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How many absences you can get
If you’re affected by coronavirus (COVID-19)
An extra 10 allowable absences are available for the 2022-23 financial year. This is in addition to the 42 allowable absences, bringing your total number of allowable absence days to 52.
You can get additional absences in some circumstances if you’ve used your 52 allowable absences. This includes if your child is ill and you give a medical certificate to your child care service.
From 1 March 2022 until 30 June 2023, your service can accept additional evidence for an absence day if your child or a member of your immediate household has COVID-19. You can give your service evidence of a positive COVID-19 test result from a government or health agency instead of a medical certificate.
If you’re affected by a local emergency
You can get unlimited allowable absences during a declared period of emergency. You can read about help available to families in the event of an emergency on the Department of Education website.
These extra allowable absences will be automatically applied.
This means you won’t have to use your 52 allowable absences for the 2022-23 financial year during this time.
How to access a gap fee waiver
Until 30 June 2023, services may waive the gap fee if your child is unable to attend care for one of following reasons:
- your child, or a member of your immediate household, must isolate due to COVID-19
- your child is at a higher risk of severe disease from COVID-19
- the service, or a room at the service, is closed due to COVID-19.
Services can also waive the gap fee during a declared period of emergency. This waiver can apply if your child doesn’t attend care, or if the service is closed.
It’s up to your child care service to waive the gap fee. If they choose to waive the gap fee, it can be waived partially or in full.
When you can use absence days before your child attends care or after their last day of attendance
We generally won’t pay CCS for any absences before your child physically attends or after the last day your child physically attends care. You’ll need to pay full fees for these days.
The following exception applies for all states and territories
From 1 December 2021 to 30 June 2023, you can get CCS for up to 7 absence days before your child’s first, or after their last, physical attendance. This applies if your child or a member of your immediate household must isolate due to COVID-19.
You should talk to your service if you think any of these exceptions applies to you.
The Department of Education have given instructions to child care service providers on how to record these exceptions.