By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last updated: 27 April 2026
Your parent is in hospital, or they've just had a fall, or you've watched them struggle for months and finally admitted they need more help than you can give. The system that's supposed to help you is a phone number, a wait time, and a form. This guide tells you how it actually works — in the order you'll need it.
There are four steps. They happen in sequence. You cannot skip them. But knowing what's coming at each step, and what to do when it stalls, makes the difference between getting care in weeks and waiting months.
My Aged Care is the government's single entry point for aged care in Australia. Every path — home care, residential care, short-term support — starts with a call to My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
The call registers your parent in the system. Without this call, the assessment cannot be booked, and without the assessment, no funding can be approved. It is the gate, and it is not optional.
My Aged Care's phone lines have peak wait times that regularly exceed 30 minutes. If you're calling during a crisis — parent just discharged from hospital — call first thing in the morning. Have your parent's Medicare card ready. If your parent cannot speak for themselves, you can call on their behalf.
My Aged Care: 1800 200 422 — 8am–8pm weekdays, 10am–2pm Saturdays.
If your parent is being discharged from hospital and you need to arrange care urgently, use the hospital discharge tool for the specific steps and scripts for that situation.
The eligibility rules are simpler than the system makes them sound.
Your parent qualifies if they are aged 65 or older (50 or older if Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, or homeless or at risk of homelessness), and an Australian citizen or permanent resident. The system then assesses how much care they need — it does not look at income or assets to decide whether they qualify.
Income and assets come in later, when calculating how much you contribute toward the cost of services. But they play no role in deciding whether your parent gets access.
Many families assume aged care is means-tested from the start and don't bother applying. It isn't. The assessment is about need, not money. If someone tells you your parent "earns too much" to qualify — that is wrong. Apply first, worry about cost second.
One other thing to know: if your parent has lower-level needs, My Aged Care may direct them to the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) first — individual services like cleaning, meals, and transport — rather than a full Support at Home package. CHSP continues separately until at least 1 July 2027. If CHSP is suggested and you think your parent needs more, say so.
After registration, an assessment is booked. For most people, this is conducted by a trained assessor — either in the home or in a hospital if the person is an inpatient.
The assessment uses the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) — a rules-based scoring system that measures functional ability across a range of domains: mobility, cognition, self-care, continence, falls risk, and others. The IAT produces a classification from 1 to 8. The classification determines the quarterly budget — how much government funding is allocated for care each quarter.
The IAT scores falls risk based on frequency, not severity. A person who has minor falls twice a week scores higher than someone who had one significant fall requiring hospitalisation. Being honest and specific about your parent's worst days — not their best — produces an accurate result. Assessors are not always forthcoming about how specific answers affect the outcome.
What to bring to the assessment:
A written list of everything your parent struggles with — not just what they ask for help with, but what they avoid because it's become too hard
A list of medications
Any medical reports or specialist letters about their condition
Observations about falls, confusion, or episodes that happened when no one was watching
The assessment takes approximately 45–75 minutes. You can be present. You can ask questions. If you believe the outcome doesn't reflect your parent's actual situation, you have 28 days from the date of the decision notice to request a review.
For a full explanation of how the IAT scoring works, read the IAT decoded guide. To prepare before the assessment day, read the assessment prep guide.
Aged care in Australia is not free, but most of it is heavily subsidised. What you pay depends on what type of service your parent receives.
Many families are surprised that nursing visits cost nothing while cleaning visits do. The logic is that clinical care is a health service; everyday living support is closer to a household service. It's not intuitive, but it's worth knowing before you plan.
Key change from 1 October 2026: Personal care — showering, dressing, continence — moves to Clinical. From that date it will be free. If your parent's main service is personal care, this change will reduce your costs significantly.
On top of service costs, your provider charges a care management fee. That fee is legally capped at 10% of your quarterly budget under the Aged Care Rules 2025 — not a guideline, a hard cap. Use the fee calculator to see what you're likely to pay. For a complete explanation of how Support at Home funding works — quarterly budgets, the 10% care management fee cap, and what every line on your statement means — read the Support at Home funding guide.
