ozzieclare2b

Not sure if many people are aware of this but here goes. We have been here 5 weeks and my son started nursery last week. If you work and other half does or is actively seeking work you are entitled to help towards your childcare costs care childcare benefit. They have a formula to work it out basically, and the less u earn the more you get. eg we pay $300 a week but get 50% of the benefit (its capped on earnings) so only pay £211 a week.

But this is the best bit. If you get CCB your also enitled to childcare tax rebate which is calculated and paid automatically every 13 weeks up to a max of $7500 dollars pre year, it may be adjusted at end of year according to earnings so its best to give a realistic view of earnings/potential earnings and any shortfall is paid back. This means we will recieve $100 per week back in a lump sum every 13 weeks = $1300!! Therefore bringing a fulltime nursery place (max 50 hrs) down to $110 a week. I was a bit gobsmacked but its an incentive to get mums back to work, just in case people are worried about the cost of childcare thought id let you know (ps this is SA but i think its all over aus correct if wrong)

Gazzap

Great info! Cheers.
Can anyone confirm if this is the same in WA?
Gaz

Wendy

Yep, it country wide. But it is means tested so depends on your earnings

It's the same with Family Tax Benefit too. Details of all benefits on http://www.centrelink.gov.au/

tiredwithtwins

ive wondered how that works.. thanks for that!!
i shudder to think what our child care costs would have been if we had come out when we were intitially planning to (aobut 5-6 yrs ago!!). as it is now, my kids are 7 and 11, so when we get out there will be 8 & 12 ... afterschool care will bejust fine!
cheeers!
sue

Sunbound

I wont be working but my husband will .We want to send him a couple of days a week to nursery as thats what he's been used to here and likes to socialise.
So i guess we wont get that then if i'm not earning?

ozzieclare2b

sunbound if u go on the centerlink website it will tell u whose eligable x

beaumonts

hi
great information thank you - was getting worried as living in canberra is expensive and I def need to get a job - just registering on site now so hopefully can get started pretty soon.
maria xx
ps i was under the impression on our PR visa we was nt entitled to anything

paddyo

If you get a decent Tax Consultant out here they will ensure you sort out all your entitlements.

beaumonts

thanks - will do

applied for family tax should get $300/ fortnight more than I got in UK but I must say my rent has x4 here

ozzieclare2b

you can also claim rent assist too depending on your earnings and family allowance (which is the family tax benefit parta i think its very confusing , child care benefit is then what you apply for once kids are in day care/after school etc , this is the bit that you get the tax reflief automaticallyx

so to clarify

rent assist...help with rent cost

family tax benefit ...family allowance but there are 2 parts lower incomes get both

childcare benefit...helps towards cost of daycare fees/aftershcool etc

childcare tax rebate, pay the tax back on the total amount of daycare every 13 weeks

hope this helps x

Sonn

Thats interesting

beaumonts

giving thread a bump - helped me out and I think will help others out too - thanks op

ozzieclare2b

as they say no worries

comet555

If you're not working you can ask for CCB (Child care benefit). It's based on income so the more your family makes the less you get. I believe at about $120,000 you don't get anything anymore. So most likely you'll probably get some CCB.

Because you aren't working though you can't get the child tax rebate of 50% though.

comet555

I just wanted to clarify something because I've been figuring all this out over the last month.

You CAN still get the child tax rebate if you don't get CCB. You just need to have applied for CCB and as long as you are eligible based on residency, etc, then you can get the child tax rebate. In our case we used to get the CCB but were cut off once they put a maximim cap on income. So now we get 0% CCB but if I were to go back to work then I could get the child tax rebate.

So even if your family makes too much it is possible to get 0 CCB but also get the 50% child tax rebate as long as both parents are working.

I should also add that right now I am getting the child tax rebate because I'm volunteering 15 hours a week. So it doesn't have to be paid work. I was shocked about that actually. But they said that it has to be 15 hours of paid work, seeking work, volunteering or a comination of those things. The volunteering just has to be "improving your skills", that's what Centrelink told me anyway.