The Short Answer
It depends on the type of care:
- Residential aged care: There is no formal national waiting list. Once you have ACAT approval, you contact facilities directly. Typical time to find and secure a bed: 1–8 weeks, depending on location and preferences.
- Home Care Packages: There is a national queue. Wait times are 1–3 months for Level 1–2 and 6–18+ months for Level 3–4.
Residential Care Wait Times
Unlike Home Care Packages, residential aged care does not have a centralised waiting list. The process works more like finding a rental property:
- You receive ACAT approval for residential care.
- You search for facilities on My Aged Care or contact facilities directly.
- Facilities offer you a place when a bed becomes available.
Typical wait times by situation:
| Situation | Typical wait |
|---|---|
| Any available facility in your region | 1–4 weeks |
| Specific preferred facility (with vacancies) | 1–4 weeks |
| Specific preferred facility (no current vacancies) | 1–6 months |
| High-demand metropolitan area | 2–8 weeks |
| Regional/rural area with limited providers | 1–12 weeks (variable) |
| Specialist dementia unit | 2–12 weeks |
Register your interest early. If you have a preferred facility, put your parent on their expression-of-interest list as soon as you have ACAT approval. Many facilities maintain their own informal waiting lists and offer beds in order of registration.
Home Care Package Wait Times
Home Care Packages do have a national queue managed by Services Australia. After ACAT approval, you are placed in the queue and assigned a package when one becomes available at your approved level.
Current estimated wait times (2025–26)
| Package level | Annual budget | Estimated wait |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (Basic) | ~$10,800 | 1–3 months |
| Level 2 (Low) | ~$19,000 | 1–3 months |
| Level 3 (Intermediate) | ~$41,500 | 3–9 months |
| Level 4 (High) | ~$63,000 | 6–18 months |
Wait times have improved significantly since their peak around 2019–2020, when Level 4 waits regularly exceeded 2 years. Government investment in additional packages has reduced the queue, but it remains substantial for higher levels.
How the queue works
- Priority is based on clinical need, not time on the list. People with more urgent care needs are prioritised.
- You may be offered an interim lower-level package while waiting for a higher level. For example, you might receive a Level 2 package while waiting for your approved Level 4. Accepting an interim package does not affect your place in the queue for the higher level.
- When a package is assigned, you receive a letter with a referral code and a deadline (typically 56 days) to choose a provider.
What Affects Your Wait Time
Residential care
- Location: Metropolitan areas with many providers generally have shorter waits. Remote areas may have limited or no facilities.
- Room type: Shared rooms are typically more available than single rooms. Premium suites have the longest waits.
- Specialised care: Dementia units, culturally specific facilities, or faith-based homes may have fewer beds and longer waits.
- Flexibility: Families willing to consider multiple facilities or a wider geographic area generally find beds faster.
Home Care Packages
- Approved level: Higher-level packages (3 and 4) have longer waits because they cost the government more and there are fewer available.
- Priority rating: People assessed as having higher or more urgent needs are placed ahead of those with lower priority, regardless of when they joined the queue.
- Geographic area: Package allocation is national, not regional, so location has minimal effect on Home Care Package wait times.
What to Do While You Wait
The wait for a Home Care Package or preferred residential facility can be stressful. Here are practical options during the wait:
For Home Care Package waits
- Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP): Individual support services (cleaning, meals, transport, personal care) available while waiting for an HCP. Lower cost and lower intensity, but can bridge the gap. Contact My Aged Care to arrange.
- Accept an interim lower-level package: If offered a Level 1 or 2 while waiting for Level 3 or 4, consider accepting it. Some support is better than none, and it does not affect your place in the higher-level queue.
- Private home care: Hire private carers out of pocket for additional hours. Costs vary ($30–$60/hour) but there is no waiting list.
- Carer support: Contact Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) for respite services, counselling, and support for family carers.
For residential care waits
- Residential respite: A short-term stay (up to 63 subsidised days per year) can provide immediate care while a permanent bed is found.
- Transition Care Programme: After a hospital stay, transition care provides up to 12 weeks of support (at home or in a facility) while longer-term arrangements are made. Ask the hospital about eligibility.
- Contact multiple facilities: Don’t wait for one facility — register interest with several and take the first suitable bed offered.
Priority Access
Certain circumstances can result in priority access to care:
Residential care
- Hospital discharge: People who cannot safely return home after a hospital admission are often fast-tracked. Hospital social workers can expedite the process.
- Homelessness or unsafe living: People at risk are prioritised for available beds.
- Carer unavailability: If the primary carer dies, becomes ill, or can no longer provide care, emergency placement may be arranged.
Home Care Packages
- High clinical need: People assessed by ACAT as having urgent care needs are prioritised in the national queue.
- Risk of premature residential admission: If the person is at risk of entering residential care prematurely without a home care package, this may increase their priority.
Support at Home (from July 2025)
The Support at Home program replaced the Home Care Package and CHSP systems for new entrants from 1 July 2025. Key differences for waiting times:
- The new system aims to reduce fragmentation between CHSP and HCP, potentially streamlining access to services.
- People already receiving a Home Care Package under the old system continue on their existing package — they are not affected by the transition.
- New applicants from 1 July 2025 enter the Support at Home system with its own assessment and service allocation process.
It is too early to assess whether Support at Home has improved wait times compared to the previous HCP system. For more details, see our 2025 Aged Care Act Changes guide.