Aged Care
Higher Everyday Living Fees: What Aged Care Homes Must Provide and What Is Optional (2026)
Quick Answer
A higher everyday living fee is an optional charge for services above the standard of, or not on, the residential care service list every government-funded aged care home must provide. Residents can only be asked to agree after entering care, have 28 days to cancel without a fee, and prices rise only once a year by indexation.
When families compare aged care homes, one of the most confusing parts of the paperwork is working out which services are included and which cost extra. Under the Aged Care Act 2024, optional extras are now charged as higher everyday living fees, and the rules about what a home must provide have become much clearer. With the last of the old additional and extra service agreements ending on 31 October 2026, now is a good time to understand exactly what you are paying for.
This guide explains the services every government-funded aged care home must provide, what higher everyday living fees can and cannot be charged for, your rights to cancel, and the warning signs to watch for when reviewing an agreement.
OCT 2026
31
Old extra service agreements end this month
According to My Aged Care, additional and extra service fees were replaced by an optional higher everyday living fee from 1 November 2025, and existing additional and extra service agreements cease by 31 October 2026. If your loved one had one of these agreements, their home may ask them to consider a new higher everyday living agreement.
What Are Higher Everyday Living Fees?
A higher everyday living fee, often shortened to HELF, is an optional charge for services that go beyond the standard care every resident is entitled to. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing explains that a HELF can only be charged for services, other than accommodation-related services, that are of a higher standard than those on the residential care service list, or that are not already required or listed on it.
In other words, a home cannot charge you extra for something it is already required to provide. Higher everyday living services must still be delivered in line with the Aged Care Quality Standards and the Statement of Rights.
My Aged Care also offers an aged care home fee estimator, which helps families understand the different types of fees and work out roughly what they might pay before choosing a home. Using it early makes it much easier to see how any optional extras would change the total cost.
Higher everyday living fees sit alongside, not instead of, the other fees in residential care: the basic daily fee, any means-tested hotelling and non-clinical care contributions, and accommodation costs. Our guide to aged care home fees in Australia explains each of these.
How Your Aged Care Fees Fit Together
It helps to picture residential aged care fees as layers. Only the last layer is optional.
Basic daily fee
Means-tested contributions
Accommodation
Optional HELF
Basic daily fee: paid by all residents for everyday living costs such as meals, cleaning, laundry and utilities.
Means-tested contributions: the hotelling contribution and non-clinical care contribution, based on income and assets.
Accommodation: a refundable deposit, daily payment or a mix, unless the resident is supported by the government.
Higher everyday living fee: only for optional extras the resident chooses after moving in.
What Aged Care Homes Must Provide
Every government-funded aged care home must provide the care and services on the residential care service list, as each resident needs them. The Department publishes a booklet explaining these required services, and it is worth reading before signing any agreement.
Broadly, required services cover the essentials of daily life, care and wellbeing. Examples include:
Included as standard
✓ A room with furnishings and bedding
✓ Meals and drinks that meet dietary needs
✓ Cleaning, laundry and utilities
✓ Personal care such as showering and dressing
✓ Nursing and clinical care
✓ Continence and mobility support
✓ Social and recreational activities
May be offered as optional extras
Premium meal choices or wine with dinner
In-room entertainment packages
Higher-standard furnishings or services
Special outings beyond the standard activity program
Services that are not on the service list at all
These lists are illustrative. Always check the official residential care service list and each home’s written agreement for the exact services included.
The Rules for Higher Everyday Living Fees
The Act and Rules include strong protections for residents. Here are the key ones, drawn from My Aged Care and Department guidance.
TIMING
You cannot be asked to agree to a higher everyday living fee until after you have entered care. It can never be a condition of moving in.
IN WRITING
A standing agreement must be in writing and set out the cost of each service, the standard and frequency at which it will be delivered, and how it will be charged.
COOLING OFF
You have 28 days to change your mind and cancel or vary the agreement without a cancellation fee.
CANCEL ANYTIME
After the cooling-off period, you can cancel or vary the agreement by giving 28 days’ notice, including if you no longer use or can no longer use the service. Unavoidable costs such as subscriptions may be passed on for no more than 90 days.
PRICE CAP
Once agreed, the price can only increase once a year by indexation.
PROTECTION
The Rules were amended to protect residents who received higher-standard services free of charge before 1 November 2025.
