Yes, ACCOs can be eligible to apply for the ECEC Worker Retention Payment grant.

The first eligibility conditions are:

• the provider must be approved for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS), and
• the provider must operate a Centre Based Day Care Centre (CBDC) or an Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) service.

Note:

• CBDC/OSHC services that exceeded relevant fee constraint caps from 7 August 2024 to 16 June 2026 are eligible for funding from 1 December 2026.
• From 6 July 2026, a provider of a CCS-approved Family Day Care (FDC) or In Home Care (IHC) service, where all ECEC educators are engaged as direct employees, became eligible for funding.

If an ACCO meets the above criteria, they are eligible.

There are three additional eligibility conditions that link to the conditions of the grant:

1. The provider and, at a minimum, 95% of eligible ECEC workers at the service must be engaged through a workplace instrument that meets the grant conditions.
2. The provider limits fee growth (or is approved for an exemption to this limit).
3. The provider agrees to pass on the grant payment received to their staff.

If you run an ACCO ECEC service and require support with any of the eligibility conditions above, please contact SNAICC.

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS Advisor.
• Otherwise, please get in touch with SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support.

Eligible ECEC workers include:

• Workers covered by the Children’s Services Award 2010 who are working in a CCS-approved service.
• Workers covered by the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 who are working in a CCS-approved service.
• Workers undertaking duties covered by the Children’s Services Award 2010 or Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 and working in a CCS-approved service, yet are not covered by these awards (including workers covered by a state industrial instrument or working in a setting covered by a different award), and these duties comprise the majority of that worker’s role.
• Trainees and labour hire workers undertaking duties covered by the Children’s Services Award 2010 or Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (or equivalent state award).

If you are an ACCO provider with an active WRP grant agreement on 30 November 2026, you are not required to submit a brand-new application to continue participating in the program from 1 December 2026.

• In mid- October 2026, the department will contact you with an offer to extend your grant agreement.
• You need to complete the grant agreement extension offer or enter into a new grant agreement by mid-December 2026, in order to continue receiving WRP payments until 28 February 2027.

From the 1 December 2026 to 28 February 2027, the Department of Education is providing a three-month grace period for existing WRP grantees to update their workplace instrument/s and submit for approval.

This is to minimise impacts on educator wages and employment costs while your updated or new workplace instruments for the WRP extension are submitted and reviewed.

Note: Updated or new workplace instruments must reflect and be fully compliant with the new grant guidelines. From 1 December 2026, workplace instrument/s will include an obligation to pay eligible ECEC workers at least 15% above the Applicable Award rate, or the equivalent dollar amount for workers already paid above the Applicable Award rate, for the relevant classification under the Children’s Services Award 2010 and/or the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (as relevant).

In line with the grant guidelines, WRP funding is to be used for wages and on-costs.

Wages cover:

• base rates
• allowances
• penalty rates
• casual loadings and;
• annual leave loading taken

On-costs cover:

• employee entitlements
• superannuation contributions
• leave loadings accrued
• workers compensation insurance and;
• payroll tax

If you would like further support with WRP funding, please contact SNAICC:

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS advisor.
• Otherwise, please contact SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support.

It is only mandatory to pay the wage increase to your staff if your service applies and is approved for the Worker Retention Payment Grant.

If you apply for the Worker Retention Payment Grant, you must pay all eligible staff at your service the wage increase. 

If your service chooses not to apply for the Worker Retention Payment Grant, you do not have to pay the wage increase to your staff. 

We strongly encourage all eligible ACCO ECEC services to apply for the Worker Retention Payment Grant. This Grant provides an important opportunity to pay higher wages to your hard-working staff, without incurring additional costs to your service. 

Workers engaged through a labour hire agency may be eligible ECEC workers for the purposes of WRP if they meet guideline requirements, including:

• undertaking duties covered by the Children’s Services Award 2010 or the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (or an equivalent State industrial instrument),
• those duties comprise the majority of the worker’s role.

The Department requires that any WRP funding paid by an eligible ECEC Service to a labour hire agency be passed on to agency workers as wages. A provider is required to pass on WRP when:

• invoiced by the labour hire agency at the time that they first invoice for the applicable period of work and;
• which itemise any agency fees separately from labour hire worker wage costs.

Note:

• A provider is not required to seek evidence that a labour hire agency it utilises, as a compliant workplace instrument in place.
• WRP funding cannot be utilised for paying labour hire agency fees.

The person lodging the application for the WRP Grant must be: 

• a person with management or control (PMC), AND 
• listed in PRODA (the Child Care Subsidy System) for the service.  

For example: the approved provider for the service OR the centre director whose name is listed on PRODA for the service can submit the application. 

If you would like support with your application or meeting the eligibility criteria, please contact SNAICC:

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS advisor.
• Otherwise, please contact SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support. 

