3 Day Guarantee: More support for Before and After School Care and School Holiday Care
From 5 January 2026, the Australian Government has introduced the 3-Day Subsidy Guarantee, giving eligible families a minimum of 72 hours of Child Care Subsidy (CCS) per fortnight. This change ensures families can access consistent, subsidised care across school terms and holidays, without complex eligibility rules or extra paperwork.
Whether you rely on before and after school care during the busy school year or need full-day support during the holidays, the new guarantee gives your family more flexibility and affordability than ever.
What’s Changing?
Under the previous system, the number of subsidised hours you received depended heavily on your work or study hours. Many families received fewer hours than they needed or had to juggle irregular schedules.
The new system removes these barriers and gives you predictable support you can actually plan around.
All eligible families now receive:
- A guaranteed minimum of 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, equivalent to 3 days per week
- Up to 100 hours per fortnight for families who meet additional criteria (such as activity levels, exemptions, or caring for a First Nations child)
- Automatic access with no need to reapply for CCS if you already receive it.
How the 3 day subsidy will work
Because before & after school care sessions are shorter than long day care, the 72-hour guarantee goes much further for school-aged children:
During the school term – most families will find that 72 hours comfortably covers a full fortnight of before and after school care.
During School Holidays -your subsidy equates to around three full days of Rocketeers school holiday care each week.
All year long – your subsidy adjusts automatically to how you use care with no recalculations, no activity test, no extra paperwork.
What you'll pay
As with all CCS-funded care, families pay the gap fee (the difference between the childcare fee and the subsidised amount). The 3-Day Subsidy Guarantee simply means your subsidised hours go further, reducing your out-of-pocket costs and giving you more flexibility.
You can claim these subsidies through your Centrelink online account through MyGov. Additional Child Care Subsidy may also be paid in circumstances where a child is at risk, of serious abuse or neglect.
To discuss further please contact us on 1300 105 343 for a confidential conversation with a member of our Specialist Team.
Why this change helps families
- Consistent support across term time and holidays
- More care options without worrying about running out of subsidised hours
- Lower weekly costs than many families previously experienced
- Easier administration, with CCS adjusting in the background
- Better alignment with real family needs – work that changes week to week, irregular hours, seasonal schedules, and more.
This change is designed to make school-aged care easier, more accessible, and more affordable.
Learn more from the Australian Government
For further information, read the full government overview of the 3-Day Subsidy Guarantee here