About residential aged care supplements
The Australian Government pays supplements to help with:
- the cost of meeting specific care needs and 24/7 registered nurse care
- some of the costs of delivering everyday living services
- accommodation costs, if residents can’t afford some or all of the cost.
If you have eligible residents, you get the supplement on their behalf. Supplement amounts are included in your subsidy payments for permanent and respite care.
When a resident is on some types of temporary leave, you will still get the subsidy up to a certain number of days.
Types of supplements
Below are the supplements that apply to residential aged care. Find out about eligibility for each supplement, whether you need to apply and how to apply.
Primary supplements
Other residential aged care supplements
- 24/7 registered nurse supplement
- 2012 basic daily fee supplement
- Accommodation charge top-up supplement
- Accommodation supplement
- Higher accommodation supplement
- Transitional accommodation supplement
- Concessional resident supplement
- Fee reduction supplement
- Hotelling supplement
- Pensioner supplement
- Veterans’ supplement.
From April 2026, eligible providers may also get the care minutes supplement.
Current rates
View the daily supplement rates in the Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements.
Who sets the supplement rates
The Australian Government sets the supplement rates.
The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) provides advice to inform annual funding changes to residential aged care.
When supplements can vary
Supplement rate changes
Care-related supplements are indexed once a year on 1 July.
Accommodation-related supplements are indexed twice a year on 20 March and 20 September, in line with pension increases.
The Hotelling Supplement is indexed annually on 20 September, following consideration of pricing advice by IHACPA.
Temporary leave
If a resident temporarily leaves their aged care home, the Government may stop paying some supplements. It depends on how long their leave is for.
Find out how temporary leave affects supplement payments.
Supporting legislation
Details on the residential aged care subsidy eligibility for supplements are in:
- Chapter 2 of the Subsidy Principles 2014
- Chapter 2 of the Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Principles 2014
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