One-Off Services and Private Arrangements
Not every optional service needs a standing written agreement. The Department’s March 2026 resident booklet notes that one-off services can be arranged through an ad-hoc verbal agreement, but the home must still give you the details of the service, the cost and how you will be charged before you receive it.
Some services are not higher everyday living services at all. For example, if a hairdresser visits the home and you pay them directly, that remains a private arrangement between you and the hairdresser.
Homes may also offer several optional services together as a bundle for a single price. Before agreeing to a bundle, check that you will genuinely use each part of it.
Why Higher Everyday Living Fees Are Under the Spotlight
The new fee has caused confusion for many families. According to National Seniors Australia, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is examining allegations that some providers have required residents to pay for services that should already be included in standard residential aged care, charged residents for services they cannot or do not use, or presented optional fees as though they were mandatory.
National Seniors also warns that items previously included in standard care, such as access to television, basic internet and reasonable recreational activities, should not gradually move into optional fee arrangements simply because a new charging mechanism exists. The message for families is simple: higher everyday living fees are optional, and no resident should feel pressured to pay them to receive quality care.
Speaking up matters. Research by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission found that many older people do not feel safe or confident raising concerns about their aged care, which is why the Commission is running its public information program, Choice, dignity, respect: your rights in aged care. If something about a fee does not feel right, families can ask questions on their loved one’s behalf, and raising a concern should never affect the care a resident receives. Our guide on how to raise a concern in aged care explains the steps.
Warning signs when reviewing an agreement
- You are asked to sign a higher everyday living agreement before moving in
- Staff suggest that optional extras are needed to secure a room
- Services that look like standard care, such as basic activities or laundry, appear as extras
- The agreement does not show the cost, standard and frequency of each service
- You are charged for a service your loved one can no longer use and the home will not cancel it
The Agreements You Will Be Asked to Sign
Under the new Act, residents in permanent care usually sign up to three agreements. Only one of them is optional.
| Agreement | Required? | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Service agreement | Yes | The care and services the home provides, and the fees for care |
| Accommodation agreement | Yes (permanent care) | The room price and how it will be paid, agreed before moving in |
| Higher everyday living agreement | Optional | Any extra services you choose, signed only after moving in |
Our guide to the aged care resident agreement walks through what to check before signing each one.
What If You Already Live in an Aged Care Home?
People who moved into care before 1 November 2025 may have had an additional or extra service agreement. These agreements cease by 31 October 2026. My Aged Care notes that people who entered care between 1 July 2014 and 31 October 2025 can move to the higher everyday living fee, at a time agreed with their provider, if they wish to keep receiving additional higher-quality services.
If your loved one’s home has asked you to sign a new agreement this month, take time to review it. You are not obliged to continue any extra services, and the same 28-day cooling-off period applies.
How to Review a Higher Everyday Living Agreement
Read it after the move, not during it. Because these agreements can only be signed once your loved one has moved in, there is no need to decide on moving day. Take the agreement home and read it calmly.
Compare it with the service list. For each optional service, ask yourself whether it is genuinely a higher standard than, or different from, what the home must already provide.
Check the detail. Make sure the cost, standard and frequency of every service are written down, along with how you will be charged.
Think about real use. Will your loved one actually use the service now, and are they likely to keep using it as their health changes?
Get a second opinion if unsure. Free, independent advice is available from the Older Persons Advocacy Network on 1800 700 600, and an aged care financial adviser can help you see the overall cost.
Questions to Ask About Higher Everyday Living Fees
- Which services are included in the standard fees, and can I see the full list?
- Which optional services do you offer, and what does each one cost?
- How do your optional services differ from what is on the residential care service list?
- Can services be chosen individually rather than as a bundle?
- How do I cancel or change a service if my loved one’s needs change?
For more questions to raise when comparing homes, see our list of questions to ask when touring an aged care home.
Clear Fees at Superior Care Group
Superior Care Group is a family-owned aged care provider that has cared for older Queenslanders for over 45 years, with residences at Wellington Point and on the Gold Coast. We believe families should understand exactly what is included in their fees before making any decision. Our team can walk you through the standard services, room prices and any optional services, and you can find more detail on our financial information page.
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Questions about aged care fees?
Call Wellington Park (07) 3822 1876 or Merrimac Park (07) 5618 1111
Sources: My Aged Care: Aged care home costs and fees · My Aged Care: Agreeing to an aged care home · Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Higher everyday living fees · Higher everyday living fees in residential care homes (March 2026) · National Seniors Australia
