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Home Care Packages
Care recipients need 2 assessments to work out their government funding for home care:
- An Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment to learn the care recipient’s needs and recommend and approve suitable services.
- 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).
When care recipients complete the Home Care Package - 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 commence a Home Care Package. We’ll send your care recipient a fee notification letter if an assessment was completed.
Fees
In general, there are 2 types of fees paid by people who get a Home Care Package:
- Basic daily fee is paid by everyone and is set by the Department of Health and Aged Care.
- Income-tested care fee is paid by people who can afford to pay towards their aged care, based on their income.
You can ask your care recipient who’s getting government-subsidised home care to pay a basic daily fee. You can also charge an income-tested care fee if their income is above a certain level. There may also be fees for additional care and services.
We work out the income-tested care fee, based on the income details of the care recipient. We decide:
- if they can pay an income-tested care fee
- what amount the fee will be.
We review the fee every month. We’ll write to you and the care recipient if there are any changes.
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.
Care recipients can find the Aged Care fee estimator on the My Aged Care website. They can also call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or talk to someone at one of our service centres.