The ACAT Assessment: Your Free Gateway to Aged Care (2026)

If a doctor, hospital social worker or community nurse has told you 'Mum needs an ACAT', this is the assessment they mean. It is the official front door to Australian Government-subsidised aged care. Without it, you cannot access a place in a residential aged care home, government-funded respite, or the higher levels of in-home care.

There has been a name change you should know about, because the old and new words are used interchangeably. Under the Single Assessment System (consolidated on 9 December 2024), the assessment that used to be done by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) is now formally called a 'comprehensive assessment', and the teams themselves are now called 'assessment organisations'. The job they do has not changed. If a hospital says ACAT and the letter you receive says comprehensive assessment, they are the same thing.

There are two levels of assessment. A 'home support assessment' is for someone needing lower-level help to stay independent at home, such as cleaning, meals or social support under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme. A 'comprehensive assessment' is for someone with greater needs, and it is the only one that can approve a residential aged care home, respite, or Support at Home. When you first apply, My Aged Care decides which level you are referred for based on what you tell them, so you do not have to pick.

Critically, the assessment is free. There is no cost to be assessed, no means test to get one, and your income and assets make no difference to your eligibility for the assessment itself.

You should apply if everyday tasks are getting harder, if a carer is struggling, after a fall or hospital stay, or simply to plan ahead before a crisis forces a rushed decision. You do not have to wait until things are dire, and applying early is genuinely sensible because services and aged care home places can take time to arrange.

Age thresholds are clear. You can be assessed if you are aged 65 or over, or 50 or over if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person. People on a low income who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can be assessed from 50 (or 45 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people).

You do not have to do this alone or even do it yourself. You can apply on behalf of a parent, partner or friend, and you can be present at their assessment as a family member, friend or carer. My Aged Care also has a formal 'registered supporter' role, so someone can be authorised to speak with My Aged Care and receive information on the older person's behalf on an ongoing basis. This can be set up when you apply or by the assessor on the day.

If English is not the older person's first language, a free interpreter can be arranged at any point in the process, including during the assessment. Just ask when you call.

There are two ways to start, and both are free.

• Phone: Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, open Monday to Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday 10am-2pm (local time). A staff member runs through some questions over about 15-20 minutes and lodges the application for you. This is the best option if the situation is urgent, for example a parent waiting in hospital, because you can explain the urgency directly.

• Online: Apply at myagedcare.gov.au. The online form takes around 15-20 minutes, and all you need on hand is a Medicare card. You can complete it for yourself or for a family member or friend.

After the application is lodged, an assessment organisation will contact you, usually by phone, within about 2 to 6 weeks. On that call they confirm the needs and, if a face-to-face assessment is appropriate, they arrange a time to visit the older person at home (or wherever they are currently staying, including hospital).

Beware of look-alike websites and paid 'placement' services that charge to do this for you. The government assessment is free and is only arranged through My Aged Care. You never need to pay anyone to be assessed.

A trained aged care needs assessor visits in person, usually at home. It is a conversation, not an exam. They talk through the older person's health, daily life, what is going well and what is becoming difficult, such as showering, cooking, medications, mobility, memory and getting out of the house. The aim is to understand the whole picture and recommend services that genuinely fit, not to catch anyone out.

It helps to be prepared. Have ready a Medicare card plus one other form of ID (such as a driver licence, DVA card, health care card or passport), any relevant medical and care information, GP and specialist contact details, and a list of the questions and concerns you want to raise. Thinking in advance about the person's goals, wishes and preferences makes the visit far more useful.

Have a support person present if you can. The assessor expects family, a friend or a carer to be there, and a second set of ears matters because this is a lot to take in. If the older person tends to downplay their struggles (very common), a family member gently filling in the real picture is one of the most valuable things you can do, ideally agreed with them beforehand so it does not feel like an ambush.

The face-to-face assessment itself is not long, typically under an hour, though it varies with how complex the needs are. There is no pass or fail. The assessor is matching needs to the right type of support.

A comprehensive assessment is powerful because a single assessment can open several doors at once. Depending on the needs identified, it can approve:

• Support at Home: in-home care to help someone stay living at home. This program replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025 under the new Aged Care Act. If approved for ongoing support you are assigned one of 8 classification levels, with funding scaled to your needs, plus access to short-term pathways for assistive technology and home modifications, restorative care, and end-of-life care.

• A residential aged care home: approval to move into permanent residential care. You then have six months from the date of your approval letter to find a provider and start, so an approval does not force an immediate move.

• Residential respite: short-stay care in an aged care home to give a carer a break or help recovery. Once approved you are entitled to 63 days of subsidised respite per financial year, and you can apply to extend by up to 21 days.

• Transition care and short-term restorative care: time-limited support to recover and regain independence, often after a hospital stay.

You receive the result in an assessment outcome letter, sometimes called a Notice of Decision, usually within about 2 to 6 weeks of the assessment. For Support at Home it also tells you your priority category, which affects how soon ongoing funding becomes available. If you disagree with the outcome, the letter explains how to ask for a review or appeal, and OPAN (1800 700 600) can help you do this for free.

This is the point families most often misunderstand, so it is worth being plain about. The care assessment decides what services you are eligible for. It does not decide what you will pay. Those are two separate processes, run by two different agencies.

If you are moving into a residential aged care home, or want to know your contribution to Support at Home, a separate means assessment (income and assets) is carried out by Services Australia. That assessment determines how much you contribute and how much the Government subsidises. You do not need a means assessment simply to enter respite care, unless you want to apply for financial hardship help.

Aged care costs are genuinely complex and the decisions are significant, so use the free official help rather than guessing. The Services Australia Financial Information Service is free and independent. Call the Older Australians line on 132 300 and say 'Financial Information Service' when asked why you are calling. You can also book an appointment with an Aged Care Specialist Officer in person or by video.

This guide is general information only, not personal financial or legal advice. For advice tailored to your situation, speak to the Financial Information Service (132 300) or a licensed financial adviser, and for legal matters about decision-making or guardianship, your state's public advocate or guardianship tribunal.

You are not meant to navigate this alone, and the best help costs nothing.

• My Aged Care, 1800 200 422: the central point for applying, checking progress, and asking questions. Open Monday to Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday 10am-2pm local time.

• Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN), 1800 700 600: free, confidential and independent advocacy for older people seeking or receiving aged care, and for their families. They help you understand your rights, prepare for assessments and challenge outcomes you disagree with. Available Monday to Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday 10am-4pm, with interpreters on request.

• Services Australia Financial Information Service, 132 300: free help understanding aged care fees and your financial options.

• Dementia Australia, 1800 100 500: the National Dementia Helpline, if memory or cognition is part of the picture.

If the situation is urgent, say so when you call My Aged Care. This is a stressful, often grief-tinged moment, and asking for help early, before a fall or a hospital discharge forces the issue, is the kindest thing you can do for both your parent and yourself.