Sue’s dad is 84 and still lives alone in the family home in Geelong. He’s had two falls since winter, the lawn has gone to seed, and he’s quietly stopped cooking. When Sue rings My Aged Care, she’s told the first step is an assessment. Her dad’s first question is “Are they going to put me in a home?”
No. An aged care assessment is how the government works out what help someone needs and which services they can get. For most people that means help at home, not a move. It’s a conversation at your kitchen table with a trained assessor, and a bit of preparation makes a real difference to the outcome. Here’s what to expect, step by step.
Who can be assessed
To access government-funded aged care you need an assessment first. My Aged Care says you can generally apply if you need help with everyday tasks and you’re:
- 65 or older, or
- an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person aged 50 or older, or
- aged 50 or older and homeless or at risk of homelessness.
You can apply for yourself, or a family member or friend can apply on your behalf with your consent.
One assessment system for everyone
If you went through this years ago with an ACAT or a Regional Assessment Service, it’s changed. Under the Single Assessment System, the government brought in the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) from 1 July 2024, and one assessment workforce now handles home support and residential care assessments. Whatever you’re assessed for, you get the same standard set of questions, and they’re used the same way across the country.
Under the new Aged Care Act, which started on 1 November 2025, that one assessment can approve you for the Commonwealth Home Support Program, the new Support at Home program, short-term care, respite or an aged care home.
Step 1: Apply
There are two ways to start:
- Online: the My Aged Care application form takes about 15 to 20 minutes. You need the applicant’s Medicare card and contact details. Part A checks age and needs, Part B covers who the assessor should contact, and an optional Part C lets you request a registered supporter.
- By phone: call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm). Phone rather than using the online form if you’ve been assessed before, you’re already registered, or you need care urgently.
An assessment organisation will then ring to confirm your needs, check whether you need an interpreter or an advocate, and book a time.
Step 2: Prepare
Assessments are done in person, usually in your own home. Have these ready:
- your Medicare card and one other form of ID (driver’s licence, concession card, passport or DVA card)
- copies of any referrals from your doctor
- contact details for your GP and other health professionals
- information about any help you already get, paid or unpaid
- a list of your medicines (not required, but handy)
- your questions, written down.
Before the day, spend some time listing what’s actually hard. Think about showering, getting in and out of bed, stairs, cooking, cleaning, shopping, the garden, getting to appointments, managing medicines, keeping track of bills and feeling lonely. Note any falls or near misses, with dates.
Bring a support person
You can have a family member, friend, carer or registered supporter with you, and they can give the assessor information before the assessment if you’d like. We’d strongly suggest it. If you don’t have someone you’re comfortable with, a care finder may be able to come along. Older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can bring an Elder Care Support worker. Free, independent advocates are also available through the Older Persons Advocacy Network on 1800 700 600. Interpreters are free, and you can ask for one at any point.
If you want someone to help you make decisions and deal with providers on an ongoing basis, ask the assessor to register them as your supporter. They can do it during the assessment. This is separate from an enduring power of attorney, which is covered in our guide to enduring powers of attorney by state.
Step 3: The assessment itself
The assessor will already have the information you gave My Aged Care. They’ll ask whether you agree to the assessment, and whether they can talk to the people who support you. Then they work through the IAT questions, which cover:
- your physical health and medical conditions
- how you’re managing daily tasks around the home
- memory and thinking
- mood and wellbeing
- safety at home, including falls
- the support you already have, and whether it will continue
- family, community and cultural activities
- your goals and what you’d like to keep doing.
With your consent, they may also look at your medical records or contact your GP. Allow a good part of the morning or afternoon.
The honest-answer problem
Here’s the part most families warn each other about. Many older people put on their best face for a visitor. “I manage fine” is a very common answer, even from someone who hasn’t showered properly in a week.
Describe your bad days, not your best day. The assessment decides your funding level, and understating your needs can leave you with too little help. If you’re the support person, it’s fine to add gently, “Dad, tell them about the fall in the bathroom.” The assessor can correct answers if something was recorded wrongly.
What the assessment decides
The assessor writes a support plan with you that records your strengths, difficulties, goals and preferences, and which services you’re eligible for. For Support at Home, the information also sets two things:
- Your classification, which is how much funding you get. There are eight ongoing levels, worth from about $11,000 to about $80,000 a year as at 1 October 2026.
- Your priority, which is how quickly funding reaches you: urgent, high, medium or standard. The criteria include living alone, being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, having an assessed cognitive impairment, being homeless or at risk of homelessness, needing services urgently, and having motor neurone disease.
A clinically trained delegate from the assessment organisation reviews and confirms these decisions. You can choose whether your support plan is added to your My Health Record.
Step 4: The outcome
You’ll receive an assessment outcome letter, sometimes called a Notice of Decision, plus your support plan. My Aged Care says this can take up to two weeks. You can track progress in your My Aged Care Online Account or by calling 1800 200 422. If your carer needs urgent respite while you wait, Carer Gateway is on 1800 422 737.
The letter includes referral details for providers. For home care, that’s when the real choosing starts: compare providers’ published prices before you sign anything.
If you disagree
You have options:
- Talk to the assessment organisation first. Their details are on your letter. Sometimes a misunderstanding can be fixed quickly.
- Request an internal review. It’s free. You must ask within 28 days of receiving your outcome letter, using the Request for an Internal Review of a Decision form or a letter to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. A family member, friend or registered supporter can request it for you. A reviewer checks whether IAT answers were entered incorrectly and may order a supplementary assessment. You’ll hear the result within 90 days.
- Make a complaint if the problem is how the assessment was done rather than the decision itself.
If your needs change later, after another fall or a hospital stay, you don’t have to start from scratch. You can ask for a support plan review, and the assessor can refer you for a full reassessment if things have changed significantly.
Our take
The assessment can feel like a test you can fail. It isn’t. It’s the gate to services you’ve paid taxes towards your whole working life, and the more accurately it captures your situation, the better the help you’ll get. Prepare a list, bring someone who knows you well, and tell the truth about the hard days.
And if you’re weighing up a move against staying put, our article on retirement villages versus ageing in place is a useful next read.
Official sources: My Aged Care: Apply for an assessment online; My Aged Care: Preparing for your assessment; My Aged Care: How the assessment process works; My Aged Care: Receiving your assessment outcome; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: How aged care needs assessments work.
FAQ
How long does a My Aged Care assessment take?
The online application takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The assessment visit itself is longer, so set aside a few hours to be safe. After the visit, My Aged Care says the outcome can take up to two weeks.
Does the assessment cost anything?
No. The assessment is free, and so is requesting an internal review of the decision. Any contributions only apply once you start receiving services.
Can my daughter or son be there?
Yes. You can have a family member, friend, carer or registered supporter with you, and they can share information with the assessor beforehand. You can also ask for an interpreter or a free advocate.
What if I’m assessed as not eligible?
You’ll get a letter explaining why. You can talk to the assessment organisation, ask for an internal review within 28 days, or look at privately paid services in the meantime.
Do I need a new assessment if things get worse?
Not always. Contact My Aged Care and ask for a support plan review. If your circumstances have changed significantly, you can be referred for a full reassessment, which may lead to a higher classification or a different type of care.
This article is general information only and isn’t medical, legal or financial advice. Aged care rules and processes change, so check the current details with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or at myagedcare.gov.au.
