How to Fill Out and Submit the NYC Child Care Recertification Form (CFWB-012)

To recertify your NYC child care voucher, complete the CFWB-012 Application for Child Care Assistance, gather every document listed on the CFWB-078 checklist that came in your recertification packet, and submit the package by the deadline printed on that packet.1NYC311. Child Care Financial Assistance Miss the deadline and your assistance ends — no grace period, no extension. You would have to file a brand-new application and go back on the waitlist.2Administration for Children’s Services. Apply for Child Care

When Your Recertification Is Due

Recertification comes around every 12 months from the date your case was last approved.1NYC311. Child Care Financial Assistance ACS mails a recertification packet with your specific deadline. Inside you’ll find the CFWB-012 form (the same application you used to enroll) and the CFWB-078 checklist that tells you which documents to include.3NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Child Care Assistance Recertification Submission Instructions and Checklist

As long as you submit by that deadline, your assistance continues uninterrupted while ACS reviews your case.2Administration for Children’s Services. Apply for Child Care Late submissions do not get held over. Benefits stop at the end of your eligibility period, and reinstatement means starting fresh.

Eligibility You Still Need to Meet

Two things are checked every cycle: your income and your reason for needing care.

Income and Resources

Household gross income must fall below 300% of the New York State Income Standard for your family size.4Administration for Children’s Services. Families The SIS is a state figure, not the Federal Poverty Level. ACS adds up income from every adult in the household, including wages, bonuses, overtime, child support, and benefits. The current dollar thresholds are in your packet and on the ACS families page.

Household countable resources also cannot exceed $1,000,000, a limit you certify under penalty of perjury when you sign the form.5NYC Administration for Children’s Services. CFWB-012 Application for Child Care Assistance

Service Need

You need a documented reason you require child care. Qualifying activities include employment, vocational training, education, an active job search, homelessness, and participation in domestic violence or substance abuse services.3NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Child Care Assistance Recertification Submission Instructions and Checklist Each activity has its own proof requirement, detailed below.

Family Share

Most families pay a small weekly copayment based on income and size, and the voucher covers the rest. The family share is waived if you receive cash assistance, are experiencing homelessness, or are a foster parent.6ACCESS NYC. Child Care Vouchers

Documents to Gather Before You Start

The CFWB-078 checklist is your roadmap. An incomplete packet is the fastest way to stall your case, so pull every document together before you fill in the form.

Income Proof for Employed Parents

If you’re paid by a regular employer, the number of pay stubs you owe depends on frequency and consistency:3NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Child Care Assistance Recertification Submission Instructions and Checklist

  • Weekly, same amount each check: 4 most recent consecutive stubs.
  • Weekly, varying amounts: 12 most recent consecutive stubs.
  • Bi-weekly or semi-monthly, same amount: 2 most recent consecutive stubs.
  • Bi-weekly or semi-monthly, varying amounts: 6 most recent consecutive stubs.
  • Monthly, same or varying: 3 most recent consecutive stubs.

If your pay varies and the last three months don’t reflect your typical earnings, you can send up to six months of stubs instead. Each stub should show gross pay, taxes withheld, and the pay period. If you work but don’t get pay stubs, your employer completes the CFWB-015 Referral to Employer for Employee Income Information form in their place.3NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Child Care Assistance Recertification Submission Instructions and Checklist

Income Proof for Self-Employed Parents

What you send depends on how long you’ve been in business:3NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Child Care Assistance Recertification Submission Instructions and Checklist

  • Self-employed one year or more: your most recent Form 1040, Schedule 1, and the schedule that matches your business — Schedule C for a sole proprietorship, Form 1120-S for an S-corporation, or Form 1065 for an LLC taxed as a partnership.
  • Self-employed one year or more but on extension: Form 4868 plus three months of business records.
  • Self-employed less than one year: the CFWB-031 Self-Employment Income Information Attestation form plus three months of business records.

