Quick summary
- Under-attendance is defined as a child attending fewer than their registered hours.
- At 8 consecutive weeks of under-attendance, providers must report it, triggering a warning notification, subsidy is unchanged at this point.
- The count resets if attendance returns to the registered hours for one full week.
- At 12 consecutive weeks, the subsidised hours are revised to reflect the average hours attended.
- No refund is required for the initial 12-week period, only future hours are adjusted.
The 8-week reporting point
As part of their weekly returns, providers must report if a child has been attending fewer than their registered hours for each of the previous eight weeks in a row. At that point, a warning notification issues to the parent. The subsidy itself doesn't change yet, this is a flag, not a penalty, and if the under-attendance is broken by even one full week of attendance at the agreed hours, the count resets and no further action follows.
The 12-week outcome
If under-attendance continues for a further four consecutive weeks, 12 consecutive weeks of under-attendance in total, the number of subsidised hours awarded is revised to reflect the average hours the child actually attended over that twelve-week period. Neither the parent nor the provider is required to refund the subsidy already used during that initial window; the adjustment only affects the hours awarded going forward.
| Point | What happens | Subsidy impact |
|---|---|---|
| 8 consecutive weeks under-attendance | Provider reports it; warning notification issues to parent | None yet |
| Attendance resumes for 1 full week | Under-attendance count resets | None |
| 12 consecutive weeks under-attendance | Awarded hours revised to average actually attended | Future hours reduced; no refund owed for the 12 weeks |
Rounding and everyday flexibility
When reporting weekly attendance, providers can round part-hours up to the next whole hour, a child attending 4 hours and 1 minute or more on a given day is recorded as 5 hours for that day. Combined with the flexibility already built into the scheme for occasional early collection or illness, this means normal day-to-day variation rarely triggers anything close to the 8-week threshold.
Reporting is the provider's responsibility
Reporting under-attendance at the 8-week point is a compliance requirement for providers, not optional. If an overpayment is later found to have occurred because under-attendance beyond 12 weeks wasn't reported and corrected, Pobal will recoup the over-claim from the provider, not the parent. This makes accurate weekly reporting a genuine financial protection for the service, not just an administrative box-tick.
Exceptional circumstances
Where extended absence is due to genuinely exceptional circumstances, most notably regular medical or therapeutic appointments for the child, a parent, or a sibling, a Special Circumstances Absence Exemption Form can be submitted to avoid the standard under-attendance consequences applying.
Practical advice
- Reassure parents early that occasional absence or early collection doesn't threaten their subsidy, the 12-week window is genuinely protective.
- Report under-attendance accurately and on time at the 8-week point, it protects the service financially as much as it informs the parent.
- Flag a genuine pattern of under-attendance to the parent well before the 8-week reporting point, so it isn't a surprise.
- Use the Special Circumstances Absence Exemption Form where extended absence is due to medical or therapeutic appointments.
How Tot Tracker helps
Tot Tracker tracks each child's attendance against their registered NCS hours automatically, flags approaching under-attendance thresholds before the 8-week reporting point arrives, and keeps a clear record to support accurate weekly Hive reporting.