Costs of respite care.

The Short Answer

Respite care is short-term care designed to give family carers a break or to provide temporary support while longer-term arrangements are made. It costs significantly less than permanent residential care — government-subsidised residential respite costs just the basic daily fee of $61.96/day with no RAD, no accommodation payment, and no means-tested care fee.

You receive up to 63 subsidised days per financial year, with extensions available if needed.

Types of Respite Care

Residential respite

A short stay in a residential aged care facility — the person temporarily moves into the facility for days to weeks. This is the most common form of respite and provides 24/7 care, meals, and accommodation.

• Stay length: typically 1–8 weeks per episode
• Setting: residential aged care facility (same as permanent care)
• Best for: carer holidays, carer burnout, recovery after hospitalisation, trial before permanent admission

In-home respite

A care worker comes to the person’s home for a few hours, allowing the carer to take a break, run errands, or attend appointments. The person stays in their own home.

• Duration: typically 2–8 hours per visit
• Funded through: Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) or Home Care Package
• Best for: regular short breaks for the carer

Day respite (centre-based)

The person attends a day centre or community facility for activities, social interaction, and supervised care during the day. The carer has the day free.

• Duration: typically 1 full day per week
• Funded through: CHSP or Home Care Package
• Best for: regular weekly carer relief and social engagement for the person

Cottage/community respite

A short stay in a small group home setting (rather than a large residential facility). Less institutional than residential respite, sometimes available in rural areas.

Residential Respite Costs

Government-subsidised residential respite is significantly cheaper than permanent residential care:

For a 2-week respite stay, the cost is approximately $868. For a 4-week stay: approximately $1,735.

Costs beyond subsidised days

If you use more than 63 subsidised days and do not receive an extension, the facility may charge the full unsubsidised cost, which can be $250–$500+ per day depending on the facility. Always check with My Aged Care about extensions before subsidised days run out.

In-home and day respite costs

CHSP-funded respite services have small co-payments, typically:

• In-home respite: $5–$15 per visit
• Day centre: $10–$25 per day

These are heavily subsidised — the actual cost of the service is much higher but covered by the government.

Government-Subsidised Days

The government provides up to 63 days of subsidised residential respite care per financial year (1 July to 30 June).

• The 63 days do not need to be used in one block — they can be spread across multiple shorter stays throughout the year.
• Unused days do not carry over to the next financial year.
• Extensions are available: If you need more than 63 days, contact My Aged Care before your days run out. Extensions are assessed on a case-by-case basis, typically granted when there are ongoing care needs and no permanent placement available.
• The 63-day allowance resets on 1 July each year.

How to Access Respite Care

1. Register with My Aged Care (if not already registered): Call 1800 200 422 or register online at myagedcare.gov.au.
2. Get an assessment: For residential respite, you need an ACAT assessment approving you for residential respite care. For in-home or day respite, a simpler RAS assessment is sufficient.
3. Find available respite: Search for facilities with respite availability on the My Aged Care website, or call individual facilities directly. Respite beds can be limited — booking in advance is recommended.
4. Book the stay: Contact the facility directly to book dates and discuss care needs. Provide the ACAT approval letter and Medicare details.

Respite as a Bridge to Permanent Care

One of the most common uses of respite is as a bridge between hospital discharge and permanent residential care. This happens when:

• A parent is in hospital and cannot safely return home
• An ACAT assessment has approved permanent residential care
• A permanent bed is not yet available at the preferred facility

In this scenario, the person enters respite care (at the lower cost) while the family searches for and secures a permanent placement. The respite stay continues until a permanent bed becomes available.

Key point: When the person transitions from respite to permanent care (either at the same facility or a different one), the full fee structure kicks in — basic daily fee, means-tested care fee, and accommodation payments (RAD/DAP). The 28-day accommodation payment decision period starts from the date of permanent admission.

Respite as a Trial Stay

Respite is an excellent way to trial a facility before committing to permanent admission. Benefits include:

• Your parent can experience the facility firsthand — meals, activities, staff, and fellow residents.
• You can assess the quality of care without the financial commitment of a permanent admission and RAD.
• The facility can assess whether they can meet your parent’s care needs.
• If it’s not the right fit, you can try a different facility for the next respite stay.

Many families use respite as a stepping stone — a 2-week trial stay can provide more insight than any number of facility tours.

Emergency Respite

When a carer suddenly becomes unavailable (illness, injury, family emergency), emergency respite can be arranged:

• Carer Gateway: Call 1800 422 737 for immediate carer support, including help arranging emergency respite.
• My Aged Care: Call 1800 200 422 and explain the emergency. They can help locate available respite beds.
• Hospital social workers: If the care recipient is in hospital, the social worker can arrange respite or temporary accommodation.

In genuine emergencies, respite can sometimes be arranged without a prior ACAT assessment, though an assessment will need to follow.