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Residential Aged Care
Care recipients need all 3 assessments to work out their government funding for residential care:
- An Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment to learn the care recipient’s needs and recommend and approve suitable services.
- An Australian National Aged Care Classification (AN-ACC) assessment to look at a care recipient’s functional, cognitive and physical capability. This ensures they get the right level of funding to support their care needs.
- An Aged Care Calculation of cost of care to work out how much the recipient will pay towards their aged care costs.
When a care recipient starts care, you need to register the aged care entry record on the Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP).
If the ACPP is not available, you can use the Aged care entry record form (AC021). We need this for means assessment data matching.
When care recipients complete the Residential Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care form (SA457) we ask for their financial details. This helps us work out how much the care recipient will pay and how much you get.
Care recipients can also apply online using their Centrelink online account through myGov. Find out how care recipients can apply for an Aged Care Calculation of cost of care.
Care recipients can complete the means assessment up to 120 days before they move into residential aged care. We’ll send your care recipient a fee notification letter if an assessment was completed.
Fees
Basic daily fee
The maximum basic daily fee for all aged care residents is 85% of the single basic Age Pension daily payment.
All care recipients pay this amount for living costs in residential care. It’s paid to you, as the service provider, for costs such as meals, electricity and laundry. For some people, this is the only fee they need to pay.
Means-tested care fee
We ask care recipients for details about their income and assets to work out how much they can pay for their aged care services. The amount they pay is based on their individual details.
People who don’t provide income and asset details will pay maximum fees for aged care services. There are annual and lifetime caps that apply to how much a care recipient may be asked to pay.
Accommodation payment
The accommodation payment is for the care recipient’s accommodation in residential care. How much people pay is based on their income and assets assessment. Some people may need to pay the accommodation price agreed with their residential care provider.
Additional fees
Additional fees may apply if the care recipient chooses a higher standard of accommodation or extra services. These services and fees are arranged between you and the care recipient.
Aged Care Fee Estimator
The Aged Care Fee Estimator can help care recipients estimate their fees and charges. The Aged Care Fee Estimator is only a guide and isn’t a substitute for financial advice.
You can find the Aged Care Fee Estimator on the My Aged Care website. Care recipients can also call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or talk to someone at one of our service centres.