Childcare (help please)
Mar 31st 2009, 10:45 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 62
Childcare (help please)
Hi,
we are moving to Melbourne (with a PR visa) in Sept this year and we would like some help and information about childcare, i have looked at the centrelink website but we are still confused.
My wife is a nurse and will have i job when we arrive, i currently don't have anything lined up, my company have an office in Melbourne but no job for me yet.
Our Daughter will be 4 1/2 when we arrive and we would like to get her settled in to daycare / nusery school as soon as possible (she has been going to nursey 3days a week since she was 6 months old)
Am i correct in thinking that if we are both working/looking for work that we can claim so childcare benefit for up to 50hrs a week?
looking at the centrelink site it would appear that if you earn less than $126000 you can claim $173 per week (i think this is the max)
sorry for rambling on a bit (i am usually a forum lurker)
many thanks
we are moving to Melbourne (with a PR visa) in Sept this year and we would like some help and information about childcare, i have looked at the centrelink website but we are still confused.
My wife is a nurse and will have i job when we arrive, i currently don't have anything lined up, my company have an office in Melbourne but no job for me yet.
Our Daughter will be 4 1/2 when we arrive and we would like to get her settled in to daycare / nusery school as soon as possible (she has been going to nursey 3days a week since she was 6 months old)
Am i correct in thinking that if we are both working/looking for work that we can claim so childcare benefit for up to 50hrs a week?
looking at the centrelink site it would appear that if you earn less than $126000 you can claim $173 per week (i think this is the max)
sorry for rambling on a bit (i am usually a forum lurker)
many thanks
Mar 31st 2009, 4:25 pm
#2
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Robina, GCoast
Posts: 473
Re: Childcare (help please)
Hi,
we are moving to Melbourne (with a PR visa) in Sept this year and we would like some help and information about childcare, i have looked at the centrelink website but we are still confused.
My wife is a nurse and will have i job when we arrive, i currently don't have anything lined up, my company have an office in Melbourne but no job for me yet.
Our Daughter will be 4 1/2 when we arrive and we would like to get her settled in to daycare / nusery school as soon as possible (she has been going to nursey 3days a week since she was 6 months old)
Am i correct in thinking that if we are both working/looking for work that we can claim so childcare benefit for up to 50hrs a week?
looking at the centrelink site it would appear that if you earn less than $126000 you can claim $173 per week (i think this is the max)
sorry for rambling on a bit (i am usually a forum lurker)
many thanks
we are moving to Melbourne (with a PR visa) in Sept this year and we would like some help and information about childcare, i have looked at the centrelink website but we are still confused.
My wife is a nurse and will have i job when we arrive, i currently don't have anything lined up, my company have an office in Melbourne but no job for me yet.
Our Daughter will be 4 1/2 when we arrive and we would like to get her settled in to daycare / nusery school as soon as possible (she has been going to nursey 3days a week since she was 6 months old)
Am i correct in thinking that if we are both working/looking for work that we can claim so childcare benefit for up to 50hrs a week?
looking at the centrelink site it would appear that if you earn less than $126000 you can claim $173 per week (i think this is the max)
sorry for rambling on a bit (i am usually a forum lurker)
many thanks
Would also be grateful to find out about this
Apr 1st 2009, 9:03 am
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2005
Location: Western burbs, Melbourne
Posts: 2,260
Re: Childcare (help please)
OK I am no expert but we do have a 2 year old in childcare.
I think there are 2 types of child benefit- one means tested which is to bulk up your income, if you earn less than about 125k.
The other is childcare benefit rebate (which we get so am clearer about this).
If your child is at a registered childcare centre (most centres are), you fill in a form. the centre completes a bit, then every 3 months you get 50pct of the costs back up to a max of 7500pa. Your child is only allowed 30 days unauthorised absence (ie holidays) before benefit stops/is reduced or something!
Hardest part is finding childcare for your child! Each council works differently. In mine you register with each childcare centre you are interested in and go on a waiting list. Others the council has a central registar. Alternatively there are private centres such as ABC( wobbled recently and nearly went under til govt bailed them out) Bright starts etc.
At 4 1/2 your child is entitled to kinder place, but this is only part time- not sure how much. Some care places have long day care and also combine kinder ...
Good luck
I think there are 2 types of child benefit- one means tested which is to bulk up your income, if you earn less than about 125k.
The other is childcare benefit rebate (which we get so am clearer about this).
If your child is at a registered childcare centre (most centres are), you fill in a form. the centre completes a bit, then every 3 months you get 50pct of the costs back up to a max of 7500pa. Your child is only allowed 30 days unauthorised absence (ie holidays) before benefit stops/is reduced or something!
Hardest part is finding childcare for your child! Each council works differently. In mine you register with each childcare centre you are interested in and go on a waiting list. Others the council has a central registar. Alternatively there are private centres such as ABC( wobbled recently and nearly went under til govt bailed them out) Bright starts etc.
