Is 4 days a week worth it with childcare?
A common part-time step, worked through day by day for one real family.
2026-27 estimate
Guides
Worked examples and plain-words rules explainers, each with its own real family, all computed by the same engine that powers the calculator. Every guide links straight into a preset scenario so you can pick up exactly where it leaves off with your own numbers.
Is 5 days a week worth it with childcare?
A family whose fifth day genuinely costs them money once everything is counted.
What is the CCS sweet spot?
Often 3 days, sometimes 4, rarely 5: the term this site is built around, and how to find yours.
How a HELP or HECS debt changes the childcare maths
The same family, computed with and without a HELP debt, to isolate what it costs.
Is a second income worth it with childcare?
Before the day-by-day question: whether going back to work at all pays off.
CCS income thresholds and rates
Every threshold, taper step and hourly cap in one table, generated from the live rules profile.
The 3 Day Guarantee, explained
The activity test is gone: what the new subsidised-hours guarantee covers, and what it doesn't decide.
How CCS works with two or more children
The higher sibling rate is real money and still not what most parents assume it is.
Average childcare costs by state
The same family, the same rules, a different fee: what state averages do to the answer.
Methodology
Every formula, rate and source behind every guide and the calculator itself, plus what we leave out.