Maximum Funding for Eligible Children (2026 and beyond)Starting in 2026, the NSW Start Strong program introduces maximum funding amounts for children who meet specific eligibility criteria. The system will automatically identify children who qualify for higher funding based on their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, whether your service is in a regional or remote area, whether it is in a disadvantaged area or whether an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation operates it.
When viewing fee relief payments, you'll see the 'Total amount allocated' column show either the standard fee relief amount or the higher maximum funding amount, depending on each child's eligibility.
New ARIA and SEIFA Rating Management
NSW Start Strong services can now record and manage ARIA+ (remoteness) and SEIFA (socio-economic) ratings for their service. These ratings help determine which children are eligible for maximum funding.
When you enter your ARIA rating, you'll choose from categories like 'Major Cities,' 'Inner Regional,' 'Outer Regional,' 'Remote' or 'Very Remote.'
SEIFA ratings use a scale from 1-10, with lower numbers indicating more disadvantaged areas.
You can assign different ratings to different time periods to reflect changes over time.
If your service doesn't qualify for maximum funding based on location or socio-economic factors (for example, if you're in a major city and not in a disadvantaged area), you don't need to enter ARIA or SEIFA ratings.
Surplus Funding Updates
Surplus funding was discontinued in 2026, so the surplus funding features are now available only when working with program years 2025 and earlier. When accessing surplus funding data, you can only select dates before 2026.
To set up maximum funding amounts for 2026, go to Service Details, then click the Kindy Subsidies button. For 2026 and later years, you'll see new fields where you can enter the maximum funding amounts for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds. If an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation operates your service, you can also tick the corresponding checkbox on this screen.
Ensure your service's ARIA and SEIFA ratings are set if applicable, as they help determine which children are eligible for maximum funding.
To manage your service's ARIA and SEIFA ratings, go to Service Details, click Kindy Subsidies, then select the ARIA or SEIFA tab. Click 'New' to add a rating period. You'll need to specify when the rating applies (start and end dates) and select the appropriate rating:
- For ARIA, choose from options like 'Major Cities' or 'Inner Regional.'
- For SEIFA, enter a number between 1-10.You can add multiple entries if your rating changes over time, and edit or delete them as needed.
You only need to enter these ratings if they qualify your service for maximum funding eligibility.
To view maximum funding allocations, open the NSW SS Fee Relief Payments screen and select a 2026 or later funding year. The 'Total amount allocated' column automatically displays either the standard fee relief amount or the maximum funding amount for each child, depending on their eligibility.
More help is available in our NSW State Kinder Funding Guide. 
