Family Boost calculator
FamilyBoost refunds part of what you spend on early childhood education. Most people either don't know they qualify, or assume they earn too much — and the income limit is higher than it used to be.
This calculator works out what you'd actually get, for the quarter you're claiming.
How much you can get
For quarters from 1 July 2025 onwards:
40% of your ECE fees back
Up to $1,560 a quarter — that's $120 a week
Provided household income is under $57,286 for the quarter (roughly $229,000 a year)
If your household income for the quarter is under $35,000, you get the straight 40%, up to the cap.
Above $35,000, the maximum reduces by 7 cents for every dollar over. So on quarterly income of $40,000, you're $5,000 over, which cuts $350 off — your maximum becomes $1,210. You'd receive whichever is lower: that reduced maximum, or 40% of the fees you actually paid.
You can claim back up to four years
If you haven't been claiming, you're not too late. The window is four years, and FamilyBoost started on 1 July 2024 — so every quarter since then is potentially still claimable.
The catch is that older quarters are assessed under the rules that applied at the time. For quarters before 1 July 2025 that means 25% of fees, a maximum of $975 a quarter, and a household income limit of $45,000 for the quarter rather than $57,286.
Still worth doing. Someone who has been paying full ECE fees since mid-2024 and never claimed could be several thousand dollars out of pocket.
You'll need the invoices for each quarter you're claiming, so if you've been throwing them out, start keeping them now.
The $300 a week fee cap
The claim is calculated on fees of up to $300 a week. Anything above that doesn't count.
This is the detail that catches out families in higher-cost centres. If you're paying $420 a week, you're not getting 40% of $420 — you're getting 40% of $300. Which is why the maximum lands at $120 a week no matter how much you actually spend.
It's assessed quarterly, not annually
This is the part most explanations skip, and it changes the answer for a lot of people.
FamilyBoost is worked out on your household income for that quarter, not for the year. So your entitlement can move from quarter to quarter — and you might qualify in one and not the next.
Two practical consequences:
A bonus, a big commission month or a lump sum can wipe out a quarter's payment, even if your annual income sits comfortably within the limits.
A period of reduced income — parental leave, a gap between jobs, going part time — can make you eligible even if your annual income says otherwise. If you assumed you earned too much, it's worth checking the individual quarters.
If you're self-employed
Different treatment, and worth knowing.
Where your income is taxed before you receive it, IRD uses your actual income for that quarter. Where it isn't — self-employed income, schedular payments — they use your most recent tax return divided by four. If you have both, they use whichever is higher.
That means you need your return filed before you can claim. And if you had an unusually strong year that's now behind you, the quarterly figure IRD uses may not reflect what you're currently earning.
Payments are final
Once a quarter is assessed, that's it. No square-up at the end of the tax year, no bill if your income turned out higher, no top-up if it turned out lower.
Unusual for a New Zealand tax credit, and it works in your favour if your income rises later in the year.
What counts, and what doesn't
The provider must be licensed. Worth checking before you count on it.
You can only claim the fees you are required to pay — not donations.
Costs already covered by the Childcare Subsidy from Work and Income don't count, but if you pay fees over and above the subsidy, those extra costs do.
Only one person in a couple registers.
Grandparents can claim, provided the child is in their household and the invoice is in their name.
How to actually claim
You claim through myIR after the quarter has ended, with your ECE invoices — so keep them, as PDFs or photos. Check the name on the invoice matches your myIR details, since a mismatch is the most common reason a claim stalls.
You'll also need each child's IRD number and date of birth, your provider's licence number, and your bank account details. If you have a partner, their details too.
Most refunds are paid within 15 working days. Longer if IRD comes back with questions, or if your income tax return is still being processed — which is the usual hold-up for self-employed claimants.
The current claim deadline is four years from the end of the quarter in question.
The calculator
Enter your household income for the quarter and your ECE fees, and it works out your entitlement — the 40% figure, the abatement if your income is over $35,000, and which of the two applies.
Worth checking even if you think you earn too much
The income limit rose sharply from $180,000 a year to just under $230,000 when the rules changed in 2025. A lot of families ruled themselves out under the old settings and haven't looked again.
And because it's assessed quarterly, a single quarter of lower income can make you eligible even if your annual figure doesn't.
Getting the wider picture
FamilyBoost is one piece. If you're weighing up childcare costs against a return to work, or working out what a second income actually nets after childcare, tax and KiwiSaver, that's a bigger calculation.
Stay at home parent or return to work calculator
Or if you'd like to talk any of it through with an independent, commission-free adviser, get in touch for a free 30 minute chat.