Grandparents who have the primary responsibility for raising and caring for a grandchild may be entitled to additional assistance with the costs of approved child care.
The CCB work, training and study test is waived for eligible grandparents who have the primary care of their grandchildren. This enables grandparent carers to access up to 50 hours of CCB for each child in approved care 
each week. Previously, grandparent carers could only receive CCB for up to 20 hours per week if they were not working, training or studying.
To be eligible for the waiver a grandparent must be:
- the natural, adoptive, or step grandparent of the child. Great-grandparents who are looking after grandchildren are eligible in the same way as grandparents; or
- the current or former partner of a grandparent if they are the primary carer of the grandchild; and
- the sole or major provider of ongoing daily care for the grandchild; and
- have substantial autonomy for the day-to-day decisions about the child's care, welfare and development; and
- meet existing eligibility requirements for approved care
To assist grandparents with the costs of child care, Grandparent Child Care Benefit (GCCB) is available to eligible grandparents caring for their grandchild and who are in receipt of an Income Support Payment. GCCB covers the full cost of child care for up to 50 hours for each child in approved care each week. In certain circumstances you may be able to get GCCB for more than 50 hours per week.
To be eligible for GCCB, a grandparent must:
- meet the eligibility requirements outlined for the waiver of the CCB work, training and study test; and
- be in receipt of an Income Support Payment.
An Income Support Payment is any of the following:
- Age Pension
- Austudy Payment
- Bereavement Allowance
- Carer Payment
- Community Development Employment Project (CDEP)
- Disability Support Pension
- Disability Support Pension (Blind)
- Department of Veterans Affairs Income Support Supplement or Service Pension
- Mature Age Allowance
- Mature Age Partner Allowance
- Newstart Allowance
- Parenting Payment
- Partner Allowance
- Sickness Allowance
- Special Benefit
- Special Needs Pension
- Widow Allowance
- Widow B Pension
- Wife Pension
- Youth Allowance
GCCB is only available to customers who claim CCB as reduced fees, and cannot be claimed as a lump sum payment.
To apply for the waiver of the work, training and study test and/or GCCB, grandparents need to contact the Family Assistance Office to advise that they OR their partner:
- are the grandparent caring for their grandchild, and
- have the primary care of the child, and
- are eligible for CCB for approved child care
The Family Assistance Office may ask for more information.
You can phone the Child Care Access Hotline on 1800 607 305 for information on child care services available in your area.
Grandparents who are providing child care for their grandchildren, but are not the primary carers, are not eligible for GCCB or the waiver of the CCB work, training and study test.
They may wish to consider becoming a Registered Carer if they charge a fee for the child care provided.
- Call the Family Assistance Office on 13 6150 between 8.00am and 8.00pm (local time) Monday to Friday.
- Visit the website at http://www.familyassist.gov.au/ .
- Visit the nearest Family Assistance Office located in all Centrelink Customer Service Centres, Medicare Australia offices and Tax Office shopfronts.