Worker Retention Payments
Worker Retention Payments
The worker retention payment will support a 15% wage increase for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) workforce over 2 years. Providers will need to opt-in by applying for the payment. The payment will be issued to eligible providers through a grant agreement.
What you need to know
• The Government has introduced a Worker Retention Payment for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services to support a wage increase for the ECEC workforce.
• The Department of Education will calculate eligibility and entitlement (based on data from the ECEC sector).
• Services Australia is responsible for the administration of payments for the Worker Retention Payment via the CCSS.
• Payments are expected to commence January 2025 (backdated to 1 December 2024) and be paid every four weeks until December 2026.
Viewing payments via Xap
The payments will be available to view in Xap via the CCS Payment reports within the Xap Analytics screen.
Please find an example of how this will be displayed on the existing CCS payment reports
CCS Cleared Payments Report

Updated on: 25/08/2025
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