NZ ECE funding diff
What changed in 2024
Budget 2024 delivered 30 May 2024 by Hon Nicola Willis.
Budget 2024 was the largest single ECE policy change in recent NZ history. It introduced FamilyBoost — a 25% IRD-administered rebate on ECE fees paid out-of-pocket, capped at $75/week ($1,200/quarter) per family, phasing out between $140,000 and $180,000 household income. FamilyBoost launched on 1 July 2024. The same Budget delivered a 2.0% ECE rate increase. Other settings (20 Hours ECE, Childcare Subsidy thresholds, ratios) were unchanged.
Changes this year
- Parent subsidy 25% rebate · $75/wk cap · $1,200/qtr cap
FamilyBoost launched — 25% IRD rebate on ECE fees
A new IRD-administered tax credit that rebates 25% of weekly ECE fees actually paid by the household, capped at $75/week ($1,200/quarter). Phases out between $140k and $180k household income. Claimed quarterly via myIR. Stacks on top of 20 Hours ECE and the MSD Childcare Subsidy.
Effective from 1 Jul 2024 Source: IRD — FamilyBoost - Funding rate +2.0%
2.0% increase to ECE subsidy rates
A 2.0% cost adjustment was applied to per-child funded rates from 1 July 2024. This was the largest ECE rate uplift since the previous government's pay-parity-linked increases.
Effective from 1 Jul 2024 Source: Treasury — Budget 2024
About this page: a neutral catalogue of NZ ECE funding and policy changes by year. Built from official Crown / Treasury / Ministry sources cited above. We do not represent any political party — corrections and additions welcome via contact. Last reviewed 2026-05-28. See also: our methodology · data sources + licences.