What aged care costs in Australia

Why we do not publish live fee figures

Aged care fee thresholds and daily rates are indexed at least twice a year, on 20 March and 20 September. So a dollar figure published on a page like this can be out of date within six months.

So this guide explains which fees exist and how each one works, and points you to the official estimator for the amounts. That is deliberate. A stale number in a decision this expensive is worse than no number.

If you are getting help at home

Entry level services

The Commonwealth Home Support Program asks for a contribution set by each provider. The Department's guide range for 2026 to 27 is $4.82 to $13.71 for a delivered meal and $7.22 to $13.71 for domestic assistance. Providers must have a fees policy and cannot refuse a service purely because you genuinely cannot afford the contribution. Ask about hardship arrangements.

Support at Home contributions

Your contribution depends on the service category:

• Clinical supports (nursing, allied health): no contribution from anyone.
• Independence services (transport, social support, respite): a means tested share. Personal care moves to the clinical supports category from 1 October 2026, so people approved for it stop paying a contribution for it from that date.
• Everyday living services (cleaning, gardening, meals): the highest share.

The Support at Home service list sets out which services fall into each category, and what the programme will not pay for.

Provider fees worth checking

Care management is charged as a percentage of your budget. Compare hourly rates between providers, and ask specifically about weekend, public holiday and after hours rates. Providers cannot charge entry or exit fees under Support at Home, and cannot charge separately for package management or travel, so treat any such charge as a red flag.

If you are moving into an aged care home

Residential costs split into distinct buckets.

1. Accommodation

What you pay for the room. Every home publishes a room price, and you choose how to pay it: a refundable lump sum (a Refundable Accommodation Deposit, or RAD), a daily payment (a Daily Accommodation Payment, or DAP), or a combination.

Lump sums are refunded to you or your estate when you leave, less retention amounts and any deductions you agreed to, and they are government guaranteed. If you enter care on or after 1 November 2025 there is no 28 day deadline to choose. You can pay a lump sum at any time after entry once your means assessment is finalised, and pay daily until you do. You cannot be required to pay a lump sum.

2. The basic daily fee

Everyone pays this. It covers meals, laundry, cleaning, power and other day to day living costs, and it is set as a percentage of the single basic Age Pension, so it moves each March and September.

3. Means tested contributions

Depending on income and assets you may contribute towards your own care. Under the arrangements that began on 1 November 2025 this includes a non-clinical care contribution and, for people with means above a threshold, a hotelling contribution towards everyday living costs. Clinical care is funded by the Government.

4. Higher everyday living fees

Optional charges for everyday living services above the standard, such as wine with dinner, pay television, outings or coffee at an on-site café. Since 1 November 2025 these have replaced extra and additional service fees. They cannot cover the room itself, which is part of the accommodation price. You have 28 days after signing to cancel or change the agreement without a cancellation fee, and the agreement must be reviewed at least once a year. Read this part of the agreement carefully: it must set out the cost of each service, how often it will be delivered and how it will be charged. Residents who agreed to extra or additional service fees before 1 November 2025 can keep those arrangements until 31 October 2026.

The safety nets

• Caps. For people who entered care on or after 1 November 2025, the non-clinical care contribution stops once a lifetime cap is reached or after four years of paying it, whichever comes first. People who entered before then and stay on the 1 July 2014 fee arrangements keep the annual and lifetime caps on the means tested care fee.
• Government funded accommodation. If your means are low, the Government pays your accommodation in full or in part.
• Financial hardship assistance. Available if you genuinely cannot meet fees because of circumstances beyond your control. Apply through Services Australia.
• "No worse off" protections. People in permanent residential care on 31 October 2025, and people receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024, are covered by no worse off arrangements.

The family home

The home is treated differently from other assets. For residential aged care means testing only a capped value of the former home counts, and it is not counted at all if a protected person still lives there, such as your partner or dependent child, or a carer eligible for an income support payment who has lived there with you for at least 2 years.

How you pay for aged care can affect your pension and your aged care fees, so get independent financial advice before you decide. This is the point at which specialist advice pays for itself. Look for an adviser accredited in aged care and ask them to model at least two scenarios in writing.

Frequently asked