Recognised activity' includes work, study, training, job seeking, paid and unpaid leave, travelling to and from work, lunch breaks, unpaid work in a family business, setting up a business, work experience and volunteering in the community.

If your work is casual or irregular, report the maximum number of hours you expect in the next three months, rather than the average. Remember, activity is determined on the parent that is doing the lower amount of recognised activity.

Your estimated combined family income is the total of the following amounts for the year:

• Taxable income
• Foreign income
• Tax-exempt foreign income
• Total net investment losses
• Reportable fringe benefits
• Reportable superannuation contributions
• Certain tax free pensions or benefits

Then subtracting any child maintenance expenditures.

Further details can be found here.

The Government is investing $4.7 billion over 4 years from 2022-23 to make early childhood education and care more affordable. This includes $4.6 billion to increase Child Care Subsidy rates for families earning less than $530,000 with children in care.

The cost of early childhood education and care is a significant expense for families and can prevent parents, particularly women, from returning to paid work or working the hours they would like. From July 2023, Child Care Subsidy rates will lift from 85 per cent to 90 per cent for families earning less than $80,000. Subsidy rates will then taper down one percentage point for each additional $5,000 in income until it reaches zero per cent for families earning $530,000.

Families will continue to receive existing higher subsidy rates for their second and subsequent children aged five and under in care, up to 95 per cent.

Read more on the Cheaper Child Care Budget factsheet