Child Care Subsidies & Assistance in Indiana

Indiana froze new child care vouchers Dec 2024 with ~31,000 waitlisted. Partial reopening May 2026 (~14K vouchers); full reopen not expected until 2027. CCDF entry: 135% FPL (~$43K family of 4). No state Child & Dependent Care Credit currently.

Data current as of June 17, 2026

See what you'd actually pay

Enter your income and household size to get an instant estimate of your copay, tax credits, and total savings in Indiana.

Try the calculator →

Child care subsidy (CCDF) in Indiana

Program name: Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Voucher Program
Administered by: Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA)
Income ceiling: Family income up to 135% of the federal poverty level at initial application (approximately $44,556 for a family of four based on 2026 FPL), effective April 5, 2026 — raised from 127% FPL. Continuing eligibility up to 85% State Median Income.
Family fee / copay: Sliding-scale family copay set by FSSA. Reauthorization required every 90 days while on the waitlist and before a voucher ends.
Waitlist status: Recently re-opened — Indiana froze new CCDF voucher enrollment in December 2024. About 31,000 children were on the waitlist as of September 2025, with roughly 55,000 enrolled. The waitlist had grown to about 35,400 children by February 2026. A $200 million state appropriation is funding a partial reopening that began May 2026, releasing roughly 14,000 vouchers and projected to bring enrollment back up to about 57,000. Full reopening of new enrollment is not expected until 2027. For the May 2026 ramp-up, FIFO within priority tiers: siblings of current voucher holders first, then infants under 12 months, then toddlers ages 1–2, then ages 3–5.
Apply: earlyedconnect.fssa.in.gov/onlineApp/home

Income limits by family size

Family size	Initial eligibility (annual)	Ongoing eligibility (annual)
2	$29,220	$62,172
3	$36,888	$76,800
4	$44,556	$91,428
5	$52,224	$106,056
6	$59,892	$120,684
7	$67,560	$123,420
8	$75,228	$126,168

Initial eligibility (annual): 135% of 2026 federal poverty guidelines. Maximum gross income to enter the CCDF program or waitlist.
Ongoing eligibility (annual): 85% of State Median Income. Maximum gross income to remain on CCDF at redetermination.

FSSA 'Income Eligibility Determination' tables effective April 5, 2026 (Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning). Source tables show maximum monthly gross income; all figures converted to annual (× 12). Entry threshold is 135% of the 2026 federal poverty guidelines; ongoing/redetermination threshold is 85% of State Median Income. Indiana does not publish a family-size-1 row — the smallest eligible household is size 2. The ongoing-eligibility increment compresses above family size 6 (from ~$1,219/month per additional person for sizes 2–6, to ~$229/month for sizes 7+), reflecting a state-applied cap for larger households. Effective April 5, 2026; check the state portal for the latest figures.

Priority groups (served first)

Children of foster and kinship families (about 1,500 vouchers set aside)
Children with special needs (about 1,000 set aside)
Children supported by the Department of Child Services (about 800 set aside)
Homeless children (about 300 set aside)
Children of child care workers (about 200 set aside)
Children of Ivy Tech students (about 100 set aside)
May 2026 ramp-up FIFO tiers (after set-asides): siblings of current voucher holders, then infants under 12 months, then toddlers ages 1–2, then preschoolers ages 3–5

State pre-K in Indiana

Program name: On My Way Pre-K
Administered by: Indiana FSSA
Access: Income-targeted
Eligibility: Children must be four years old by August 1 of the program year and the family must meet income eligibility — primary tier up to 135% FPL, secondary tier up to 185% FPL if funding allows. Working/in-school/job-training required (job-search alone no longer qualifies). Free for income-eligible families — the 5% match in the program design is a community/county funding match, not a parent copay.
Coverage: Available in all 92 Indiana counties but total enrollment is capped at 2,500 children — a roughly 60% cut from prior years. Voucher cap is $6,800 per year (provider rate $147.82 per week).
Apply: earlyedconnect.fssa.in.gov/onlineApp/home

State tax credits & extras in Indiana

State CDCC: Indiana does not offer a state Child and Dependent Care Credit. Indiana does not currently offer a state Child and Dependent Care Credit. HB 1378 (introduced January 2026) would have created a refundable state CDCC equal to 20% of the federal credit plus a $300-per-child state child tax credit, but it died in House Ways and Means (February 2026) and was not enacted in the 2026 session.

Where to apply or get help in Indiana

Find a daycare in Indiana

Once you know what you qualify for, Childery's directory helps you pick a provider. Browse Indiana's licensed daycares with independent Process and Structural quality ratings, or search by ZIP code or city.

Browse Indiana daycares

Sources

Every state layers its own program on top of a federal floor — CCDF (the federal block grant), Head Start, the federal DCFSA (employer pre-tax benefit), and the federal Child and Dependent Care Credit. See the federal overview for what the floor looks like before any state adds.