Do you pay for absent days at daycare?

When your child falls ill and can't attend daycare, do you still pay for the days they aren't there?

Most Australian parents assume absent days are automatically covered by the Child Care Subsidy. That's only half true. There's a limit on the number of absent days CCS will cover.

This guide explains the 42-day allowance, how to claim absent days, and the special circumstances where you can get more.

Are childcare fees payable for absences?

Each childcare centre has its own policy on fees for absent days. Whether you pay for sick days entirely depends on your provider.

Most providers (including Eikoh) charge for illness-related absences and public holidays. Some offer a discounted holiday rate during longer holiday periods. Check directly with your centre to confirm.

At all four Eikoh centres, you continue to pay your normal fee for absences (sick days, family days, holidays during operating weeks), and CCS continues to be paid to us during your absence allowance.

How many absences are allowed?

When you must pay for an absence, the Child Care Subsidy covers up to 42 absence days per child per financial year.

The 42-day allowance is the same for every child regardless of how many days a week they attend. So if your child attends 3 days a week (around 156 days a year), the 42-day allowance is generous. If they attend 5 days a week, you have less buffer.

A few specifics:

• In shared-care arrangements, the 42 days are assigned to the child, not divided between parents
• For multi-session-per-day care like before-and-after-school care, an absence from one session counts as one absence day
• You can use the 42 days however you like , sick days, family holidays, anything , without providing evidence
• Absences claimed during overseas trips count toward the 42, but CCS eligibility stops entirely after 6 weeks abroad

Getting additional absence days

Once the 42 days are used, CCS typically won't apply to further absences. You'll be charged the full fee with no subsidy for any additional missed days.

However, additional absence days can be granted in specific circumstances:

• Illness: when the child or a household member is ill, supported by a medical certificate or a positive COVID-19 test result from a government agency or pathology service
• Court orders or parenting plans: when the child is spending time with someone other than their usual carer because of a court order
• Local emergencies: bushfires, storms, floods. Affected families typically don't consume their 42-day allowance, and additional absences may be granted automatically by Services Australia
• Pre-arranged absences for school readiness or family: in some cases

For the full list, see the Department of Education's absences page.

How to claim absence days

A few things to know about how absence days actually get claimed:

1. Your child must have been enrolled in the session and a gap fee charged. If we don't bill for the day, no absence is recorded.
2. Absences during centre closures generally aren't claimable, unless the closure falls on a public holiday or during a declared emergency.
3. The centre submits the absence to Services Australia automatically when we mark your child absent in the booking system.
4. You can track your child's year-to-date absence count through your Centrelink online account on myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink app.

It's worth checking your absence count once or twice a year, especially if you've had a few weeks of family illness or longer holidays. If you're close to 42, it's good to know in advance, so you can plan.

Final thoughts

For most families, 42 absence days a year is more than enough for a typical mix of sick days, family days, and the occasional holiday. The allowance resets at the start of each financial year (1 July).

At Eikoh Seminar, we understand that illnesses and family emergencies happen. We encourage parents to communicate absences with us as early as possible. That way, our educators know what to expect, and we can continue to provide quality care across our centres in Normanhurst, St Ives Chase, Roseville, and West Ryde.