Understanding aged care fees and charges
When making the move to residential aged care, there’s a lot to understand, including the cost.
Your aged care fees and charges will vary according to your personal needs, your circumstances and your chosen care home. Generally, you will be required to pay for your basic living expenses, your care and your accommodation. You may also want to take advantage of additional services your care home provides.
This page will help you to:
- Check for financial support from the Government
- Get an estimate of your fees
- Find out which fees you will need to pay
- Decide how you will pay
Check if Government financial support is available
You may be eligible for Government support to cover some, or all, of your care and accommodation fees. To apply for this support, you need to complete the Request for a Combined Assets and Income Assessment on the Department of Human Services (DHS) website.
As it can take 2 to 4 weeks for the DHS to assess your eligibility, it’s a good idea to complete the form long before entering aged care. If you choose not to complete the form, that’s okay, but it’s likely you will have to cover all the fees yourself.
Get an estimate of your fees online
We understand that you may not have time to complete the Combined Assets and Income Assessment before moving into your new Calvary home. Fortunately, the DHS has developed a useful online calculator on their My Aged Care website. It will give you a good indication of the fees you can expect once your assessment form has been processed.
Alternatively, you can always contact your Calvary Home Manager. They can provide you with an estimate of your fees.
Find out which fees you need to pay
There are three main fees associated with residential aged care:
Basic daily fee: This fee covers your day-to-day living costs such as meals, laundry, heating and cleaning. It is currently 85% of the pension. Every resident at one of our Calvary residential aged care homes can be asked to pay this fee. Payment is required one month in advance and can be made by direct debit or via Centrepay.
Means-tested care fee: This fee contributes to your day-to-day care costs. The Department of Human Services will determine whether we will ask you to pay this fee. If so, payment is required one month in advance via direct debit.
Accommodation fee: This fee covers your accommodation – the room that you’ll live in at your new Calvary home. Again, the Department of Human Services will determine whether we will ask you to pay this fee. Their assessment will also outline your payment options.
Paying your fees
A Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) can be paid by cheque or Electronic Funds Transfer.
Other accommodation fees should be paid one month in advance via direct debt. If you pay a RAD, you can choose to have some other fees deducted from your RAD balance. This includes your DAP as part of a combination arrangement. Your refund will be smaller when you leave your care home, but you may find this method easier to manage your bills.
Questions? We’re here to help
Give us a call on 1800 52 72 72 and a member of our Calvary Assist team will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively, you can read more about fees and charges on the Australian Government’s Ageing and Aged Care website.