Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Child Care Subsidy Administration

Wisconsin Shares Handbook

18.2 Copayments

CSAW determines the copayment that will be subtracted from the subsidy amount based on the:

• Copayment Type (see 18.3)

• Assistance Group’s Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (based on family size and income)  

• Number of children in subsidized child care

• Sum of subsidized hours for all children in the Assistance Group (AG)  

CSAW subtracts a portion of the AG’s copayment from each child’s subsidy based on the percentage of total subsidized hours that each child has at each location. The total copayment assessed for each child will not exceed 152 hours per month per child, even if the child attends multiple providers. The maximum family copayment will not exceed 760 monthly subsidized hours when considering all the children in the AG. Children with a Reduced copayment type (see 18.3) are calculated separately from the family copayment.

See the current Wisconsin Shares Copayment Schedule.

The department revises the Copayment Schedule annually based on changes made to the FPL (published annually in the Federal Register). The Copayment Schedule lists monthly FPL levels in 5% increments (e.g., 70%, 75%, 80%, etc.) and assigns an hourly copayment according to an AG’s FPL. When the AG’s FPL is between two (2) levels, CSAW will use the lower of the two (2) FPL percentages. If the family is in the Exit Period, CSAW will use the family’s actual FPL and will not round to the lower FPL percentage (see 18.2.1).

For more information about subsidy calculations, see:

• CSAW User Guide - Benefit Calculations for more information about how the family’s copayment is determined and applied to each child with an authorization.  

• Appendix III - Benefit Calculation Examples for examples of how CSAW calculates benefits.

18.2.1 Exit Period Copayments

18.2.2 Copayment Equals or Exceeds Subsidy Amount

This section last updated 12/1/2022