Military Child Care Fee Calculator
Estimate what you'll pay at a military Child Development Center (CDC) or family child care home, or off base with DoD fee assistance, from the DoD fee chart by total family income.
DoD Child Care Fees for 2025–26 by Total Family Income
The Department of Defense sets one weekly fee per child for full-time care at military Child Development Centers, based on total family income, not rank. The fee is the same for infants, toddlers and preschoolers. These are the fees for school year 2025–26, which the Army and Navy started charging on November 1, 2025. As of November 3, 2026, it is still the latest fee chart posted on MilitaryChildCare.com.
| Cat. | Total Family Income | Standard | Low-Cost | High-Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | $1–$45,000 | $54 | $45 | $56 |
| II | $45,001–$55,000 | $61 | $51 | $63 |
| III | $55,001–$65,000 | $74 | $62 | $77 |
| IV | $65,001–$77,500 | $88 | $74 | $91 |
| V | $77,501–$90,000 | $104 | $88 | $108 |
| VI | $90,001–$102,500 | $121 | $102 | $126 |
| VII | $102,501–$115,000 | $138 | $116 | $143 |
| VIII | $115,001–$130,000 | $155 | $130 | $161 |
| IX | $130,001–$145,000 | $175 | $147 | $182 |
| X | $145,001–$160,000 | $195 | $164 | $203 |
| XI | $160,001–$175,000 | $215 | $181 | $224 |
| XII | $175,001 and up | $236 | $198 | $245 |
Weekly fee per child for full-time care. An installation needs approval from its service headquarters to charge the low- or high-cost rate. DoD contractors and specified space-available patrons pay $361 a week, and hourly care is $8 an hour. Source: DoD Child Development Program Fees, SY 2025–2026.
How Total Family Income Is Counted
Your fee category depends on total family income, and every family has to document it, usually with an LES, W-2s or pay stubs. Programs use gross income before taxes:
- Counted: the sponsor's and spouse's wages, salaries and tips, special duty pay such as flight or sea pay, long-term disability benefits, voluntary salary deferrals such as TSP contributions, retirement and pension income, and military allowances such as BAS.
- Housing: instead of the BAH on your LES, programs count the non-locality BAH with-dependents rate (BAH RC/T) for your pay grade, whether you live on or off base. Because that rate doesn't change with location, a high-BAH duty station doesn't push you into a higher category. Dual-military couples count only the senior member's BAH RC/T.
- Not counted: alimony and child support you receive, SSI paid for your child, education reimbursements, health and wellness benefits, cost-of-living allowances (COLA) in high-cost areas, temporary duty (TDY) allowances and reenlistment bonuses.
- Separated or divorced parents: income is based on the sponsor's household. If both parents are eligible sponsors, the primary custodial parent's household income is used.
Discounts for a Second Child
The DoD fee chart doesn't set a discount for additional children; each service sets its own:
- Army: 15% off for the second and later children. The full fee goes to the child in the most expensive care, such as full-day CDC care rather than school-age care.
- Air Force: 15% off each additional child, with the full fee for the child with the highest weekly rate.
- Navy: 20% off each additional child.
- Marine Corps and other programs: ask your CDC for its current discount.
In the Army, the discount doesn't apply to hourly care or to DoD contractors and space-available patrons, and the Navy doesn't apply it to fee assistance. Two children in category V at the standard rate cost $192.40 a week with the 15% discount, or $10,005 a year.
Fee Assistance for Off-Base Child Care
If you use an approved civilian child care provider off base, DoD fee assistance (Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood, or Army Fee Assistance for Army families) pays part of the bill. You pay a monthly parent fee per child, based on the same income categories, and DoD pays the provider the rest up to the provider rate cap: $2,000 a month per child for full-time care and $1,000 for part-time care. If your provider charges more than the cap, you pay the difference as well.
| Category | Full-Time | Full-Time, High-Cost | Part-Time | Part-Time, High-Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | $234 | $242 | $126 | $131 |
| II | $264 | $274 | $143 | $147 |
| III | $320 | $334 | $173 | $180 |
| IV | $382 | $394 | $206 | $213 |
| V | $450 | $468 | $243 | $253 |
| VI | $524 | $546 | $283 | $295 |
| VII | $598 | $620 | $323 | $335 |
| VIII | $672 | $698 | $362 | $377 |
| IX | $758 | $788 | $410 | $426 |
| X | $846 | $880 | $456 | $475 |
| XI | $932 | $970 | $503 | $524 |
| XII | $1,023 | $1,062 | $552 | $573 |
Monthly parent fee per child, effective January 1, 2026. High-cost fees apply when the sponsor is assigned to an installation DoD lists as a high-cost area. Source: FY26 MCCYN DoD Parent Fees (MilitaryChildCare.com handout, February 2026).
- Meal allowance pilot: for full-time care, if lunch or formula isn't included in the provider's fee and you supply it, your parent fee drops by $100 a month. If meals are included and the provider charges more than $2,000, the cap rises to $2,100.
