government funding options

At Small Sprouts we take a proactive approach to assisting our local Whanau on the Government funding options available to them. What we have compiled below is an outline and links of the various funding options available within the ECE and Childcare space for families. We have focused on the two most common forms of government funding available by Work & Income New Zealand (WINZ) called ‘Childcare Assistance’ and the ‘Family Boost’ package provided by Inland Revenue (IR).

 There are additional forms of assistance provided by WINZ which we haven’t covered, but more information can be found HERE. These cover:

  • Early Learning Payment (ELP)

  • Guaranteed Childcare Assistance Payment (GCAP)

  • Out of School Care and Recreation (OSCAR) Subsidy

  • Flexible Childcare Assistance

CHildcare subsidy (Ccs)

Under the Childcare Subsidy (CCS) by Work and Income (WINZ) you can receive additional funding based on your households’ weekly earnings. We have outlined this in the table below. WINZ use weekly gross income, but we have converted things to an annual income, to quickly assess whether you could receive additional income. You need to follow the below steps:

  1. How many dependent children do you have?

  2. What is your gross weekly / annual household income (this is before tax is taken off)?

  3. What ‘Entitled Subsidy’ are you eligible for? (Rate 0, 1, 2,3, or Nil)

  4. Under the Rate (0,1,2,3, Nil) it will show you what your potential ‘Entitled Rate’ could be.

Example(s):

  • 1 Child with a household income of $100,500 per annum is entitled to $254.50 per week.

  • 2 Children with a household income of $124,000 per annum is entitled to $178 per week.

How to Apply?

  1. You will need to complete the ‘Childcare Assistance Application Form S02’. We can provide one from Small Sprouts which has our information pre-completed for you. You will also need to complete the information requested – HERE.

  2. We can send the form on your behalf or follow the instructions - HERE

Questions?

If you have any questions, please get in touch or call Work and Income on 0800 559 009 or visit their website - HERE

Please Note: Information as of 23.7.24 and is subject to change

Family boost

FamilyBoost is run by Inland Revenue (IR). Payments are made every three months and up to the maximum of $75 per week, or the three-monthly equivalent amount of $975. It is reliant on you submitting your invoices via your personal login at myir.ird.govt.nz. The amount varies dependant on the below criteria, but you may be able to receive FamilyBoost if:

  •  you are the caregiver of a child or children aged 5 and under

  • you have household income of less than $180,000 a year

  • you have costs from a licensed early childhood education (ECE) provider

  • you are a tax resident of New Zealand.

 Some Example(s):

  1. Receive: $50 per week from FamilyBoost based on

    • Your childcare weekly fees are $200 per week

    • You and your partner have a combined income of $150,000 per annum

  2. $75 Per Week from FamilyBoost

    • Your childcare weekly fees are $300 per week

    • Solo parent with a combined income of $80,000 per annum

What is my estimate?

  1. Go to https://www.ird.govt.nz/familyboost/can-you-get-familyboost

  2. Scroll down to “Find out if I you can get FamilyBoost” which will confirm the above criteria asked.

  3. Once complete click on ‘Estimate your FamilyBoost’ which you will then be asked to compete the following:

    • Before Tax Income Details (Weekly/Fortnightly/Monthly/Annually)

    • Partner Details (Yes/No) + Their Income Details

    • Childcare Costs (Weekly/Monthly/Quarterly)

 How to Claim?

  1. Upload your invoices for the 3-month period via your myIR login, which begins from the 1st October 2024.  This covers the three-month period from 1 July – 30 September 2024.

  2. You will need to upload these every 3 months (Jan, April, July, Oct).

Please Note: Information is subject to change.