Although you might not think it, a CRN (Customer Reference Number) from Centrelink is required for anyone looking to send their child to childcare.
Find out how to get a CRN, what you can do with your reference number and why it’s so important for childcare subsidy.
What is a Customer Reference Number (CRN)?
A Customer Reference Number (CRN) is a 10-character code given to you by Centrelink. It is made up of nine numbers followed by one letter.
This Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) is unique to you and every person in Australia. It is used by Centrelink service centre to identify you and make sure they are dealing with the right person and the right data.
A CRN is required for many things, such as getting welfare payments, linking Centrelink online account with myGov and more.
Why do you need a CRN for child care?
One of the many requirements of a Customer Reference Number is when you enrol your child into childcare. There are several reasons for needing a CRN, including enrolment requirements, payments and services, receiving Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and making claims.
To save time and to make sure you don’t miss out on any payments, it’s recommended that you organise your CRN ahead of time.
If you’ve ever had any dealings with Centrelink, it’s likely you already have one, but some parents may need to register.
Enrolment
Not only do you need a Customer Reference Number for your role in childcare services, but your kids need their own one too.
When you enrol your child at an approved child care service, you’ll have to provide the child’s CRN and birth date (along with yours).
If you have multiple kids going to childcare, even if it’s at the same centre, they’ll each need their own customer reference number from Centrelink. These can be obtained when they’re born and will be helpful throughout their entire lives.
Payments and services
It’s no secret that children are expensive to support and look after. From everyday costs to payments for a service like child care, there’s a lot parents have to pay for.
Thankfully, a CRN and Centrelink online account opens you up to payment and subsidy options to help make family life that little bit more affordable.
Are you Eligible for the Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
Every child care centre has daily fees for attending to children which can quickly add up for some families. To support families, the federal government has a child care subsidy (CCS) offer in place where most parents get part of their fees paid for.
This works on a sliding scale, with up to 85% of the daily fee possible as a subsidy for eligible families who need support in paying for their approved child care service.
Making claims
Your CRN also allows you to submit your claim online through the Centrelink portal. This helpful option can be found on the drop-down menu under ‘Payments and Claims’.
Take note that the types of claims here are relevant to Centrelink payments such as parental leave, family tax benefit and single income family supplement.
Recording and updating personal information
When you have a child in childcare, your details must be up to date. Rather than doing this through your child care provider, the entire process can be done through Centrelink online account or Centrelink app. This automatically means your child care subsidies and other payment or claim go to the right place.
Updating your details in one place means you can update several services at the same time rather than making contact one at a time.
Identification
A CRN is a unique identifier for every person in Australia who has one. Centrelink families have their child’s CRN on a personal record. This avoids mix ups with payment and other childcare features, especially for people with common names who can easily get confused.
As customer reference numbers are unique to each person, there’s no chance of any mix ups with this system.
How do you obtain a CRN for a child?
If you don’t already have a Customer Reference Number, you’ll need to apply to get one. You can do this in a couple of different ways, either by going to a Centrelink office or online through myGov website.
Both methods require you to have two forms of relevant ID.
- The first has to be either an Australian birth certificate, an Australian citizenship certificate, a current Australian passport or an Australian visa.
- The second has to be one of Australian driver licence, Australian Citizenship by Descent certificate or an ImmiCard.
Creating a Centrelink account
o create a Centrelink account online, you must first have a myGov account. With this set up, you can follow the online prompts in the ‘services’ section of the home page.
Once you have your online account set up, you’ll need to link it to your myGov account (you only have to do this the first time you log in). Once done, you can log into your Centrelink account through the myGov portal.
Creating a myGov account
A myGov account allows you to access a wide range of government services through one page, including Centrelink, Medicare, ATO and more.
To get started, go to the myGov website (https://my.gov.au/) and click on ‘Create a myGov account’ on the home page. You’ll need to submit identification and verify details like name, email address and phone number to get started.
Once done, you can log in using your email address and, ideally, two factor authentication on your phone. This extra security setting is a useful link between you and your online account, letting the portal correctly identify you.
Other tasks to do before enrolment
While registering for a CRN and having it handy for your childcare centre is an important step, it’s one of many things you need to do to get ready to enrol your son or daughter for their first step into education.
Other important jobs include checking your eligibility for childcare subsidy, getting information ready for the centre’s staff and getting your child ready for the big day.
Check eligibility for CCS
Many parents are eligible for some form of child care subsidy, with up to 85% of childcare fees covered in some instances.
Find out if you’re eligible for childcare subsidy, use your reference number and make a claim within 28 days of your child starting their education to make sure you don’t miss out your childcare subsidy.
Information for educators
Educators can do their job best when they know more about your child. Giving information about allergies and medication is vital, but giving them information about hobbies and interests is also important upon enrolment.
If your child has a nap or two during the day, providing a schedule of when they normally go down and any routines they have will also help all the educators.
Preparing your child
While childcare is an important step in your child’s development, it’s not necessarily an easy one. For many children, this will be the longest they spend apart from their parents, so they may need some preparation.
One thing to do is to take them to the childcare centre so they can see where they’ll be going and meet some of the lovely educators.
Another idea is to start dropping them off in the morning with a friend or child’s relative so they understand that you’re leaving them somewhere but it isn’t a permanent thing.
Finding the Right Childcare
Picking the right childcare service is important for both you and your family.
Make a list of things that are important to you, speak to friends and organise a few tours to make sure you secure a space at the best facility for your needs.