Child Care Rebate22% of Eligible Parents are missing out due to confusion & apathy
Last month we ran a quick poll on the updated Child Care Benefit rates and Child Care Rebate system with a suspicion that thousands of working families with children in approved child care may well be missing out on up to $7,778 per child per year because you don't realise that the child care rebate is NOT means tested… Everyone meeting the basic requirements for residency, work and approved care IS eligible.
The results of the poll confirmed our suspicions:
Only 43 per cent of parents questioned said they were eligible for child care benefit.
29 per cent said they were not eligible and 27 per cent didn't know if they were or not. However, 37 per cent had not been assessed either way by Centrelink/Family Assistance to establish whether they were or were not eligible, so a potential additional 10 per cent may well think they're not eligible when in fact they are!
Of those who had not been assessed by Family Assistance, 40 per cent said they hadn't been because they were not eligible due to family income levels and 35 per cent because they had been too busy to go or hadn't got around to it yet…
But when we outlined the requirements for Child Care Rebate (which IS NOT means tested, as opposed to the Child Care Benefit, which is), a whopping 58 per cent of parents who had not been assessed, had no idea that even if they are not eligible for Child Care Benefit (due to income threshold), but meet residency requirements, have a child/ren in approved child care and have worked or had work related or study commitments at some time during the tax period, they ARE eligible for the 50 per cent Child Care Rebate.
The final poll question revealed 66 per cent of parents not claiming child care benefit or rebate said they were therefore missing out on the child care rebate – up to $7,778 per child per year.
This figure therefore accounts for 22 per cent of parents who took the poll, which means that at least 22 per cent of working parents are therefore missing out on at least $7,778 per year, either because they think it's means tested or they haven't got around to being assessed.
Come on guys, get yourselves assessed now! All working parents pay for this rebate in taxes so you'd be mad not to claim it… even if it does mean braving a queue in Centrelink!
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