What respite care actually is
Respite care is a short break from caring, not a permanent move. It exists to protect the carer – usually a spouse or adult child – from burnout, and to cover situations where the regular carer cannot be there: a holiday, a hospital stay, illness, or a sudden emergency. Care is delivered either in your own home or as a short stay in a residential aged-care home, and the person receiving care returns to their normal living arrangement afterwards.
Because it is short-term, respite does not involve a Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) or a daily accommodation payment (DAP). You are paying for care and accommodation for a defined stay, not buying into a permanent bed.
The 63-day subsidy explained
The Australian Government subsidises up to 63 days of residential respite care per financial year, provided you hold an ACAT respite approval. You can split those days across the year (for example, two weeks every couple of months) or use a single longer block. If there is an ongoing need, your assessor can extend the entitlement in blocks of 21 days at a time, subject to a yearly cap.
The 63 days are per person, per year – they reset each financial year – so families who plan ahead can spread carer breaks across the whole year rather than using them all at once.
In-home respite vs residential respite
| Type | Where | Best for | Funded through |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-home respite | Your own home | A few hours to a day off for the carer | Home Care Package or CHSP |
| Centre-based day respite | A day centre | Social activity plus carer relief during the day | CHSP |
| Residential respite | An aged-care home | Longer breaks, hospital recovery, emergencies | 63-day subsidy via ACAT |
For a short, regular break, in-home or centre-based respite is usually simpler and can run through a Home Care Package or CHSP provider. For longer breaks or after a hospital stay, residential respite in an aged-care home is the better option because it includes 24-hour nursing and personal care.
What respite care costs in 2026
Residential respite is means-tested. Everyone pays the basic daily fee, and some people pay an extra means-tested amount on top:
- Basic daily fee. $66.80/day in 2026, set at 85% of the single basic Age Pension rate. This covers meals, cleaning, laundry and everyday living costs.
- Means-tested amount. An additional contribution based on your income and assets, assessed by Services Australia. Many pensioners pay little or nothing beyond the basic daily fee.
- No RAD or DAP. Because respite is short-term, you do not pay an accommodation deposit – that only applies to permanent placement.
If you do not have an ACAT respite approval, you would be charged the full unsubsidised rate, which is materially higher – so the free assessment is always worth doing first.
How to book respite care, step by step
- Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and request an ACAT assessment that includes respite approval.
- Complete the free ACAT assessment. An assessor visits to confirm the level and type of care, including respite eligibility.
- Find a home with a respite bed. You can contact homes directly, or use a free placement specialist who knows which homes have current respite availability in your area.
- Confirm the fee. Services Australia tells you the means-tested amount; the home confirms the basic daily fee.
- Book the stay. Most metro homes can take a respite resident within the same week.
Respite as a trial run for permanent care
One of the most practical uses of respite is as a no-pressure trial. A short stay lets your parent experience a home – the food, the staff, the routine – before anyone commits to a permanent move. If it works and a permanent bed is available, the home can convert the respite stay into a permanent placement. At that point the permanent fee structure applies, including any RAD or daily accommodation payment. If you are weighing up permanent options, our ranked aged-care homes in Melbourne and aged-care homes in Perth are a good place to compare on ACQSC star rating, beds and ownership.
Find respite care in your suburb
We list homes offering respite across Melbourne and Perth. Start with your suburb:
- Respite care in Richmond – inner-east Melbourne
- Respite care in Fitzroy – inner-north Melbourne
- Respite care in Essendon – north-west Melbourne
- Respite care in Perth – Western Australia