Fees
Information on the fees NSW early childhood education and care services must pay. The information below applies to all services unless otherwise stated.
Overview
The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) sets fee amounts. Fees increase each year in line with inflation.
Types of fees
There are two types of fees:
- transaction fees
- annual service fees.
Transaction fees
All services must pay transaction fees. Common transactions include applications for:
- service approval
- provider approval
- reassessment and re-rating
- service waivers
- temporary waivers.
When to pay
Pay the transaction fee when you lodge the relevant application.
Annual service fee
All services must pay an annual fee. The fee amount depends on the type and size of the service. Find out more on ACECQA's website.
When to pay
- 1 June each year – services are invoiced via National Quality Agenda IT System (NQA ITS)
- 1 July each year – services must pay annual fees on or before this date.
Due to COVID-19, annual service fees for NQF services due on 1 July 2020 have been deferred until early 2021. Further information on this will be available soon.
New service approval
If you're applying for a new service approval you need to pay both:
- an application fee
- the annual fee for the first year of approval.
How to pay fees
Services must pay through NQA ITS by:
- BPAY or
- credit card
Make sure you:
- only pay each invoice once
- pay the full amount
- use the correct reference number
- only pay by BPAY or credit card.
Overdue invoices
Overdue invoices will incur a late fee and may result in the suspension of a service approval.
From 1 July 2020, fees for state regulated services (mobile and occasional services fees) are aligned with services regulated under the National Law.
To help mobile and occasional care services transition to the new invoicing system, annual fees that fall due within the 2020-21 financial year will be waived. This includes all fee payments that are currently outstanding.
This means the next payment of annual fees for state regulated services will be due on 1 July 2021.
Fee alignment
Previous FeesChildren’s (Education and Care Services) Supplementary Provisions Regulation 2011 [Repealed September 2018] |
Current FeesEducation and Care Services National Regulations [Current fees as noted on ACECQA website – indexed effective 1 July 2020] |
|---|---|
Annual service fee |
|
| Annual fee for the operation of a mobile education and care service: $275 | Now classified as a ‘centre-based service’. See below. |
Annual fee for the operation of a centre-based education and care service:
|
Annual fee for the operation of a centre-based service:
|
Application fee for new service approval |
|
| Mobile education and care service: $600 | Now classified as a ‘centre-based service’. See below. |
Centre-based education and care service:
|
Application fee for centre-based education and care service:
|
The department is waiving fees for waivers and applications that are directly related to COVID-19.
More information
- Visit ACECQA's website
- Email fee-related queries to fees.ececd@det.nsw.edu.au
- Call us on 1800 619 113