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Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program Policy Manual Chapter 8. Parent fee REVISED 04/27/2026 2

I. CHAPTER OVERVIEW The applicant/recipient who is deemed eligible may be required to pay a portion of the cost of child care through a parent fee. A parent fee is assessed if countable income is received for the household including a child(ren)’s unearned income such as child support payments, and or social security benefits (SSA). This chapter describes who must pay a parent fee, how parent fees are assessed and special circumstances that may affect the parent fee. II. WHEN PARENT FEES ARE NOT ASSESSED Parent fees are not assessed for child care assistance when one of the following apply: A. Child care assistance is provided in conjunction with a child protective services plan to enable the child to remain in his/her own home. B. Assistance is needed to support child welfare services as described in Chapter 5: Establishing Need and a Plan of Care.

C. Children who are receiving foster care services need child care assistance. The foster children must be in the custody of the county department of social services and:

1. Residing in a licensed foster care home, or

2. Placed with an adult other than their parents.

III. WHEN PARENT FEES ARE ASSESSED Applicants/recipients who qualify for child care assistance based on their countable income must pay a portion of their child care costs. This parent fee is set at 10% of the family’s gross monthly income, when applicable. If an applicant/recipient wants to check whether they meet the financial eligibility criteria and estimate their potential parent fee, they can use the SCCA FPL/SMI/Parent Fee Table available on the division’s website.