. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, traditional kinship grandparent relationships count.

3. 65 percent or more care. You must provide at least 238 nights per year of care — Centrelink assesses this as the primary care threshold. This is higher than the 35 percent needed for Family Tax Benefit.

4. Day-to-day decision-making responsibility. You need to be the one making daily decisions about the child's welfare — being listed as the school emergency contact, managing medical appointments, bearing daily living costs.

5. Receiving a qualifying income support payment. Either you or your partner must receive Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment, Parenting Payment, JobSeeker Payment, or DVA Service Pension.

The income support requirement is the one that trips people up. A grandparent who is self-funded — even one on a very modest superannuation income — cannot access ACCS Grandparent. If they meet standard CCS eligibility, they can claim standard CCS, which still provides the 3-Day Guarantee (72 subsidised hours per fortnight regardless of activity) but at an income-tested subsidy rate rather than 100 percent.

What If You're Not on Income Support?

If you don't receive a qualifying payment but meet standard CCS eligibility, you can still claim the Child Care Subsidy. Under the current 3-Day Guarantee, every CCS-eligible family receives at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight (three full days per week), regardless of how many hours you work or study. The subsidy percentage depends on your household income — lower income means a higher percentage covered.

If the child has experienced abuse, neglect, or harm in the parental home, the child care provider can apply for ACCS (Child Wellbeing) on the carer's behalf. The subsidy can cover 100 percent of fees for an initial 13-week period; ask the service to assess eligibility.

How to Claim

ACCS Grandparent is claimed through your existing Child Care Subsidy assessment. You need an active CCS determination first — apply through myGov linked to your Centrelink online account. Once CCS is approved, request an ACCS Grandparent assessment through your Centrelink account or the Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser line.

If you need help with the assessment, contact the Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser line on 1800 245 965.

One Important Note for Aunts and Uncles

ACCS Grandparent is restricted by law to people who meet the statutory grandparent definition described above. If you're an aunt, uncle, or older sibling raising a relative's child, you cannot access this stream — even if you meet every other requirement. Standard CCS may be available if you meet its eligibility rules, and the child care service can apply for ACCS (Child Wellbeing) if the child's circumstances qualify.

Our Centrelink Payments for Grandparents guide walks through the full ACCS application alongside FTB and the other claims, so you can get every payment set up in the right order.

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