Once assessed and approved, your parent receives a letter confirming their classification and quarterly budget. This is the starting point for choosing a provider.
The honest picture on wait times: metropolitan families generally wait 2–6 weeks for a standard assessment. Regional families wait longer. Hospital patients sometimes move faster, but this is not guaranteed.
The system has more demand than capacity. What you can do is push. If the wait is stretching beyond what is safe, call My Aged Care and say specifically:
"My parent has been assessed and approved and is currently at risk at home. I am requesting an urgent review of the wait time." Document the call with date, time, and the name of the person you spoke to.
If there is no movement after 2 weeks, call OPAN on 1800 700 600 for free advocacy support.
Once approved, you choose who delivers the care. There is no automatic assignment.
The provider you choose determines what percentage of your quarterly budget reaches actual care — and what percentage goes in management fees. The care management fee is capped at 10% but some providers charge the maximum; others charge less. Ask before you sign.
Check a provider's compliance history at the ACQSC register before committing. Use the provider checker and read the choosing a provider guide before signing anything.
Home care — now called Support at Home — means your parent stays at home and services come to them. A support worker for showering and dressing. A cleaner. A nurse. The level of service depends on the classification, but the person stays in their own home.
Residential care means moving into an aged care facility. It is appropriate when the level of need has moved beyond what can be safely delivered at home — when risks of staying home are too high, or when 24-hour supervision is needed.
Many families wait too long before considering residential care because it feels like giving up. It isn't. For some people, it means better care, more safety, and less suffering. If you're not sure which path is right, the residential care guide helps you work through it.
Things go wrong. Providers miss visits. Assessments come back too low. Funding is delayed. The system does not fix these things automatically — you have to push.
The first step is always the provider. Put your complaint in writing and keep a copy. State what went wrong, on what date, and what you need them to do. Give them 5 business days.
If nothing happens, call OPAN on 1800 700 600. OPAN is free and independent. They advocate for people receiving aged care and they know how to get things moving when providers aren't responding. This is not a last resort — it's the sensible first escalation.
Most families don't complain because they're afraid of making things worse for their parent. The ACQSC is required to handle complaints in a way that protects the person receiving care. You are not going to cause trouble by complaining. You are doing what the system requires you to do.
For the full escalation process — who to call at each stage, what to say, and what to do when nothing moves — read the escalation ladder guide.
Have Medicare card ready. Call in the morning. If your parent cannot speak for themselves, you can call on their behalf.
Bring a written list of everything your parent struggles with — include their worst days, not their best. You have 28 days to request a review if the outcome is wrong.
This is the amount of government funding available for your parent's care each quarter.
You are not automatically assigned a provider. You choose. Check the provider checker before signing anything.
Answer a few questions about your parent's situation and get a personalised action plan with step-by-step instructions, phone scripts, and the contacts you need.
In most cases, no. The My Aged Care registration and assessment are required before funded services begin. In a genuine emergency, the hospital social work team may be able to arrange interim support. Ask the hospital discharge planner.
No. Eligibility is based on need, not income or assets. Means testing applies later, when calculating your contribution to costs. It plays no role in deciding whether your parent gets access. If someone tells you your parent earns too much to qualify — that is wrong.
You cannot force an assessment on someone who has capacity and declines. If your parent has reduced capacity, a guardianship or power of attorney arrangement may be relevant. This varies by state — consult the relevant state guardian and trustee office.
Metropolitan families typically wait 2–6 weeks for a standard assessment. Regional families wait longer. If the situation is urgent, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and say specifically that your parent is at risk at home. Document the call with date, time, and the name of the person you spoke to.
Yes. You can switch providers at any time. It takes approximately 2–4 weeks. Check your service agreement for the notice period and give notice in writing.
Need a complete personalised plan for your situation?
This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Verified against the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.