Please click the link below to view a flowchart of the WRP Grant application process.

WRP Grant Application Process Flow Chart

If you would like support with your application or meeting the eligibility criteria, please contact SNAICC:

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS advisor.
• Otherwise, please contact SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support. 

SNAICC is available to assist ACCO ECEC services with understanding and applying for the WRP Grant.

Our support includes assistance to: 

• understand and implement a compliant workplace instrument  
• apply for the Alternative Fee Growth Percentage Cap (if needed) 
• apply for the Worker Retention Payment grant 
• obtain workplace relations or legal advice  
• apply for and meet the requirements of the Funding Review (if needed) 
• meet grant conditions for the duration of the payment.

If you would like support with your application or meeting the eligibility criteria, please contact SNAICC:

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS advisor.
• Otherwise, please contact SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support. 

Information about the WRP grant can also be found on the Australian Government Department of Education website. 

For some services, the standard payment calculated through the WRP may not be appropriate. ACCO providers can apply for a review of their funding amount when they can show, with evidence, that they are not receiving adequate funding.
To request a funding review, please contact ccshelpdesk@education.gov.au.

Note: The approved provider must submit the funding review.

If the funding review process finds under-compensation has occurred through the standard WRP calculation, eligible services will receive a top-up payment based on your employee data.

Further information on the funding review is provided on the Australian Government Department of Education website.

If you would like support with your WRP Funding Review, please contact SNAICC:

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS advisor.
• Otherwise, please contact SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support.

If you received WRP payments before 30 June 2025, you should have:

• Submitted an annual declaration by October 2025 relating to expenditures for the FY2024/25 only.

If you received WRP payments between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026:

• You are required to submit an annual declaration by 9 October 2026 relating to expenditures for the FY2025/26 only.

If you received WRP payments after 30 June 2026:

• You are required to submit an annual declaration for the FY 2026/27.
  Updated reporting dates are being finalised with the announcement of the WRP program extension. Further information will be shared by the department soon.

To continue receiving or be eligible to apply for the worker retention payment, ACCO CBDC/OSHC services:

• already receiving the worker retention payment must not increase their fees by more than 5.8% between 8 August 2026 to 7 August 2027
• wishing to apply for the worker retention payment must not increase their fees by more than 5.8% between 17 June 2026 to 7 August 2027.

For FDC/IHC services:

• must not increase their fees by more than 5.8% between 17 June 2026 to 7 August 2027.

If you would like support with your application or eligibility requirements, please contact SNAICC:

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS advisor.
• Otherwise, please contact SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support.

The Worker Retention Payment Extension will also focus on strengthening child health and safety.  

What this means: 

For our ACCO ECEC services in scope of the National Quality Framework 

• From July 2027, you’ll need to be rated ‘Meeting’ or above in Quality Area 2 of the National Quality Standard to continue receiving worker retention payments. ACCOs not ‘Meeting’ Quality Area 2 may have their funding cut or suspended. 

For our ACCO ECEC services out of scope of the National Quality Framework 

• If you are an ACCO that is also a Community Child Care Fund Restricted (CCCFR) service and/or you operate under the Child Care Subsidy Minister’s Rules 2017, you will be required to demonstrate that your service adheres to child health and safety requirements in order to continue receiving worker retention payments. 

If needing support regarding child health and safety in relation to the worker retention payment: 

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS advisor. 
• Otherwise, please contact SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support. 

Yes. 70% of eligible ACCO ECEC providers have applied and have executed grant agreements.

ACCOs are welcoming the opportunity to provide a well-deserved pay rise to their hardworking staff: 

“Early childhood education and care is an unrecognised professional industry that educates and cares for our children in our community. Expectations of the industry standards are not commensurate with the industry award.” – CEO, WA ACCO ECEC service.

“We applied for the Worker Retention Payment Grant to ensure our dedicated educators are supported and motivated to continue their valuable work in fostering children’s growth and learning. This funding is crucial for maintaining a stable, skilled workforce, which is essential for providing consistent and high-quality care and education to the children in our service.” – CEO, Victoria ACCO ECEC service.

SNAICC is here to support ACCOs to be eligible for and to apply for this important grant opportunity. 

To continue receiving or be eligible to apply for the worker retention payment:

• ACCOs already receiving the worker retention payment must not increase their fees by more than 5.8% between 8 August 2026 to 7 August 2027.
• ACCOs wishing to apply for the worker retention payment must not increase their fees by more than 5.8% between 17 June 2026 to 7 August 2027.

If you would like support with your application or meeting the eligibility criteria, please contact SNAICC:

• If you are linked to SNAICC’s EYS team, please contact your EYS advisor.
• Otherwise, please contact SNAICC’s National Workforce Advisor at workforce@snaicc.org.au for support.