3 Day Guarantee Scheme
Need Another Day of Care?
Big News Incoming! From January 5th 2026 the Australian Government will guarantee 3 days per week of subsidised early education and care. On top of that, there is no more activity test for these minimum hours. Edukare is here to help accommodate your child’s extra day of care.
What the new Subsidy changes are
In the old system how much subsidised childcare you got depended on how many hours you worked, studied, or volunteered called the activity test. If you didn’t do much (or any) of those things, you might only get 24 hours or 36 hours of subsidised care per fortnight sometimes less than two days a week. This meant stay-at-home parents, casual workers, or people between jobs often missed out on affordable childcare.
From 5 January 2026, the Australian Government will introduce a 3-Day Guarantee, giving every family that qualifies for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) at least three days per week (72 hours per fortnight) of subsidised early childhood education and care. It doesn’t matter how many hours you work, study, or volunteer you’ll still get those 3 days.
Families who do more activity can still get up to 100 hours per fortnight (about 5 days a week), just like before.
This change will replace the current activity test for those minimum hours, ensuring every family can access affordable early learning even if parents aren’t working, studying, or volunteering.
As always, spots are limited in all of our centres and we wish to accommodate your preferred day of extra subsidised care. Additionally, there are some circumstances where you may be eligible to secure more days of subsidised care. Please use the subsidy calculator to work out what you’re entitled to and get in quick to secure your child’s additional day/s.
- 3 days guaranteed per week, no matter your work or study hours.
- Up to 4 days per week if you meet the activity test, have an exemption, or care for First Nations children.
Who benefits (and how much)
- Families who were previously unable to meet the activity test (e.g. stay-at-home caregivers, irregular workers, careers with limited hours) will now gain access to subsidised childcare.
- For First Nations children, the subsidy is more generous (100 hours) regardless of parental activity hours.
- Families who already qualify for 100 hours under the old rules will not lose those extra hours their entitlements remain
Example
Amanda and Dave have one child in care 3 days/week (36 hours). Their combined income is $90,000.
Before: 18 hours/week subsidised
From Jan 2026: 36 hours/week (72 hours per fortnight)
Savings: $230/week – over $11,000/year
Other income examples
| Annual income | Better-off per week | Annual better-off (50 weeks of care) |
| $90,000 | $230 | $11,400 |
| $120,000 | $220 | $10,630 |
| $140,000 | $200 | $10,110 |
Importantly, families earning over $533,280 remain ineligible.
What you need to do
You don’t need to do anything if you already receive CCS the new baseline should apply automatically from January 2026.
If you have a First Nations child, you should ensure that Services Australia has that information, so you can benefit from the 100-hour entitlement. As with current CCS, your income estimate and other circumstances will be relevant for determining the subsidy percentage.
Use the the subsidy cost calculator as the new rules come into effect to see your likely actual payments and gap fees under the new regime.
For now the first step to take is to secure your extra days to start after 5th January 2026.
Moving to a 2-Day Minimum
Starting from January 2026 Edukare will be moving to a minimum two days care requirement with a preferenence for 3 days allowing your child to settle in and build relationships with our staff and other children. With these new changes from the Australian Government, now is the best time for us to transition to this new requirement. With additional subsidised care available we urge you to get in quick and let us know your preferred extra days so we can best accommodate your needs.
Secure your child's subsidised care for 2026
Claim Your Extra Day of Subsidised Care Now
At Edukare we would like to prioritise our existing families before opening positions for January 2026. Please act quickly to let us know your preferred extra day of care.
