Important announcement on the increase of the NCS Universal Eligibility to 15 years of age

From 29 August 2022, the upper age eligibility for the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) Universal Award will increase from 3 years of age to 15 years of age. The extension, which was introduced by Minister Roderic O’Gorman as part of Budget 2022 measures, means that parents will be able to apply for an NCS Universal Award for children aged 24 weeks to 15 years old.

The minimum rate for the Income Assessed Award will be raised to 50 cents for all ages.

Relevant Income Assessed awards will be recalculated with this new rate and awards updated accordingly.

How will this affect awards and claims?

Universal Awards – From 29 August 2022, all children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years old will be eligible for the Universal Award. Universal Awards with rates that ended mid award, will be updated with a universal 50 cent rate for the remaining duration of the award.

Parents may look to create or extend claims where this happens.

Income Assessed Awards (Over Income Threshold) – Where the income for an Income Assessed Application was assessed as over the threshold, and received an award or segments of award where there was no subsidy available, these awards will be recalculated with a universal rate.

Parents may look to create or extend claims where this happens.

Income Assessed Awards (Under Income Threshold) – Where the income for an Income Assessed Application was assessed as under the threshold, awards for eligible children included within the new age range may be recalculated and an increased rate may be awarded.

Claims will automatically be updated with the new rate for these applicants. There will be no need for parents to confirm these claims again, however if parents have not yet confirmed their claims, they will still be required to do so. In advance of this change, providers should ensure that all current claims are confirmed by parents, as claims must be confirmed by the applicant before payments can flow to the provider. It should be noted that where rates change, the parent’s co-payment must be updated. Parental Agreements may need to be reviewed.

Support

If you need further support, please raise a Service Request on the Hive. Parents seeking further advice or support should be directed to the Applicant Portal or the Parents Support Team on 01 906 8530.

Share this Page:

Skip to content