- Army families: Army Fee Assistance uses the Army's own monthly rates ($235 to $1,025 for full-time care at standard-cost locations), which are within a few dollars of the table above.
- Every child pays the full parent fee: the DoD fee assistance table has no discount for additional children.
- Official estimate: DoD's fee assistance cost estimator on MilitaryChildCare.com, where you also request care.
Military Child Care vs. Civilian Daycare
Because the DoD fee doesn't change with age, a CDC spot saves the most for babies. In category V ($77,501 to $90,000), full-time care costs $5,408 a year at the standard rate, 69% less than the $17,260 national average for an infant at a civilian daycare center. Even the top category ($236 a week, or $12,272 a year) costs less than the civilian averages for infants and for preschoolers ($14,090).
Compare local civilian prices on our costs by city pages or in the childcare cost calculator, and see infant care costs for what babies cost off base.
Tax Breaks for Military Families
- Dependent Care FSA: active-duty service members, and Reserve and National Guard members on Active Guard Reserve duty, can set aside up to $7,500 a household before tax through FSAFEDS ($3,750 if married filing separately). Enroll for 2027 during federal benefits open season, November 9 to December 14, 2026. Estimate your FSA savings.
- Child and Dependent Care Credit: 20% to 50% of up to $3,000 of care costs for one child, or $6,000 for two or more, in 2026. You can't count the same dollars for the FSA and the credit. Estimate your credit.
- Count only what you pay: CDC fees and your share of fee-assistance care count for both, but the part DoD pays the provider doesn't.
- Keep your provider's details: Form 2441 asks for each provider's name, address and tax ID. See our daycare tax ID guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does military child care cost?
At a military Child Development Center or a subsidized family child care home, the DoD fee for full-time care in school year 2025–26 is $54 to $236 a week per child, depending on total family income. That is $2,808 to $12,272 a year. Installations approved for high-cost rates charge $56 to $245 a week, and low-cost installations $45 to $198. Additional children get a discount: 15% in the Army and Air Force and 20% in the Navy.
How is total family income calculated for military child care?
Total family income is the gross income of the sponsor and spouse before taxes: pay, special duty pay, allowances such as BAS, disability and retirement income. For housing, programs count the non-locality BAH with-dependents rate (BAH RC/T) instead of the BAH on your LES. Alimony, child support, SSI paid for your child, education reimbursements, cost-of-living allowances, TDY allowances and reenlistment bonuses aren't counted.
Is there a discount for a second child at a military CDC?
Yes. You pay the full fee for the child in the most expensive care, and each additional child gets 15% off in the Army and Air Force and 20% off in the Navy. Other programs set their own discount, so ask your CDC. The Army doesn't apply the discount to hourly care.
What does fee assistance cost for off-base child care?
With DoD fee assistance (Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood), you pay a monthly parent fee per child based on total family income: $234 to $1,023 for full-time care at most locations and $242 to $1,062 at high-cost installations, effective January 1, 2026. DoD pays the provider the rest, up to $2,000 a month per child for full-time care or $1,000 for part-time care. If your provider charges more than that cap, you pay the difference too.
Have the 2026–27 military child care fees been released?
Not publicly, as of November 3, 2026. The latest DoD fee chart on MilitaryChildCare.com is for school year 2025–26, which the Army and Navy started charging on November 1, 2025, and fee assistance parent fees took effect January 1, 2026. Ask your installation's child and youth program whether new fees are coming.
Can service members use a Dependent Care FSA?
Yes. Active-duty service members, and Reserve and National Guard members on Active Guard Reserve duty, can enroll in a Dependent Care FSA through FSAFEDS and set aside up to $7,500 a household before tax in 2027 ($3,750 if married filing separately). Enroll during federal benefits open season, November 9 to December 14, 2026. CDC fees count, and so does the share you pay for fee-assistance care, but not the part DoD pays the provider.
Sources
DoD Child Development Program Fees, SY 2025–2026 (MilitaryChildCare.com): weekly fees by category, market adjustment rates, the $361 contractor fee, the $8 hourly rate and the $2,000 provider rate cap · FY26 MCCYN DoD Parent Fees: fee assistance parent fees, caps and the meal allowance pilot · Fort Leavenworth CYS, SY 2025–2026 DoD fee policy FAQ: total family income rules, the November 1, 2025 start and the Army's 15% discount · Fort Campbell SY 25-26 fee charts: Army monthly rates and discount rules · Navy CYP Parent Fees, Employee Discount and Subsidies Memorandum, SY 25-26: Navy start date, 20% discount and high-cost areas · Scott AFB 375th Force Support Squadron, CDC fees: Air Force 15% discount · Military OneSource, Dependent Care FSA: who can enroll · OPM: 2026 open season dates · Civilian daycare averages from the Care.com 2026 Cost of Care Report. Checked November 3, 2026.
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