Depending on your financial situation, your care and accommodation costs may be partly or fully covered by the government. There are strong protections in place to make sure that care is affordable for everyone.
The different types of fees you may have to pay are:
- Basic daily fee: This is a fee that everyone pays to cover everyday living costs (e.g. meals, cleaning, laundry). It is set at 85% of the single aged pension and is currently $66.80 per day. This fee increases twice a year in line with pension increases.
- Contributions based on your means assessment:
- Hotelling contribution: This is an additional contribution that some people pay towards daily living services such as meals, cleaning and laundry.
- Non-clinical care contribution: This is an amount that some people pay to cover personal care, such as bathing, mobility assistance and lifestyle activities.
- Means tested care fee: This is an amount that some people on 1 July 2014 fee arrangements pay towards the cost of their care.
Following your means assessment, Services Australia will let you know what contributions apply to you.
- Accommodation costs: You may be asked to pay for your accommodation depending on your financial situation. These are your payment options:
- Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD): A lump sum amount, fully refundable when you leave care, less any retention amounts, or
- Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP): A daily payment that is not refunded when you leave care (this is indexed twice per year), calculated based on the equivalent RAD and paid monthly, or
- Combination Payment: any combination of lump sun and daily payment.
- Optional costs: The higher everyday living fee enables aged care residents to pay for and received higher quality everyday living services.
For residents entering care on or after 1 November 2025, please refer to JGRC Resource Fees and Charges Windermere 1 April 2026.
Additional information on fees and charges is also available from My Aged Care.