Take the financial fear out of your baby’s first year.

We help you plan your parental leave and government entitlements when you have a baby and solve the complexity of child care costs.

Know what you are eligible for and apply for it on time.

  • The government wants to help, but the way that help is calculated, delivered and applied for is complex.

    It’s hard work for a new family with a lot going on.

    It’s vital work for stretched household budgets.

    The government paid parental leave scheme now offers $17,655 to new parents, and Child Care Subsidy can contribute more than $30k per child, directly to the child care provider, depending on the need and financial situation of a family.

    In each case, the payment and support needs to be applied for and carefully managed.

  • Employer leave policies are more generous than ever. Your family may have more than one policy to consider, as well as all the help from the government.

    Young families have the opportunity to piece together company entitlements with government support to make a plan for a first year free of financial surprises with an organised return to work (and launch into child care). This is better for families, and employers.

  • Rules change and plans change. And having a young family also means change as children cycle through different care needs into school.

    We help families understand the financial impact and optimise for what the system has to offer.

Our Packages

Child Care Tune Up

  • Understand child care fine print

    Child Care Subsidy Calculations are complex. We help you understand how the child care subsidy applies to your situation and help you understand your true out-of-pocket cost for child care. We also look for ways to improve your situation.

    Getting on top of session hours, activity hours and the hourly rate cap

    The amount of hours you are eligible for is based on a pretty dense set of rules - you may be eligible for more help than you think.

    Meanwhile, the amount of hours offered by your provider may be mismatched with your requirements. Or it may be just right. Know all your options.

    How much for an extra day’s work?

    The decision to work an extra day and send your child to child care another day is more complicated than you think. More income means a lower Child Care Subsidy - as well as more tax, and the potential change in other entitlements like Family Tax Benefit Part A & B. This is an incredibly complex job for a busy parent. We help.

  • $200 + GST for a consult

    By phone or zoom.

    Let us know your current setup - a statement from your provider is a good start.

    Alternatively, if you are trying to plan your costs or get started on eligibility, start thinking about some of the centres you are interested in, and we can start looking at the offer and how it will fit with your plans once we find out a bit more about you.

Paid Parental Leave : Make a plan

  • Improve eligibility. In advance.

    Eligibility for Paid Parental leave is subject to a complex set of rules. Know the deal early, instead of too late.

    You may tweak work to satisfy the work test, or manage income to improve your eligibility.

    Get paid in a way that suits you

    This payment comes with a lot of flexibility. Make the most of this flexibility to suit your family - pay less tax, reduce the mortgage, spread out the payments - it’s up to you, and the payment is designed to offer you the flexibility that works the best for your family.

    We help you get there.

  • $400 + GST for a consult

    By phone or zoom.

    We are going to need to ask a bunch of questions - don’t worry too much about the fine detail - we can get to that if we need to. Most important is to work out if there is something that needs to be started now to make sure you are on track for eligibility, and take a look at your situation to make sure the payment is completed in a way that is the best for your situation.

Growing your family

  • Know the deal on rule changes and extra help for bigger families

    Rules change all the time. Since you had your last child a new set of rules for paid parental leave have been launched.

    Paid maternity leave counts for the work test to be eligible for paid parental leave, and minimum requirements may be easier to meet than you think.

    Higher Child Care Subsidy for Child #2

    You may be eligible for the higher rate subsidy for your second child under 6. This is based on an income test, and can make a big difference to your budget.

    Understanding your change in circumstances

    Extra children, changing income, different child care needs, kids in school and care, after school care - the daily logistics are hard enough to manage - solve the mystery of your household budget and take the financial fear out of your day to day with a clear view of what all this means.

  • $500 + GST for a consult

    By phone or zoom.

    There are a lot of moving parts here - probably the last thing you want to know as your life is about to get a lot busier!

