About the basic daily fee
You can ask every resident in your aged care home to pay the basic daily fee. This will not change on 1 November 2025 when the new Aged Care Act starts. The fee helps to cover the costs of daily living like meals, cleaning, laundry, heating and cooling.
The Department of Veterans' Affairs may pay the basic daily fee for former Prisoners of War (POWs) and Victoria Cross (VC) recipients. Find out more about payment of the basic daily fee to ex-POW and VC holders.
How to charge a resident
Services Australia will tell you the amount of basic daily fee you can charge for each resident in their initial fee advice letter.
The basic daily fee is indexed every March and September in line with changes to the age pension. You need to update the amount you charge when indexation occurs. Find current rates in the Schedule of Fees and Charges.
Schedule of Fees and Charges for Residential and Home Care
Services Australia will tell you the amount of basic daily fee you can charge for each resident in their initial fee advice letter.
Rates of basic daily fee
Most residents pay the same rate of basic daily fee. However, residents on pre-1 July 2014 fee arrangements may pay a different rate.
Rates for 1 July 2014 and 1 November 2025 fee arrangements
For residents on the 1 July 2014 or 1 November 2025 fee arrangements, the maximum basic daily fee is 85% of the single basic age pension.
Rates for pre-1 July 2014 fee arrangements
For residents on the pre-1 July 2014 fee arrangements, the basic daily fee rate is either:
- standard
- non-standard
- protected.
Standard basic daily fee
The standard fee amount is 85% of the single basic age pension.
Non-standard basic daily fee
Some residents pay the non-standard basic daily fee rate until their circumstances change or they leave care. The non-standard fee amount is 96.5% of the single basic age pension.
To pay the non-standard basic daily fee rate, a resident must have first entered residential aged care before 20 March 2008. On 19 September 2009, and on each day since then, they must not have had a dependent child and must either:
- not receive an income support payment
- have paid an accommodation bond that is more than 10 times the basic age pension amount at the time of entry into care
- have not provided income and asset information to Services Australia.
If a resident no longer meets the criteria on or after 20 September 2009, they will pay the standard basic daily fee.
Protected basic daily fee
The protected fee amount is 77.5% of the single basic age pension. An aged care resident pays this lower rate of basic daily fee if they were in care on 19 September 2009, and on that day:
- they were a self-funded retiree or part pensioner
- their private income was equal to or more than the threshold amount for protected residents.
2012 basic daily fee supplement rates of basic daily fee
You may receive the 2012 basic daily fee supplement for residents who did not get any financial support to meet the basic daily fee increase that occurred on 1 July 2012. These residents pay a lower rate of the standard, non-standard or protected basic daily fee.
