Parents should now start saving their Early Childhood Education (ECE) invoices to claim FamilyBoost later in the year.

FamilyBoost is a new childcare payment administered by Inland Revenue to help parents and caregivers with the cost of ECE.

When can people register for and claim FamilyBoost?

From mid-September, parents or caregivers will be able to register for FamilyBoost in myIR, Inland Revenue’s online portal.

If they don’t have a myIR account, they will need to register for one now. They will also need to ensure they have an IRD number for the child/children they are claiming for so they are ready to make claims later on.

From the beginning of October eligible households will be able to claim FamilyBoost for the July to September quarter, and then every three months after that.

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for FamilyBoost, parents or caregivers will need to:
• have household income of less than $180,000 a year.
• have children aged 5 and under in their care.
• have costs from a licenced ECE provider.
• be a New Zealand tax resident.

Separated parents or caregivers will each be able to claim FamilyBoost if they each have costs for ECE.

How much is FamilyBoost?

FamilyBoost will cover 25% of a household’s childcare costs, up to a maximum of $975 every three months.

This is after other government subsidies have been considered, such as Work and Income’s ‘Childcare Subsidy’.

The amount that can be claimed slowly reduces for household incomes over $140,000.

Find out more about FamilyBoost: ird.govt.nz/FamilyBoost including information for early childhood providers.

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