Moving in before the means assessment is back: what you pay in the meantime

When a place comes up quickly, there often isn't time to wait for Services Australia to finish the means assessment. The good news: your parent can still move in. The fees just get sorted out properly once the assessment arrives.

This guide explains what the home can charge while you wait, what happens when the assessment comes back, and how to keep the gap as short as possible.

Your parent can move in first

The means assessment decides how much your parent pays towards their room, everyday living and care. It isn't a condition of moving in. If a place is offered and the agreements are signed, your parent can start in care while the assessment is still being worked on.

What the home charges in the meantime

Until the assessment is finished, the home can charge interim fees. It sets these itself, and many homes base them on the official fee estimator on My Aged Care. Ask the home how it worked out its interim amounts, and get that in writing.

For the room, your parent pays by the day while you wait. A lump sum for the room can only be paid once the means assessment is finished. If your parent chooses not to be assessed, it can be paid once their "means not disclosed" status is set.

When the assessment comes back

Services Australia sends a fee advice letter to your parent and to the home. The home then corrects the fees back to the day your parent moved in.

• If the interim fees were too high, your parent gets the difference back.
• If they were too low, your parent owes a top-up.

Keep the home's interim invoices so you can check the corrections line by line.

Fees before moving in

A home may also charge a pre-entry fee for holding the room in the days just before your parent moves in. It can only cover up to seven days before the move-in date, and only from the day the service agreement is signed. The daily amount is capped at $68.93. Ask whether the home charges one before you sign.

Keeping the wait short

How long the assessment takes varies. A few things help.

• Apply early, ideally before a place is found. An assessment done before moving in stays valid for 120 days, unless your parent's situation changes a lot.
• Use the right form. Most people use the SA457. People who already get the Age Pension or another income support payment and own their home may only need the shorter SA485, because Services Australia already holds their income details. You can apply online through myGov.
• Have documents ready, such as bank statements, super and investment details, and the home's value.
• Register as a nominee with Services Australia if you're helping, so you can deal with them for your parent.
• Follow up. If the assessment is taking a long time, contact Services Australia's aged care line.

Choosing not to be assessed

Your parent can choose not to complete a means assessment. Then they don't need to wait, but they can be asked to pay the maximum contributions, with no means-tested reduction. If your parent chose not to disclose their means and later decides to be assessed, the new fees start from the date of the assessment, not the day they moved in. It's different if they simply didn't send the information in when asked: then the assessment can usually be backdated to the day they moved in, or to when they declared their means. For most families, waiting for the assessment is worth it.

Getting an estimate

The Aged Care Costs calculator gives an estimate of the fees, with the home counted as it is today, and compares the ways of paying for the room.

Before deciding how to pay for the room, consider talking it through with a licensed financial adviser who specialises in aged care.

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