Dept of Education, Skills and Employment
Previously, services that increased fees by more than 4.4% between 8 August 2024 and 7 August 2025 were not eligible. Now, these services can become eligible if their total fee increase does not exceed 8.6% over the 2 years from 8 August 2024 to 7 August 2026 (and does not exceed 4.2% from 8 August 2025 to 7 August 2026).
Providers can apply for these newly eligible services from 1 December 2025. These services will not be eligible for funding for the first year of the program.
All other services remain subject to the original annual fee growth caps:
- 4.4% between 8 August 2024 and 7 August 2025
- 4.2% between 8 August 2025 and 7 August 2026.
Providers may request an alternative fee growth cap in limited circumstances where financial viability is impacted.
This change will:
- enable more providers and services to participate
- support wage increases for more workers
- help keep fees affordable for families
- ensure services that signed up earlier and stayed within the caps are not worse off than those joining later.
Learn more about the worker retention payment.
/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.
