Care minutes supplement for residential aged care

Applies to

From 1 April 2026, your aged care home is eligible for the supplement if it:

• is located in metropolitan (Modified Monash 1) areas based on the 2023 MMM classifications
• does not receive specialised homeless Base Care Tariff (BCT). 

What is the supplement?

The care minutes supplement funds eligible homes to meet their care minutes requirements in addition to their Australian National Aged Care Classification funding.

The supplement is non-means tested and will be funded based on the amount of care minutes and registered nurse (RN) minutes that you deliver to residents.

For more information on the care minutes supplement, see provider fact sheet and frequently asked questions.

How the supplement works

The care minutes supplement is paid on a sliding scale based on:

• the percentage of total care minutes delivered compared to your target
• the percentage of RN minutes delivered compared to your target.

You will receive more funding based on how close you were to meeting both these targets. Your supplement will be zero if you deliver less than 85% of both targets.

The supplement rate is based on the care hours you reported in the Quarterly Financial Report 2 quarters earlier. For example, your care minutes performance in October – December 2025 determines the funding you receive in April – June 2026.

You can use the  online care minutes supplement estimator to check the funding you will receive. It is important to note that this is an estimate only.

Supplement rates

The maximum supplement rate is $33.41 per resident per day.

View the current rates in the  Schedules of Subsidies and Supplements for Aged Care.

Special circumstances

Under the Aged Care Rules 2025, the maximum supplement rate may apply for up to 4 quarters in the following special circumstances when:

• a new home becomes operational for the first time
• an existing home is transferred to another provider
• a home goes offline and is not operational for a period, before becoming operational again
• a home changes from specialised BCT into the standard MM1 BCT category (e.g. homeless status was revoked).

For more information, refer to changes coming to care minutes funding fact sheet.

Getting the supplement 

You do not need to apply for the care minutes supplement.  

If you are eligible, Services Australia will pay it monthly in line with other residential aged care subsidies and supplements.  

Reporting of care minutes 

You are required to report your care time through the Quarterly Financial Report (QFR). 

In addition, you are required to submit your audited care time reporting at the end of the financial year through the Care Minutes Performance Statement starting from the 2025-26 Aged Care Financial Report. This includes providing the audit report. 

Recalculating the supplement

Your care minutes supplement entitlement will be initially calculated off the care minutes performance you reported in your QFR.  

If you report a different amount of care minutes in your Care Minutes Performance Statement than you did in the QFR, your care minutes supplement entitlement will be recalculated.  

If your reporting needs to be adjusted following a 24/7 RN and Care Minutes Reporting Assurance Activities, your care minutes supplement entitlement will also be recalculated. 

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