Step 1. Become an approved provider
You must become an approved provider before you can get government funding.
An approved provider:
- applies for and manages government subsidies and supplements
- is responsible for delivering quality care and services
- manages fees for aged care services
Step 2. Understand your responsibilities
To maintain your approved provider status, you must demonstrate the residential aged care provider responsibilities.
Step 3. Apply for allocated places
To get government funding, you must have an approved allocation of places.
To apply for places, you need to be an approved provider or have applied to become a provider.
Step 4. Get accreditation
To receive Australian Government subsidies, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission must accredit your service.
Accreditation assesses approved providers’ compliance with the Aged Care Quality Standards.
Visit the Commission website to find out how to become accredited.
Step 5: Set your room prices
You can set your room prices for different kinds of rooms up to a refundable deposit of $550,000 (or the equivalent daily payment).
You must apply to the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority to set a price higher than the maximum, or to renew your approval. Approval lasts 4 years from the approval date.
Step 6. Register with My Aged Care
You will need to set up your account in the My Aged Care service provider portal. There, you will:
- create a profile
- publish your room prices
- manage service referrals
Senior Australians will then be able to find your service when they search for a provider.
Watch our video on how to set up your profile as a residential aged care provider.
Publishing room prices
You are required to publish some information about your rooms, and keep it updated. This includes:
- the maximum accommodation price for each room, or part of a room, in the aged care home given as both a refundable accommodation deposit (RAD) and equivalent daily payment (DAP), and an example of a combination payment
- a description of the accommodation
- an explanation of the payment options
This allows people to make an informed decision about their accommodation.
You must publish this information:
- on My Aged Care
- on your own website, if you have one
- in any printed materials given to potential residents
Step 7. Register to claim the subsidy
Once you are approved and accredited, you can register for claiming the residential aged care subsidy.
If you provide care to someone who is eligible, the Government will also pay a supplement on their behalf.
The Government also pays approved providers a residential respite subsidy for each person in residential respite care.