The 3 Day Guarantee explained: what it means for families in Hoppers Crossing and Sydenham (2026)
Since 5 January 2026, the Child Care Subsidy has worked a little differently. The old activity test is gone, and every eligible family can now get at least three days of subsidised care a week. Here is what the 3 Day Guarantee means in plain English, and how it plays out against our daily fee in Hoppers Crossing and Sydenham.
Key takeaways
Every family eligible for the Child Care Subsidy can now get at least 72 subsidised hours a fortnight, about three days a week.
Families can get 100 hours a fortnight in some situations, including when both parents do more than 48 hours of recognised participation.
Your subsidy percentage is still based on family income, so the gap fee you pay depends on your own circumstances.
The basics
What the 3 Day Guarantee is
The 3 Day Guarantee is a change to the Australian Government's Child Care Subsidy (CCS) that started on 5 January 2026. According to the Department of Education, all CCS eligible families are guaranteed at least 72 hours of subsidised child care per fortnight, which is the same as three days a week, regardless of how much work, study or other activity the parents do.
It replaces the old activity test. Before January 2026, the number of subsidised hours a family received depended on an activity test result, and some families with low activity received no subsidised hours at all. Now every child in an eligible family has access to at least 72 hours a fortnight.
What has not changed
Families still need to meet the usual CCS eligibility rules, still pay a gap fee in most cases, and still have their subsidy percentage worked out using the same income based rules as before. The guarantee is about hours of subsidised care, not a guaranteed place at a particular centre.
Your hours
72 hours or 100 hours: which applies to you
Services Australia explains the rules on its recognised participation page. The hours apply to each child in care, every fortnight.
Hours of subsidised care each fortnight
- 72 hours if you do 48 hours or less of recognised participation each fortnight
- 100 hours if you and your partner, if you have one, each do more than 48 hours of recognised participation each fortnight
- 100 hours if you have a valid exemption
- 100 hours for each Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child in your care, whatever your participation
- 100 hours if you receive certain Additional Child Care Subsidy payments, such as child wellbeing, temporary financial hardship or grandparent payments
If you have a partner, Services Australia uses the lower of your two participation levels. If volunteering or looking for work is your only participation type, only the first 16 hours count. For First Nations children, the Department of Education notes it is voluntary to tell Services Australia, and you can update your details in your Centrelink online account.
Your percentage
How the dollar amount is worked out
The 3 Day Guarantee sets how many hours are subsidised. How much of each hour is covered is a separate question, and it still depends mostly on family income. On its income page, Services Australia lists a standard CCS rate of 90% for family incomes up to $88,520. Above that, the rate goes down by 1% for every $5,000 of extra income, reaching 0% at $538,520. Families with more than one child aged 5 or younger may get a higher rate for younger children.
Your percentage applies to either your centre's hourly fee or the government's hourly rate cap, whichever is lower. The current cap for centre based day care for children below school age is $15.19 an hour. If a centre charges a daily session rate, the hourly fee is the daily fee divided by the hours in the session, which can be longer than the hours your child actually attends.
Worked example
An illustration using our daily fee
This is an illustration only, not a quote. Your actual CCS percentage depends on your family income and circumstances, and is set by Services Australia.
Our long day care fee at Hoppers Crossing is $150 a day, all-inclusive, covering meals, nappies, sunscreen, excursions and incursions. At Sydenham it is $152 a day. For a session of 10 hours or more, $150 works out at $15 an hour or less, which sits under the $15.19 cap, so in this example the percentage applies to the full daily fee.
Example: one child, three days a week at Hoppers Crossing
- Example family income of $138,520, which is $50,000 above $88,520, so the CCS rate is 90% minus 10%, or 80%
- Subsidy per day: 80% of $150 = $120
- Gap fee per day: $150 minus $120 = $30
- Three days a week: $450 in fees, $360 in subsidy, $90 gap fee
- Services Australia usually withholds 5% of your subsidy each fortnight and balances it at the end of the financial year, so your fortnightly gap can be a little higher until then
Your own numbers will be different. Our CCS calculator uses our actual daily fees and the 3 Day Guarantee rules to estimate your daily and weekly out-of-pocket cost, and our childcare fees page sets out what is included in each centre's daily fee.
Next steps
What families need to do
If you already get CCS, you do not need to do anything. The minimum 72 hours applies automatically. If you have never claimed CCS, or were not eligible before, you need to make a CCS claim with Services Australia first, because the guarantee only applies once a family has been assessed as eligible. If your participation or circumstances change, keep your details up to date in your Centrelink online account.
Talk it through on a tour
Bring your CCS estimate along and we can walk you through how your days would work. Book a tour at Hoppers Crossing or Sydenham.
FAQs
Common questions
When did the 3 Day Guarantee start?
The 3 Day Guarantee started on 5 January 2026. From that date, all families eligible for the Child Care Subsidy can get at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight, and the old activity test no longer applies.
Do I need to apply for the 3 Day Guarantee?
Not if you already receive the Child Care Subsidy, as the minimum 72 hours applies automatically. If you have never claimed CCS, you need to make a claim with Services Australia first, because the guarantee applies once your family is assessed as eligible.
How do I get 100 hours of subsidised care a fortnight?
You can get 100 hours per child each fortnight if you and your partner, if you have one, each do more than 48 hours of recognised participation a fortnight, if you have a valid exemption, if you are caring for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child, or if you receive certain Additional Child Care Subsidy payments.
Does the 3 Day Guarantee change my CCS percentage?
No. Your CCS percentage is still worked out from your family income using the same rules as before. The guarantee changes the number of subsidised hours, not the percentage of each hour that is covered.
Does the 3 Day Guarantee mean my child is guaranteed a place?
No. It guarantees subsidised hours for eligible families, not a place at a particular service. You still need to secure a place with your chosen centre, so it is worth touring and enquiring early.
Related articles
Keep exploring the topics parents usually compare next.
How much does childcare cost in Melbourne's west?
A plain-English guide to childcare fees in Hoppers Crossing and Sydenham, what an all-inclusive daily rate covers, and how the Child Care Subsidy reduces what your family actually pays.
Free Kinder in Victoria: what it means for your family
How Victoria's Free Kinder funding works for 3 and 4-year-olds, what it covers, and how integrated kindergarten inside long day care fits families in Melbourne's west.
