school holiday care costs: what OSHC vacation care actually costs
last updated: february 2026
william samuels is a stay-at-home dad and former teacher from Adelaide. he writes about school readiness, early learning, and navigating the childcare system for mini mode.
the first time we booked our eldest into vacation care, I did the maths on the back of an envelope and nearly fell off the chair. five days at $115 a pop, a zoo excursion surcharge, and that was before we'd even thought about school shoes for term 2. holiday programs are one of the big invisible costs of working parenthood — nobody warns you at the school gate.
the good news is CCS still applies to vacation care, because Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) providers run most of it. the tricky bit is the hourly cap, the excursion surcharges, and booking windows that open and fill inside 48 hours at popular centres.
here's exactly how the fees work, what CCS covers, and a worked example for a typical Adelaide family putting two kids through a week of vacation care.
typical daily rates by state
vacation care is a full-day service, usually running from around 7:30am to 6pm — roughly 10 hours. fees vary widely by state, location and whether the provider is a standalone OSHC operator or part of a national chain like Camp Australia, OSHClub or TheirCare.
| state | typical base day | excursion day |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | $95–$140 | $110–$165 |
| Victoria | $90–$130 | $105–$155 |
| Queensland | $85–$125 | $100–$150 |
| South Australia | $80–$115 | $95–$140 |
| Western Australia | $85–$120 | $100–$145 |
| Tasmania / NT / ACT | $80–$120 | $95–$145 |
the wide range within a single state comes down to building type, staffing ratios above the minimum, and whether lunch is provided. council-run programs and not-for-profits tend to sit at the lower end, while for-profit chains in metropolitan areas run at the top.
how CCS applies to vacation care
vacation care is classed as OSHC for Child Care Subsidy purposes. that matters because OSHC has its own hourly fee cap — currently $12.81 per hour — which is lower than the centre-based cap of $14.63 used for long day care.
CCS is calculated on the lower of your provider's actual hourly fee or the cap. for a 10 hour vacation care session, the cap works out to $128.10. anything billed above that is paid out of pocket in full — no subsidy applies to the excess.
- session length: most providers charge for a full 10 hour session whether your child attends for 6 hours or the whole day
- OSHC hourly cap: $12.81 × 10 = $128.10 of fees attract subsidy
- your CCS %: determined by family adjusted taxable income — 90% under $85,279, tapering 1% per $5,000 above that
- gap fee: the bit you pay after CCS — always includes any fees above the cap plus your share of the capped portion
excursion surcharges and extras
vacation care programs run excursions about 2-3 days a week during holidays — trampoline parks, the zoo, laser tag, beach trips. these days usually cost $15-$40 more than a base day. in most cases the surcharge is built into the daily rate and CCS applies to the whole amount, subject to the $12.81 hourly cap.
a handful of providers charge the excursion fee as a separate line item that sits outsidethe CCS-eligible session fee. read the fee schedule carefully — if the excursion is labelled "optional extra" or "additional charge", you're paying it in full. if it's bundled into the session fee, CCS takes the edge off.
other extras to budget for:
- incursion days: animal handlers, science shows — usually bundled into the base fee
- late pick-up fees: $1-$2 per minute after 6pm at most chains
- enrolment fees:$30-$80 annual admin fee, sometimes waived if you're already a term-time OSHC family
- sunscreen and hat: some providers require you to supply named items
worked example: two kids, one week
let's take a South Australian family with two kids at primary school, both in the same OSHC vacation care program. combined family income is $110,000, which puts them on roughly 85% CCS after the standard taper. the provider charges $110 for a base day and $135 for an excursion day.
| day | listed fee | CCS-eligible | gap per child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon (base) | $110 | $110 | $16.50 |
| Tue (excursion) | $135 | $128.10 | $26.12 |
| Wed (base) | $110 | $110 | $16.50 |
| Thu (excursion) | $135 | $128.10 | $26.12 |
| Fri (base) | $110 | $110 | $16.50 |
per child the week costs $600 in listed fees, with an out-of-pocket gap of roughly $101.74. for two kids that's about $203 out of pocket for a full week of cover while both parents work — and about $1,200 in listed fees before CCS does the heavy lifting.
if you repeat that across four school holiday periods a year and cover roughly five weeks of care between you, you're looking at $1,000-$1,100 out of pocket annually for two primary-aged kids on this income. worth budgeting for in January rather than in fright at the end of term 1.
booking windows and priority access
vacation care bookings at most major providers open 3-6 weeks before each holiday period. families already enrolled in before and after school care usually get a 24-48 hour priority window before public bookings open. if you're only using vacation care, set a calendar reminder for the day bookings go live — popular excursion days at metro centres fill inside a day.
practical tips from doing this for a few years now:
- enrol with your nearest OSHC before you need vacation care — even one day a term of after school care gives you priority
- book the whole holiday at once, then cancel days you don't need closer to the date (check the cancellation window — usually 7-14 days for a refund)
- the first week after terms 1 and 4 is busiest; the middle week of winter holidays is quieter
- keep your CCS enrolment active through your provider's portal — a lapsed CWA (Complying Written Arrangement) means no subsidy on your first vacation care bill
frequently asked questions
how much does vacation care cost per day in Australia?
base days typically sit between $80 and $140 in 2026, depending on state and provider. excursion days usually add $15-$40 on top. metro chains charge at the top of the range, council and not-for-profit providers at the bottom.
does Child Care Subsidy apply to vacation care?
yes — vacation care runs under the OSHC service type, so CCS applies at the OSHC hourly cap of $12.81. for a standard 10 hour session, $128.10 of the fee attracts subsidy and anything above that is paid in full.
do I need to book vacation care in advance?
most providers open bookings 3-6 weeks before each holiday period and give existing OSHC families priority access. popular excursion days and the first week after term 4 fill fastest.
how many weeks of vacation care should I budget for?
Australian school holidays total about 11-12 weeks a year. most working parents use 4-6 weeks of vacation care once annual leave and family help are factored in.
estimate your gap fee
vacation care costs depend on your CCS percentage, which comes out of your family income. plug the numbers into the calculator to see what a week of holiday care will actually cost your family.