Wisconsin Shares News - Subsidy Usage Policy Changes Effective October 1, 2025 Wisconsin Shares is moving to pay child care providers based on established subsidy rates to align with federal regulations and better account for the actual cost of care. Beginning October 1, 2025, parents are encouraged to use all subsidy funds on their MyWIChildCare EBT card to pay the child care provider, even if that amount is over the amount billed to the family. Parents do not need to make changes to their authorizations and child care providers do not need to do anything to prepare for this change, and should continue using their Written Payment Agreements to discuss billing and payment practices. For more information, please see the FAQs below. Help DCF Share the News Download this printable flyer to give to parents/caregivers. This DCF flyer communicates the changes to parents/caregivers so that they can start paying child care providers their full subsidy amount as soon as possible. Download the Flyer for Parents/Caregivers Descargue el folleto para padres/cuidadores Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Child Care Providers What is changing and why? Beginning October 1, 2025, parents are encouraged, but not required, to pay their child care provider all of the subsidy funds added to their EBT cards each month, even if that amount is over the amount billed to the family. Paying more than the billed amount will no longer be a reason for a Voluntary Payment Agreement (VPA) or an Overpayment. In 2024 the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) final rule required states to pay child care providers based on the state’s subsidy rates. This requirement is to ensure equal access to child care for eligible and non-eligible Wisconsin Shares families. Will parents and child care providers be notified of this change? The Parent Quarterly Authorization Notice and DCF webpages will be updated to reflect this change. Parents may hear about this change in conversation with local agencies. DCF is working on additional ways to notify parents of this change. If you are a child care provider, you can help us spread the word to parents by downloading this flyer from DCF to print out and give to parents/caregivers. With this new policy change, am I allowed to ask the parent what their subsidy amount is? According to DCF Administrative Code, you may not require a parent to disclose their subsidy amount. It is important that you work with the parent on establishing billing expectations with the Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement. How will the I know if the parent does not pay their full subsidy amount? You will not know whether the parent is using the full subsidy amount loaded to their MyWIChildCare EBT card. While it is encouraged, using the full subsidy amount loaded to their MyWIChildCare EBT card to pay above a child care provider’s billed price is at the discretion of the parent. How should I work with parents on their Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreements if I do not know their subsidy amount? The purpose of the Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement is to ensure parents know and agree to your child care prices, payment schedule, payment policies and expectations. The Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement does not include information about a family’s subsidy amount. This agreement can be completed and signed without knowing the subsidy amount loaded to the MyWIChildCare EBT card. Providers may let parents know that the subsidy amount on the card may be less than or more than the amount billed. When the subsidy amount is less than the amount billed, parents must cover the remaining cost out of pocket (this is called the parent share). If the subsidy amount is more than the amount billed, the parent may pay the provider the entire subsidy amount. Does it matter how much the parent pays over their bill? No. You should keep the money paid over the billed amount, regardless of how much over the billed amount you receive. Subsidy rates are based on multiple factors, and the amount is calculated to reflect the authorization appropriate for the family’s situation based on the need for full-time or part-time care. Are there restrictions on how I may use the funds paid to them above the billed amount? No. Once subsidy funds more than the billed amount are paid to you, they are considered your funds to use how you choose to support the true cost of care. Other policies regarding fraud and CCDF subsidy use requirements are still in effect. If a parent pays more than their billed amount, can I increase their bill the next month to ensure I continue receiving increased funds? Price increases must be uniform across families and cannot be based on an individual subsidy amount. You cannot charge a parent who receives child care subsidy more than a private pay parent. It is important that you work with the parent on establishing and following billing and payment expectations with the Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement. What if the parent’s subsidy amount is not enough to cover the billed amount? If a parent’s subsidy amount is less than the billed amount, the parent is responsible for the remainder of the bill and must pay out-of-pocket. It is important that you work with the parent on establishing and following billing and payment expectations with the Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement. If a parent pays over their billed amount, should I return the funds through a VPA? No. You should keep the funds that were paid over the billed amount. DCF will only accept a VPA for the following reasons: Payment Made to the Incorrect Provider or Location Received Funds in Error Duplicate Issuance Provider Refuses to Care for Child or Disenrolls Child Provider Closure Child not attending for 30 calendar days or more Parent was ineligible for the funds paid to the provider If I receive more subsidy funds than what I billed prior to October 1, 2025, should I do a Voluntary Repayment Agreement (VPA)? You may still submit a VPA for those funds if they were received prior to October 1, 2025. VPAs are voluntary, and you cannot be compelled to return funds through a VPA. VPAs for subsidy funds over the billed amount that were paid prior to October 1, 2025 will be processed. Will I be sent an overpayment if I keep the funds paid more than the billed amount? As of October 1, 2025, overpayments will not be issued for the reason retaining subsidy payment more than the child care provider’s billed amount. Overpayments may be based on multiple factors, and prior to October 1, 2025, overpayments may be issued for the reason of retaining subsidy payment more than the child care provider’s billed amount. How should I track the extra funds? You should maintain records of all payment transactions including: Wisconsin Shares subsidy payments Out-of-pocket payments made by the parent Any other payments made by the department You have access to the ebtEDGE Provider Portal (with FIS) and Child Care Provider Portal to verify transaction information. You should give parents a receipt for all payments made, including subsidy payments. DCF does not have specific requirements on how you track or maintain records on the extra/additional funds. Can a parent choose to use their additional subsidy funds to pay for another child’s bill? If a parent does pay over the billed amount, can we choose to use the additional funds for another child? No. Subsidy payments from one child cannot be applied to another child. Subsidy payments can only be applied to the child with the authorization to that provider. Can a parent use their subsidy that is over the billed amount to pay for other fees (lunch, field trip, late fees, etc.)? Yes, use of subsidy funds is not limited to attendance. Parents can use their subsidy to pay the entire provider bill for the current month or a past month. Subsidy payments can only be applied to the child with the authorization to that provider. Are parents allowed to use subsidy funds to pay for care during times when they’re not working? Yes. A parent’s approved activity hours qualify them for a certain amount of subsidy. The specific child care arrangement of days and times when the child needs care is determined between you and the parent. The child care arrangement should be specified in the Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement. If a parent pays more than they owe for a billing period, can I keep or apply the extra for the next billing period? No. Payments can only be applied to the current and past months with outstanding bills. The parent can leave money on their card for future use, but you cannot receive funds and hold them to apply to future bills. If a parent pays more than they owe for the billing period and then later asks me to apply those additional funds toward a fee incurred after the payment, can I do that? No. You cannot receive funds and hold them to apply to future bills. A parent could use the next month’s payment to apply towards the fee, which is considered an outstanding bill. What if the parent pays over their billed amount one month, then loses their authorization the next month? Can we or should we use the last month’s overage for future bills? No. You cannot receive funds and hold (bank) them to apply to future bills. What if a child hasn’t attended in more than 30 days and then the parents pay us the full subsidy amount? You may keep subsidy funds paid to you within the 30 days of a child’s absence. If the child hasn’t attended in more than 30 days and the parent pays, it is a valid reason for you to return the funds through a VPA and/or the department may investigate for fraud. What if a parent won’t pay until the end of the month? Child care providers are required to establish their individual business policies on payment expectations, including timely payments. The required Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement ensures parents are informed of and agree to the policies that you put in place. It is up to individual child care providers to enforce their policies on payment practices. It is important to work with the parent and come up with a Provider/Parent Written Payment Agreement. It is up to you and your business practice if the parent does not follow the agreed upon payment terms. The department and your local child care agency will not resolve payment disagreements between you and a parent.
