Estimate Your Childcare Cost
Use this childcare cost calculator to see what a place at Lead in St Ives would cost your family each week after the Child Care Subsidy. Enter your family income, how many children and how many days, and it works out your subsidy, your daily gap and your weekly total straight away, using the 2026 to 27 rules. Nothing you type leaves your screen.
For the fee itself and how the subsidy works behind these numbers, see our page on childcare fees at Lead.
How to use the estimator
To use the childcare cost calculator, enter your combined family income for the financial year, choose how many children will attend and how many days each, and tick the box if both parents work or study more than 48 hours a fortnight. Results update as you type, showing your subsidy rate, daily gap and weekly cost.
Both partners' adjusted taxable income, July to June.
Ticked: 100 subsidised hours a fortnight per child. Unticked: 72.
Estimated weekly cost
$0.00
- Subsidy rate, first child
- 0%
- Gap per day, first child
- $0.00
- Subsidy rate, second child
- 0%
- Gap per day, second child
- $0.00
- Subsidised hours each fortnight
- 72
- Estimated fortnightly cost
- $0.00
An estimate only, before the 5% withholding. Your actual subsidy is set by Services Australia.
What the estimate includes
The estimate uses our $170 full-day fee, an 11-hour session, the 2026 to 27 subsidy percentages, the $15.19 hourly cap and your fortnightly subsidised hours. Where two children in care are both 5 or younger, the younger one is costed at the higher sibling rate. Hours beyond your entitlement are priced at the full fee, and Start Strong is taken off last if you tick it.
Meals, nappies, sunscreen and our extracurricular sessions are already inside the $170, so what you see is close to your true out of pocket cost. There are no activity levies to add. See everything inside the $170 daily fee for the full list.
The subsidy rules it follows are published by Services Australia. For a plain-language guide to them, see how the Child Care Subsidy works.
What it cannot account for
The estimator cannot see your Centrelink record, so it cannot account for the 5% withholding, Additional Child Care Subsidy, exact income changes during the year, absences beyond your allowance, or rule changes after publication. It also assumes a single fee for every room and Start Strong spread over 52 weeks.
Treat the result as a guide for budgeting, not a quote. Our team can check the details with you.
Families with three or more children in care, or complex shared care, should ask us for a tailored figure.
Not included
- 5% withholding
- Additional Child Care Subsidy
- Three or more children
- Future rule changes
A guide, not a quoteWorked example: two days, one child
A family earning $120,000 with one child attending two days a week receives a standard subsidy of 83.70%. On our $170 day, the subsidy is about $139.85, leaving a gap of $30.15 a day, or $60.30 a week. Two days use 44 of their 72 subsidised hours each fortnight, so every hour is covered.
Try it: enter 120000, one child, two days, and leave the boxes unticked.
Two days, $120,000
- Subsidy rate
- 83.70%
- Gap per day
- $30.15
- Per week
- $60.30
Worked example: three days, two children
A family earning $165,000 with two children aged 5 or under, each attending three days, receives 74.70% on the elder child and 88.81% on the younger through the sibling rate. The daily gaps are $45.18 and $21.61, together $66.79 a day, which is $200.37 a week for the family.
Try it: enter 165000, choose two children, three days each, and keep "Both children are aged 5 or under" ticked.
Two children, $165,000
- Older child
- 74.70%, $45.18
- Younger child
- 88.81%, $21.61
- Per week
- $200.37
Next step: book a tour
Once you have a figure, the best next step is to see what it pays for. Book a tour, meet the educators in your child's room and bring your questions about fees and subsidy. It takes about 20 minutes on a weekday morning.
Prefer to talk first? Call (02) 7238 8668. When you are ready, our enrolment guide sets out every step, and the Lead home page has everything else.
Ready to see the rooms?
A short weekday morning visit is the easiest way to decide. Bring your child if you like.
Book a TourCost estimates, answered
Is this estimate binding?+
No, the estimate is a guide only. Your actual subsidy is set by Services Australia using your own details, and it is paid after the 5% withholding. The estimator uses the current published rules and our listed fee, so it should land close, but always confirm with us before you budget.
Does it include meals and nappies?+
Yes, the estimate already covers them, because they are part of our $170 day rather than extras charged on top. You only supply a few items from home, such as a water bottle, hat, bedding, spare clothes and formula if your baby needs it.
What if my income changes?+
If your income changes, enter the new yearly figure to see the effect, then update your estimate with Services Australia in myGov. Every $5,000 of extra family income lowers the standard rate by one percentage point, adding roughly $1.67 to each day's gap at Lead.