on this page
We use the Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care (SA486) form to collect details about the care recipient's income and financial assets. We can also work out how much you get, as an aged care provider, to provide aged care services.
Starting home care
When the care recipient starts care, you need to enter their details into the online Aged Care Entry Record. This is for means assessment data matching.
We’ll send you the fee notification letter for your care recipient if an assessment was completed.
Care recipients don’t have to do an income and assets assessment. This means they’ll pay all of these:
- the maximum basic daily fee
- the maximum means tested care fee
- accommodation costs subject to annual and lifetime caps.
People who get an income support payment
Home care recipients don't need to complete an assessment if they get any of these support payments:
We have enough details about their income to do the assessment for them.
Who should do the assessment
Home care recipients should complete an Aged Care Calculation of your cost of care (SA486) form if they're any of the following:
- a self funded retiree
- getting a non income tested government payment.
A non income tested payment can be any of these:
People getting home care should also complete this form if they don’t get the Income Support Supplement with either of these Department of Veterans’ Affairs pensions:
The assessment form helps us to work out how much the care recipient will pay for their aged care services. People can complete the means assessment up to 120 days before they start a Home Care Package.
Incomplete assessment
We call the care recipient or their nominee if they submit an incomplete assessment. We’ll write to the care recipient if we can’t contact them over the phone.
Assessments not submitted
If the care recipient hasn’t sent a request for an assessment we send a reminder. They must submit a completed means assessment form after they get the reminder.
If they don’t, they’ll pay the maximum cost for their care and the agreed accommodation price. We’ll send you and your care recipient letters with this advice.
Assessment outcome
We send an assessment outcome letter. It shows the fees a care recipient needs to pay.
The initial fee advice is valid for 120 days unless they tell us of a change in their circumstances.
Sometimes the fee advice isn’t what the care recipient expected. This is because sometimes we or the DVA hold further details about the care recipient.