At 4 1/2 your child is entitled to kinder place, but this is only part time- not sure how much. Some care places have long day care and also combine kinder ...
Good luck
Apr 1st 2009, 10:14 am
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,322
Re: Childcare (help please)
If you and your partner work more than 15 hrs a week (total of 30 hrs a fortnight) you get 50hrs per child under prep age for childcare.
You then tell centrelink your predicted wage for the year and they will give you a percentage. If you get 100% for example you will get 100% off the hourly rate.
If the hourly rate is $7.00 you will get:
$3.47 for a child care centre
and
$4.62 for family day care (the government gives a higher rebate for Family Day Care for some reason).
and you will have to pay the gap.
If you have 60% it is then 60% off the above figures.
Then if you work more than 25hrs a week and you are still under the threshold you can claim 50% of what you've paid (the gap) back.
From experience of working in an office that deals with CCB i would personally give my predicted wage to Centrelink and then claim 50% of what i'd paid quarterly. If your wage was considerably different to the predicted you can just call CCB (Centrelink) and they will re adjust it.
hope this helps!
You then tell centrelink your predicted wage for the year and they will give you a percentage. If you get 100% for example you will get 100% off the hourly rate.
If the hourly rate is $7.00 you will get:
$3.47 for a child care centre
and
$4.62 for family day care (the government gives a higher rebate for Family Day Care for some reason).
and you will have to pay the gap.
If you have 60% it is then 60% off the above figures.
Then if you work more than 25hrs a week and you are still under the threshold you can claim 50% of what you've paid (the gap) back.
From experience of working in an office that deals with CCB i would personally give my predicted wage to Centrelink and then claim 50% of what i'd paid quarterly. If your wage was considerably different to the predicted you can just call CCB (Centrelink) and they will re adjust it.
hope this helps!
Apr 1st 2009, 12:15 pm
#5
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 62
Re: Childcare (help please)
If you and your partner work more than 15 hrs a week (total of 30 hrs a fortnight) you get 50hrs per child under prep age for childcare.
You then tell centrelink your predicted wage for the year and they will give you a percentage. If you get 100% for example you will get 100% off the hourly rate.
If the hourly rate is $7.00 you will get:
$3.47 for a child care centre
and
$4.62 for family day care (the government gives a higher rebate for Family Day Care for some reason).
and you will have to pay the gap.
If you have 60% it is then 60% off the above figures.
Then if you work more than 25hrs a week and you are still under the threshold you can claim 50% of what you've paid (the gap) back.
From experience of working in an office that deals with CCB i would personally give my predicted wage to Centrelink and then claim 50% of what i'd paid quarterly. If your wage was considerably different to the predicted you can just call CCB (Centrelink) and they will re adjust it.
hope this helps!
You then tell centrelink your predicted wage for the year and they will give you a percentage. If you get 100% for example you will get 100% off the hourly rate.
If the hourly rate is $7.00 you will get:
$3.47 for a child care centre
and
$4.62 for family day care (the government gives a higher rebate for Family Day Care for some reason).
and you will have to pay the gap.
If you have 60% it is then 60% off the above figures.
Then if you work more than 25hrs a week and you are still under the threshold you can claim 50% of what you've paid (the gap) back.
From experience of working in an office that deals with CCB i would personally give my predicted wage to Centrelink and then claim 50% of what i'd paid quarterly. If your wage was considerably different to the predicted you can just call CCB (Centrelink) and they will re adjust it.
hope this helps!
thanks to pomster as well
Apr 1st 2009, 12:56 pm
#6
Aussie Finn Mixture!
Joined: May 2005
Location: Leschenault WA (after few locations around WA and Around Europe!)
Posts: 1,151
Re: Childcare (help please)
In WA (no idea of other states) kindergarten and preprimary is not compulsory and therefore school does not have to guarantee any spots in either classes.... again, might be different in other states. But in WA, you may enrol to either kindy or PP but does not mean you get a spot.
Apr 1st 2009, 10:16 pm
#7
Canuck/Aussie
Joined: May 2006
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 4,547
Re: Childcare (help please)
In WA (no idea of other states) kindergarten and preprimary is not compulsory and therefore school does not have to guarantee any spots in either classes.... again, might be different in other states. But in WA, you may enrol to either kindy or PP but does not mean you get a spot.
My daughter was 4 last year and was old enough to go to kindy. I went to the nearest C&K (offers kindy) and put her name down on the waiting list. We were lucky to get after such a short time on the list, it's not unheard of to put their kids names down at birth!
Anyway the C&K was fabulous and was the best thing we could have done. I should note that anyone can go as long as the kids are 4 by June I think. You are not "entitled" to a place though, you get in on a waiting list. The fees were very good too, $20 a day at our centre. This is for a program that ran 8:45 to 2:00pm.
At first I had her in a kindy at a place that also offers daycare. Not nearly as good and I had to pay a full days fee ($50) for the service.
