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Essential care and services support your daily living needs. Aged care homes are required by law to deliver these services to you.
Understanding changes to the Higher Everyday Living Fee in residential care
The Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) is an optional fee that you can pay for a higher standard of service. A HELF service is on top of the essential services your provider must deliver to you at no extra cost.
From 1 November 2026, new protections apply to aged care residents who were in care before 1 November 2025.
Under the new rules, providers must not charge a Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) for services that residents received at no extra cost immediately before 1 November 2025. These services must continue to be provided free of charge.
More information
See the HELF in residential care homes booklet to learn more about these changes and how they may affect you.
If you are unsure whether these changes apply to you, talk to your provider.
If you think your provider is not delivering or charging you for HELF services in the right way, contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. The commission can help you to get information, support or to make a complaint.
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