My Aged Care: How to Register (2026 Guide, Australia)

These three things confuse almost every family, so here is the plain version.

• My Aged Care is the Australian Government's single entry point and information service for subsidised aged care. It is a phone line (1800 200 422) and a website (myagedcare.gov.au). You register here and it refers you for an assessment. It does not deliver any care itself.

• The assessment is carried out by an independent assessment organisation, not by My Aged Care staff. Since the Single Assessment System started on 9 December 2024, there is one assessment workforce. What used to be a Regional Assessment Service (RAS) check is now a 'home support assessment' for lower-level needs, and what used to be an ACAT (Aged Care Assessment Team) check is now a 'comprehensive assessment' for higher or more complex needs, including entry to an aged care home. The assessor decides what you are eligible for, they do not provide the services.

• Providers are the businesses and not-for-profits that actually deliver the care: the cleaner, the nurse, the personal carer, or the residential aged care home. You only choose a provider after you have been assessed and approved.

In short: My Aged Care is the door, the assessment is the gatekeeper, and the provider is the service. You move through them in that order.

Registering with My Aged Care means applying for an assessment. There are three ways to do it, and all of them are free.

• Online: At myagedcare.gov.au/apply-online. It takes about 15-20 minutes and all you need is your Medicare card. You can do it for yourself, or for a family member or friend with their permission.

• By phone: Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 (Monday-Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 10am-2pm). Have the Medicare card handy. With consent, you can speak on someone else's behalf.

• In person: Book a face-to-face appointment with an Aged Care Specialist Officer (ACSO) at a Services Australia service centre by calling 1800 227 475. This is good if you find phone or online hard, or want sit-down help.

A doctor or hospital can also make a referral for an assessment on your behalf with your consent. After you apply, an assessment organisation will call within 2 to 6 weeks to confirm your needs and, if eligible, arrange a home visit. The assessment is done in person, usually in your own home, so you do not have to travel anywhere. If the matter is urgent (for example, a parent being discharged from hospital and unsafe at home), say so clearly when you apply, as priority is considered.

This is general information, not personal advice. If you are unsure whether to apply, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and talk it through, there is no obligation.

A little preparation makes a stressful day much easier. Gather these before the assessor arrives.

• ID: your Medicare card plus one other form of ID such as a driver licence, healthcare card, passport or DVA card.

• Medical and care information: any referrals, your GP and specialist contact details, a current medication list, and details of any existing supports or carers.

• A support person: you can have a family member, friend, carer or a registered supporter or advocate with you. You do not have to face it alone, and an extra set of ears helps you remember what was said.

• Your goals and questions: think in advance about what you want to keep doing and where you need help. Useful questions include: What services are available to help me reach my goals? What is available locally and what are the waiting times? Are there providers who speak my language or understand my cultural, spiritual or identity needs?

Be honest about your hardest days, not your best. Assessors fund support based on what they hear, so describing your worst day rather than a good day gives a truer picture of your needs.

The new Aged Care Act started on 1 November 2025 and replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care with the Support at Home program. You will receive a decision letter (Notice of Decision) telling you what you have been approved for.

If approved for ongoing in-home support, you are assigned one of 8 funding classifications, each with a quarterly (3-monthly) budget. You can carry over unspent funds of up to $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget, whichever is greater. Funding is released through the Support at Home Priority System based on your approval date and priority category, so there can be a wait. People assessed as high priority and needing urgent support are intended to receive their package within one month, and interim funding (60% of the full classification) may be released so critical services are not delayed.

For lower-level needs, entry-level help continues under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), which has been extended and will not transition into Support at Home before 1 July 2027.

Once approved, use the Find a Provider tool at myagedcare.gov.au/find-a-provider to search and compare. For aged care homes you can compare Star Ratings (1 to 5 stars across residents' experience, compliance, staffing and quality measures), shortlist up to 16 providers and compare up to 3 side by side. Take your time, visit if you can, and ask about waiting lists and what is included.

Assessment and My Aged Care are free. Care itself may involve a contribution, and this changed under the 1 November 2025 reforms. None of this is financial advice, see the free help listed in the next section before making big decisions.

Support at Home (in your own home): the government fully funds clinical care (nursing, physiotherapy), so you pay nothing toward it. You contribute to other services based on your means. Verified rates: full pensioners pay 0% for clinical care, 5% for independence services (like personal care) and 17.5% for everyday living services (like cleaning and gardening). Self-funded retirees pay 0% clinical, 50% independence and 80% everyday living. Part-pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders fall in between depending on income and assets. A lifetime contribution cap of $135,318.69 (as at 20 September 2025) protects long-term recipients, and from 1 October 2026 the government will fully fund personal care, meaning no out-of-pocket cost for approved personal care.

Residential aged care (an aged care home): there is a basic daily fee set at 85% of the single Age Pension (around $66.80 per day from 20 March 2026), plus a possible means-tested contribution. For those entering on or after 1 November 2025, the arrangements include a hotelling contribution and a higher everyday living fee, and if you pay accommodation as a refundable lump sum (a RAD), the provider can now retain 2% per year of the balance. Means-tested amounts are capped (an annual and a lifetime cap apply). If your income and assets are low, the government pays your accommodation in full.

Your exact residential contribution is worked out by Services Australia from an income and assets assessment (forms SA457/SA369). Always get this done so you are not overcharged.

The new Aged Care Act 2024 puts a legal Statement of Rights at the centre of the system: older people have enforceable rights to be treated with dignity, to make their own decisions, and to give feedback and make complaints without fear. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is the national regulator, and a separate Complaints Commissioner handles concerns about providers and aged care workers.

You do not have to navigate any of this alone, and the best help costs nothing.

• My Aged Care: 1800 200 422, for registration, assessments and general questions.

• OPAN (Older Persons Advocacy Network): 1800 700 600, free, independent and confidential advocacy if you feel stuck, pressured or unsure of your rights. Open 8am-8pm Monday-Friday and 10am-4pm Saturday.

• Financial Information Service (Services Australia): free, independent guidance on aged care costs and your financial options. Call the Centrelink Older Australians line and ask for the Financial Information Service.

• National Dementia Helpline (Dementia Australia): 1800 100 500, free expert support 24 hours a day, every day, including help understanding My Aged Care.

• Complaints about a provider: contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Making a complaint is your right and cannot be held against you.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, that is normal. Start with one phone call to 1800 200 422 today, and let the assessment process carry you forward one step at a time.