Becoming a registered provider
You must register through the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC). The ACQSC will vary and renew registrations and regulate providers.
Read about the registration process, variation of services and registration renewal, or watch videos on:
- becoming a registered provider and renewing your registration
- changing, suspending and revoking provider registration.
The registration process applies to all Australian Government-funded aged care providers, including:
- residential aged care services
- Support at Home program
- Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)
- Transition Care Program (TCP)
- Multi-Purpose Services program (MPSP)
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program (NATSIFAC).
Email the ACQSC on info@agedcarequality.gov.au.
Before providing aged care services
Once registered, you need to:
- be set up through Services Australia to make claims for aged care subsidies and supplements
- access the Government Provider Management System (GPMS) for reporting and data collection
- log into the My Aged Care Service and Support Portal to manage information on services, participants and residents, and referrals.
Registration categories
Aged care providers are registered into one or more categories, relevant to:
- the type of services provided
- services required by funding agreement.
Read the Support at Home program and Residential Care service lists.
You are not required to deliver all services in the categories you are registered in, but you should deliver at least one service.
You must notify the ACQSC of the service types you intend to deliver. The 6 registration categories are:
| Provider registration category | Description | Service types |
|---|---|---|
| Category 2 | Assistive technology and home modifications |
|
| Category 3 | Advisory and support services |
|
| Category 4 | Personal and care support in the home or community |
|
| Category 5 | Nursing and transition care |
|
| Category 6 | Residential care |
|
Requirements and search tool
As an aged care registered provider, you will need to meet a set of consolidated requirements under the Aged Care Act and Aged Care Rules relevant to your registration category or categories. These requirements will depend on the services you deliver or are funded to deliver.
Requirements refer to all conditions of registration, provider obligations and statutory duties under the Act and Rules.
Registration categories and service types are grouped according to common characteristics and risks associated in delivery of care.
Some registration conditions will apply to all providers, for example:
- understanding and having systems in place to support the rights of older people receiving aged care services
- continuous improvement
- the Statement of Rights
- the Aged Care Code of Conduct
- worker screening
- incident management and complaints.
Other conditions will be specific to a registration category and only apply to certain providers, such as:
- setting up an advisory board
- meeting financial reporting requirements
- compliance with the Aged Care Quality Standards.
The Aged Care Quality Standards will apply to registration categories 4, 5 and 6, based on the services being delivered or specified in a funding agreement. The standards only apply to services in those registration categories and not other services which the provider may deliver.
Aged Care Provider Requirements Search tool
The Aged Care Provider Requirements Search tool helps you to find and comply with requirements by:
- bringing together all relevant requirements, including conditions of registration, provider obligations, and statutory duties
- linking to the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments, to verify information with official legislative sources
- providing educational materials, guidance documents, and online information to further support understanding and compliance.
Aged care workers, digital platform operators and responsible persons can also use the tool to find their requirements under the Act.
This tool is a guide; it doesn’t replace the new Act and Aged Care Rules.
Watch a video that introduces the tool and explains how providers can find their requirements.
Regulating aged care services
The ACQSC is the Australian regulator of aged care services, it ensures aged care providers:
- comply with their requirements under the Act
- work in an open and ethical way to support older people.
ACQSC will audit prospective providers seeking to deliver residential aged care and complex home care services, against the Aged Care Quality Standards. This forms part of the registration process.
The ACQSC may also apply specific conditions on the registration of an individual provider, for example:
- conditions related to the location or number of aged care recipients the provider can deliver services to
- a condition that restricts the service types that can be delivered within a registration category
conditions related to an issue being addressed through regulatory or enforcement pathways – for example, that a provider must appoint an adviser for a period to provide training for its aged care workers. The Statement of Expectations to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission sets out the ACQSC role and responsibilities.