    We start with a sketch of your current situation, what your plans are, and then we work out what needs to be carefully managed, and what detail we need to make sure your growing family moves into this next stage with more financial clarity and confidence you are making the most of what is available to you.

  • We take a close look at your financial situation, and your employer’s parental leave policy (both parents if applicable).

    We also find out your plans, and consider your situation if you already have children in childcare or school.

  • Now we work out how your plans fit with your entitlements.

    What do you want to do?

    How much time do you plan to take off?

    How much time will your partner take off?

    What are your childcare intentions upon your return to work?

  • We look at your expectations, your leave entitlements as well as any other government entitlements and tax costs to work out expected cash flows for your child’s first year (and beyond).

We solve the money questions so you can focus on your baby.

“Do I qualify for paid parental leave? Can I share it with my partner?”

“My partner and I want to share the time with baby as much as we can and make the most of company leave entitlements. How do we put it all together?”

“My baby is due in January - and all the rules look at financial year income to work out what I entitled to. I need help working this out over different financial years”

“My eldest is about to start school - what does this mean for my younger guy in care - he has been getting the higher CCS% - is this about to change?”

“My husband has been made redundant and I am going to work another day per week. Can you help us work out how much money will come into the budget each week?”

“How do I plan for child care costs?”

“My company talks a lot about supporting new dads. How does my company policy sit in with all the government help? Can I take time off and still pay my mortgage?”

“I got a pay rise, and my partner is going back to work an extra day. What does this mean for our budget - I understand my child care subsidy will be less - what are the numbers?”

Cut through the complexity, know what to expect and get on with being a parent.

  • It takes some pretty serious number crunching, but the result is worth it - a clear understanding of a baby’s first financial year.

    Clarity on payments, clarity on entitlements, clarity on tax.

    All of this is supported by our expert knowledge of the system.

  • There are a range of new systems and processes new parents have to get on top of, and amongst a crazy busy time.

    We offer expert guidance and support so your new parents have less to worry about.

  • Getting back to work means working out childcare options .

    The out-of-pocket costs of child care will change with your income situation.

    And not all child care providers offer the same deal - we help you work out what is going to suit your situation.

  • We are solely focussed on helping you understand the system of government payments and entitlements. This means helping you understand what’s going to happen, and seeking out opportunities for better outcomes.

    We are not selling anything but expertise.

An expert service to help your family.

  • The amount of tax you pay is based on how much you earn over a year.

    Your help from the government is based on your annual earnings too.

    Understanding how your earnings impact this help is essential to making good plans.

    Earning higher income may result in a decrease in other support payments - getting to the bottom of this overall impact is essential for household budgets.

  • From 1 July 2023 the rules around paid parental leave have changed.

    If the birth mother earns more than $169k in the previous year, a family limit applies. If the birth mother earns less than this amount, the family limit doesn’t apply.

    Confused? It’s worth a closer look at how you can make the more than $17.6k income, and make the most of the flexibility on payment to suit your family.

    You might find the flexibility in the rules to make you eligible for this payment

  • More companies offer generous parental payment schemes.

    Incorporating these schemes into your plans can help you maximise your work entitlements, have considered plans for getting back to work, and benefit your employer by offering a coherent plan of leave and return to work.

  • The child care subsidy (CCS) is available to all families with an income less than $530k.

    Eligibility for CCS is based on family income, time spent on activity to qualify for hours, and is only paid up to a set rate.

    All of these factors need to be considered when calculating eligibility, and changes in your family situation over time make this calcuation more complex.

  • The government offers a higher rate of Child Care Subsidy for families with more than 1 child less than 6 years old. The rules around how this is applied and worked out are complex - it’s worth a closer look if you have more than 1 child as there some interesting opportunities to make the most of the help available.

  • Your child care costs are subsidised per hour, not per day. Your child care provider hours may be more or less suitable to you depending on what hours you use per day and how many days childcare you need.

    If this sounds more complex than it needs to be…well it’s because it is.