Child Care Rebate - and satisfying the work, training, study test?

This question may be academic for me as maybe I needed to have done something different earlier but would like to try to understand it.

I am not working at the moment, I finished my last job as a contractor to have my DS and intend to return to paid employment in October. I have been thinking about this because have realized that I am now paying more for childcare for DD two days a week than I was when I was working as I don't get the rebate just the Child Care Benefit (When working I got a very small CCB and the CCR). I dropped from three days to two days when I finished work to have DS, but I didn't take her out completely because if I did would find it difficult to get her back in, thought was unfair to remove her to then start her back again (has always been known I will have to return to work) and I wanted some time on my own with DS (no family here to give me a break).

On the website it says:

Can I satisfy the work, training, study test in any other way?
You will satisfy the work, training, study test if you are:

• on annual leave and long service leave
• on sick or other paid leave
• on paid or unpaid parental leave up to a maximum of 12 months
• on self employment leave
• on self employment sick leave
• receiving Carer Payment
• receiving Carer Allowance
• caring for a disabled person
• on carer leave and carer sick leave

So if I had set up being a contractor differently e.g. set up as a business and contracted as that business, therefore being self employed, instead of just contracting via a contract house - could I then have satisfied the work,training,study requirement by being on self employment leave? and therefore received the CCR?

In a few months I will be looking for work, so will be ok, so is probably academic for me, but will be useful to know for when speaking with other people etc.

If you have ceased work to have a kidlet and you intend to return, you are deemed to be meeting the criteria for 12 months from the date you ceased work. If I read that right, you are still meeting it cis you intend to work again. Thus would be replaced by looking for work qualification if you are still looking when you hit the 12 month mark

ETA. Self employment leave us for short periods of time. Like rec leave from employment

Cheers BG - so presumably I should get on the phone or something to work out why I am not getting it (as I was getting before and chose to have it paid to me every fortnight - was that one of the choices?) - I am assuming I have ticked something I shouldn't have.

You should be able to update the details online hun

BG you are a star.

Hey sorry to Hijack the thread!
I was just wondering if anyone can help me.
I am eligible for CCR but i havent said how i would like it paid. Does anyone know what the default payment is?

default is quarterly payment to your account. next pay run will be late next month, then once you've done your tax, late october, late january...

Just wanted to thank BG again as I got my CCR sorted and money in the bank!

:dance:

I probably should start another thread with this but I COMPLETELY misunderstood CCB and CCR until I phoned the FAO the other day. I thought that I had to meet the 15 hour work/study test to receive the 50% CCR. I don't meet that requirement as I'm a SAHM though I'm about to start studying and am intending to freelance from home.

HOWEVER, the FAO woman told me that the 15 hour test is if you want more than 24 hours per week per child care for child care benefit. I don't - both girls are in for two days a week. She said that as I'm entitled to CCB, I'm also entitled to CCR.

I triple checked this as it will obviously have a hugely positive effect on our family budget and she was definitive, said she would make a note on our file and added, "yes a lot of my colleagues even misunderstand this. You don't need to meet the work/study test for CCR but you do for CCB only if you want more than 24 hours of care per child per week." Pleasantly gobsmacked.

yup - the 15 hour question only comes into it if you need more than 24hours of ccb/ccr - ccr is payable as long as you participate in your activity for at least an hour

if you're doing small amounts though, i would always suggest keeping track (diary) of what you do - if someone decides to report that you're claiming when you're just sitting at home on your bum (yes, we do get those kinda calls), if you have evidence for the ccr stuff, it will help you heaps kwim?

Thanks BG. Will do :)

BG you are a star.