Short-term care costs and fees

Residential respite fees are not the same as those for permanent residents in an aged care home. During your short stay in the aged care home, you will be asked to pay a basic daily fee. You may also be charged a booking fee. However, your provider cannot ask you to pay any means tested contributions or any accommodation costs.

What you pay for residential respite care is discussed and agreed upon between you and your provider. Your fees will be set out in your respite service agreement before you receive the services.

If you believe you cannot pay your fees for residential respite care, you can ask for financial hardship assistance.

Fees for residential respite care are: 

Basic daily fee 

Everyone pays a basic daily fee for daily living services.

The basic daily fee for a respite resident is set by the government at 85% of the single basic age pension. The government updates this fee on 20 March and 20 September each year, in line with increases to the age pension. Prices are published on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Based on current rates, the maximum basic daily fee is $65.55 per day.

Booking fee 

Some providers may ask for a booking fee to secure your place in the home. The booking fee cannot be more than:

• 1 week’s fees for respite, or
• 25% of the fee for the entire stay – whichever amount is the lowest.

Once you enter care, this fee will be deducted from your daily fees. You can ask providers if they charge booking fees and how much it will be for your stay. If they do, it must be clearly outlined in your service agreement.

Your provider must refund your booking fee if you cancel your respite care booking more than 7 days before your entry date. If you cancel within 7 days before your entry date, your provider may keep all or part of your booking fee.

If you enter hospital before or during your period of respite, your provider must refund the unused portion of your booking fee.

Higher everyday living fee

Some aged care homes offer higher quality services for an additional fee, called a higher everyday living fee.

The higher everyday living fee replaces the previous extra service fee and additional service fee arrangements.

A higher everyday living fee must not be agreed or charged before you have entered care, and it cannot be used as a condition of entry or to secure a room.    

A higher everyday living fee agreement must be in place and must outline the cost of each higher or additional service to be delivered, the standards and frequency at which they will be delivered, and how they will be charged.  

You should not be asked to pay for a service that you cannot or will not use. This does not prevent a bundle from including a service that you cannot use, but you must not be worse off than if you paid only for the services you can use.  

There is a 28-day cooling off period. This means you can cancel or vary your higher everyday living services within this period without a cancellation fee. Your provider needs to be notified of this, but there is no minimum notice period.  

After the initial 28-day cooling off period:  

• if you choose not to use the service, or are no longer able to use the service, it can be cancelled or varied with 28 days’ notice
• in some instances, your provider can pass on expenses incurred beyond the 28-day period if they are unavoidable (for example, subscription fees), but for no more than 90 days.  

If your provider can no longer deliver the service, it must be cancelled or varied immediately.  

Your higher everyday living fee agreement must be reviewed at least once a year to ensure you still want the services. 

Learn more about finding and connecting with residential respite care providers.

Community respite may be available to eligible senior Australians through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).

All CHSP providers must have a client contribution policy in place. This policy ensures that care recipients who can afford to contribute to the cost of their care do so. It also protects those who are most vulnerable.

CHSP providers must be transparent about their fees. They must also:

• advise CHSP clients of any client contributions payable, and
• keep track of these contributions, to make sure their clients do not experience financial hardship.

If you are receiving or about to receive community respite, you should speak to your CHSP provider for more information about service fees.

Learn more about community respite.

If you need emergency respite care, contact Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737. Further information on emergency respite is available on the Carer Gateway website.

Costs, funding, and financial hardship arrangements are different if you choose to access respite care through the Multi-Purpose Services Program, or the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program.