Proof of Your Service Need

Match your documents to the qualifying activity you claim on the form:3NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Child Care Assistance Recertification Submission Instructions and Checklist

  • Employment: your income documents cover it. Also complete Section 4 of the CFWB-012 with employer details and schedule.
  • Education or vocational training: the CFWB-005 Vocational, Education and Training Verification Form, or a letter on program letterhead with the same information.
  • Job search: the CFWB-026 Work Search Record, an approved work search plan from the NYS Department of Labor, or proof you receive unemployment insurance.
  • Homelessness: a shelter residency letter or the CFWB-027 Housing Attestation.
  • Domestic violence services: a referral from a domestic violence service provider.
  • Substance abuse treatment: a referral from a substance abuse service provider.

Address Changes and New Household Members

If you moved since your last certification, include one proof of your new address: a current lease, utility bill, IDNYC, driver’s license, or the CFWB-067 Residency Attestation.3NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Child Care Assistance Recertification Submission Instructions and Checklist For each new child added to the case, you need proof of citizenship or immigration status (U.S. birth certificate, passport, or permanent resident card), proof of relationship (birth certificate, adoption order, or guardianship order), and proof of age.

Filling Out the CFWB-012

Every required section has to be completed or your recertification won’t be processed.5NYC Administration for Children’s Services. CFWB-012 Application for Child Care Assistance The form covers:

  • Applicant information. Your name, contact details, address, and language preference. Update anything that changed and make sure it matches your supporting documents.
  • Children needing care. Name, date of birth, relationship, and citizenship or immigration status for each child.
  • Household members. Everyone living with you who isn’t already listed with the children. This drives your household size, so leave no one out.
  • Child and family needs. Check the box for your qualifying activity. Note military or military-spouse status here if it applies.
  • Employment details. Employer name, address, phone, your schedule, and your travel time to and from your provider. Fill this out for each job.
  • Income. Gross amounts and pay frequency for every source across the household, including wages, child support, and public benefits.

At the end you sign a certification under penalty of perjury that your information is accurate and that household resources don’t exceed $1,000,000.5NYC Administration for Children’s Services. CFWB-012 Application for Child Care Assistance You also agree to tell ACS right away if anything changes between recertifications — income, address, household, provider, or hours of care needed.

Where and How to Submit

Mail the completed CFWB-012 and all supporting documents to:2Administration for Children’s Services. Apply for Child Care

NYC Children – EDU
PO Box 40
Maplewood, NJ 07040

Use a method with tracking, like certified mail or a delivery service that gives you a receipt. If the packet is lost and you can’t prove you sent it, ACS has no way to confirm you submitted on time. Keep copies of everything.

ACS also points to the ACCESS HRA online portal for document submission. If you have an ACCESS HRA account, log in to see whether your child care case appears and whether upload is available for your cycle. Online submission gives you a digital confirmation trail that’s easier to track than mail.

After You Submit

Your assistance stays active while ACS processes the recertification, as long as you submitted by the deadline.2Administration for Children’s Services. Apply for Child Care There is no coverage gap during review. ACS will either approve you for another 12 months or contact you if something is missing or unclear.

If your packet is incomplete, expect a notice asking for the missing pieces within a short window. Missing that follow-up deadline is treated the same as not recertifying: your case closes and you would need to start over. The most common stumbles are sending too few pay stubs (especially for workers with variable pay), forgetting service need documentation alongside income proof, and skipping updates to the household members section after a change in living arrangements. Walk through the CFWB-078 checklist item by item before you mail.

If Your Recertification Is Denied

You have 60 days from the date on the denial notice to request a fair hearing through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.7NYC311. Public Benefit Fair Hearing A fair hearing is a formal review by a state administrative law judge independent of ACS who examines whether the agency’s decision was correct.

You can request one several ways:7NYC311. Public Benefit Fair Hearing

  • Online through the OTDA fair hearings portal at otda.ny.gov/hearings.
  • By phone at (800) 342-3334, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
  • By fax at (518) 473-6735.
  • By mail to NYS OTDA, Office of Administrative Hearings, P.O. Box 1930, Albany, NY 12201-1930.
  • In person at 14 Boerum Place, Brooklyn, NY 11201, or 5 Beaver Street, New York, NY 10004, Monday through Friday, 8:45 AM to 4:30 PM.

Bring your denial notice, copies of what you submitted, and any additional evidence that supports your eligibility. If you request the hearing before benefits actually stop, ask for “aid continuing” so your child care assistance stays in place until the judge issues a decision. If you let the 60-day window pass, you lose the right to challenge that denial.