Childcare Calculator

What you'll really pay after the subsidy — compared with an au pair.

⏱ 10 seconds
✓ New 2026–27 rates
How many children need care?

Centres charge per child — an au pair costs the same for all.

2
What's your combined family income?

Before tax — a rough estimate is fine.

$150,000
Do you both work, study or volunteer 24+ hours a week?

Sole parent? Answer for yourself. This sets your subsidised hours.

How many days a week do you need care?
Hours per day, door to door
Do you know your centre's daily fee?

No? We'll use the $160/day average.

How many hours of help would you want each week?

Most families use 25–35 hours.

30 hrs/week
Last one — where are you in your search?

Childcare centre

out of pocket per week, after subsidy

Family day care

home-based, subsidised, per hour

Nanny (reference)

$35/hr average, your care hours, all children

Au pair

per week — pocket money + program fee, all children

Your weekly cost, side by side

Childcare centre (after CCS)
Family day care (after CCS)
Nanny ($35/hr reference)
Au pair (everything included)

Your full breakdown

Before you choose an au pair — what the dollars don't count

Dollars alone shouldn't be the reason to host. Hosting an au pair is a lifestyle choice with real costs and trade-offs the weekly figure doesn't show:

  • A private room — you give up a bedroom, and there's a real cost to providing it.
  • Meals and groceries — an extra adult at your table every week.
  • Car access and insurance — if they drive your children, adding a young overseas driver to your policy costs more.
  • Some privacy — you're welcoming a person into your home and family life, not buying a service.
  • Settling-in time — the first weeks take real effort from you.

If the numbers are close, decide on fit — not dollars.

Unlock your full breakdown

Pop in your email and we'll unlock the per-child maths — and send you a copy.

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By submitting, you agree the team behind this calculator (99aupairs Pty Ltd) may store your details securely and email you your results. Never sold, never shared.

Each option, honestly — you decide what fits

  • Childcare centre — best for standard 9–5 or full-time care, especially with a higher subsidy. Early education built in and free kinder where applicable. Downside: priced per child, and waitlists are long in many areas.
  • Family day care — subsidised, home-based care with one educator in a small group (no more than four under-school-age children at once), charged by the hour so you pay only for what you use — often the lowest-cost formal option. Downside: places are scarce with waitlists, and because it's a single educator you'll need a backup plan for their sick days and holidays.
  • Nanny — a dedicated professional in your home for higher-needs or one-on-one care, when you don't have (or don't want to share) a spare room. Downside: not eligible for the subsidy, so usually the most expensive.
  • Au pair — flexible cover for outside-centre hours, odd schedules and backup, at one flat cost for all children. Downside: it's live-in, so a private room, some privacy and a settling-in period — a lifestyle choice, not just a price.
  • The mix — subsidised centre days for the early education, plus part-time home help for the hours a centre can't cover.

Nannies and au pairs are private arrangements and are not eligible for the Child Care Subsidy. Centres and family day care are.

Not sure what your numbers mean?

Book a free 15-minute call with our team. They'll talk through your family setup and subsidy position and help you weigh your options — and they'll tell you honestly when an au pair isn't the right fit.

How we calculated this (the honest fine print)

Childcare side: Child Care Subsidy rates for 2026–27 (effective 6 July 2026): 90% subsidy for family incomes up to $88,520, reducing 1% for each $5,000 above, reaching 0% at $538,520. Second and younger children aged 5 and under receive the higher rate (up to 95%) where family income is under $370,727. Subsidy applies to the lower of your fee or the hourly rate cap ($15.19/hr below school age, $13.30/hr school age), for up to 72 subsidised hours a fortnight (100 with higher activity) under the 3 Day Guarantee. We show your subsidy after the standard 5% withholding — most families get that back at tax time. School-age children are costed on before/after-school care at $42/day average unless you entered a fee. Sources: education.gov.au and Services Australia, July 2026.

Au pair side: pocket money guide of $250/week at 25 help-hours up to $500/week at 35 hours, paid directly to your au pair, plus an agency program fee — we use around $190 per week, typical of a full-service Australian agency (matching, rematches, backfill cover and year-round support included). You also provide a private room and meals — most families have the spare room already. Au pairs are a private arrangement and are not eligible for the Child Care Subsidy.

Family day care: care in a registered educator's own home, in small groups — a CCS-approved option like a centre, but charged by the hour so you pay only for the hours you use. We use the national average of $13.30/hour (typical range $10–$20). Because that average sits under the family day care subsidy cap of $14.08/hour (2026–27), most of the fee is subsidised — which is why it often works out cheaper than a centre for the same hours. Sources: education.gov.au, Services Australia.

Nanny reference: we use $35/hour as the national average (typical range $30–$45/hour). Lawful minimum pay for nannies is set by the Miscellaneous Award 2020 — see the Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au); actual market rates sit above the award and vary by area, which is why we ask for your postcode: your emailed report uses it to localise the nanny figure. One nanny covers all children for your full care hours. Nannies are generally not CCS-eligible (the government's In Home Care program is a separate, capped scheme).

The mix: shown when you need 4–5 days. Assumes 3 centre days (usually fully inside your subsidised hours) plus an au pair at reduced help-hours — your remaining days plus about 8 hours of wrap-around (drop-offs, pickups, sick days).

This is a guide only, not financial advice or a Centrelink assessment. For your official estimate visit startingblocks.gov.au.

A note on choice

We believe the Child Care Subsidy should follow the child — helping parents choose the care that genuinely fits their family, whether that's a grandparent, a trusted nanny, or an au pair as a last resort. Today the subsidy only applies to approved services, so nannies and au pairs aren't eligible for it. We built this calculator to give families the full, honest picture while that conversation catches up.