By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last updated: 15 May 2026
The aged care assessor who visits your parent is not making a purely clinical judgement. They are applying a scoring algorithm — the Integrated Assessment Tool — across eight domains. The classification it produces determines your quarterly government funding for care. A Classification 4 is worth $29,545 a year. A Classification 3 is worth $21,920. The difference between them often comes down to what the family said in the room.
Most families go in unprepared. They answer questions about their parent's good days — the days when things are managed. The algorithm scores those answers. Families who bring a written list of worst-day functioning, specific incidents, and supporting evidence consistently receive more accurate classifications. Families who answer verbally from memory frequently don't. This is the thing the assessment process doesn't tell you before you walk in.
A Classification 3 instead of Classification 4 means $7,625 less funding per year. Over three years of care, that's $22,875 — the difference between enough home care and not enough. The assessment is not a formality. It is the most financially consequential conversation your family will have with the aged care system.
ACAT stood for Aged Care Assessment Team. From 9 December 2024 the government unified all assessment workforces into the Single Assessment System, which uses the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT). The process is the same. The name changed. Most families still search for ACAT and most practitioners still use the term.
Government pages now use "Single Assessment System" and "IAT" exclusively — which creates confusion when families search for ACAT and land on pages written in unfamiliar language. You are in the right place. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to start.
For a full breakdown of how the IAT scores each domain — what it measures, how assessors apply it, and where families most commonly lose points — read the IAT decoded guide.
Every path to government-funded aged care starts with this call. Without registration, no assessment can be booked. Without an assessment, no classification. Without a classification, no funding.
1800 200 422 — Monday to Friday 8am–8pm, Saturday 10am–2pm. You can call on behalf of your parent. You do not need them on the line. [myagedcare.gov.au, retrieved 15 May 2026]
The national median wait from application to receiving Support at Home services is 12 months. Every week you delay calling is a week added to the end of that wait. Call on a Monday morning when the lines open at 8am — peak hold times regularly exceed 30 minutes and are shortest first thing.
If the person is being discharged from hospital and you need to act in the next 24 hours, go to the hospital discharge tool first — it has the specific scripts and contacts for that situation.
Aged 65 or older. Australian citizen or permanent resident. That is the eligibility test. The assessment then determines how much care they need — income and assets play no role until later, when calculating what you contribute to service costs.
"They earn too much." This is wrong. The assessment is about functional need, not financial means. Many high-income, self-funded retirees receive fully-funded clinical care (nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy) at zero cost. Apply first. The means assessment happens later and separately. Do not let an incorrect assumption about eligibility delay getting into the system.
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander? Eligibility age is 50, not 65. Homeless or at risk of homelessness? Also 50.
The assessor visits the home or hospital ward. The appointment typically occurs 2–6 weeks after registration. It takes 45–90 minutes.
The IAT scores the person across eight domains: mobility, cognition, self-care, continence, falls risk, behaviour, communication, and social engagement. Each domain produces a score. The combined score determines the classification — 1 through 8. The classification determines the quarterly budget.
Bring a written list. Not notes. A document. It should cover every activity the person struggles with — including what they avoid because it has become too hard, not just what they ask for help with. Document specific incidents: the fall on 14 March, the confusion episode last Thursday, the medication missed three times this week. The assessor is scoring functional capacity. Written evidence of worst-day functioning is more reliable than verbal answers on the day, which tend toward the optimistic.
Include: medication list, any specialist or GP letters, observations from carers or family members present for incidents the person doesn't remember or minimises.
The assessment takes 45–90 minutes. You can be present. If the outcome doesn't reflect the person's actual situation, you have 28 days from the Notice of Decision to request a review. [Aged Care Act 2024, retrieved 15 May 2026]
For the full breakdown of what assessors score, how each domain works, and the specific evidence that moves classifications — read the assessment prep guide and the IAT decoded guide.
Most families are told "2–6 weeks" and assume that's the wait to get care. It isn't. That's the wait for the assessment booking. After approval, there is a second wait — for funding — that the system rarely explains upfront.
The inaugural Aged Care Act 2024 Wait Times Report, published by the Department of Health and Aged Care on 12 May 2026, covers people who commenced services between 1 November 2025 and 31 March 2026:
| Service type | Median wait — application to service start | Average wait |
|---|---|---|
| Support at Home (ongoing) | 12 months | 12 months |
| All aged care services combined | 10 months | 12 months |
| Residential aged care (ongoing) | 6 months | 13 months † |
| Residential aged care (short-term) | 6 months | 14 months † |
| End-of-Life Pathway | 15 days | 15 days |
† The gap between median and average for residential care indicates a smaller number of people wait significantly longer, pulling the average up. Source: Aged Care Act 2024 Wait Times Report, DoHAC, published 12 May 2026.
Urgent priority is available. The framing that matters:
"The person I'm calling about is at risk at home. I am requesting urgent priority. Can you confirm this is recorded on their file?" Note the date, time, and name of the person you spoke to. If nothing moves within two weeks, that record becomes evidence for OPAN.
Ask about interim funding and CHSP services while waiting. OPAN — 1800 700 600, free and independent — can advocate if urgent priority isn't being acted on.
After the assessment you receive a Notice of Decision. It names your classification and your priority category. Classification determines quarterly budget — the government funding available for care each quarter — once funding is allocated.
Current figures, effective 1 November 2025, indexed annually on 1 July [DoHAC, retrieved 15 May 2026]:
| Classification | Quarterly budget | Annual value |
|---|---|---|
| Classification 1 | $2,674 | $10,698 |
| Classification 2 | $3,995 | $15,982 |
| Classification 3 | $5,480 | $21,920 |
| Classification 4 | $7,386 | $29,545 |
| Classification 5 | $9,884 | $39,535 |
| Classification 6 | $11,989 | $47,957 |
| Classification 7 | $14,531 | $58,122 |
| Classification 8 | $19,427 | $77,709 |
Source: DoHAC "Support at Home program – classifications and budgets" PDF. Exact figures: Classification 1 $2,674.18/qtr; Classification 4 $7,386.33/qtr; Classification 8 $19,427.25/qtr. Recheck after 1 July 2026 indexation.
To understand what your classification means in actual care hours — nursing visits per week, support worker hours, cleaning sessions — read the classifications in hours guide.
Three categories of service. Three very different cost structures.
Providers also charge a care management fee, capped at 10% of your quarterly budget under the Aged Care Rules 2025. Some charge the maximum. Others don't. Ask before you sign. [Aged Care Rules 2025, retrieved 15 May 2026]
Use the fee calculator to estimate what you'll actually pay. For how Support at Home funding works in full — including the 10% cap and what every line on your statement means — read the Support at Home guide.
When funding is allocated, you have 56 days to sign a service agreement with a registered provider and begin services. Miss this window and funding is withdrawn. You can request one 28-day extension from My Aged Care if you need more time.
There is no automatic provider assignment. You choose. The choice matters commercially — care management fees are capped at 10% but some providers charge the maximum while others charge significantly less. The difference on a Classification 4 package is up to $2,954 per year that either reaches your parent's care or doesn't.
Check ACQSC compliance history before signing anything. Use the provider checker. Read the choosing a provider guide — specifically the section on what to ask about fees before you sign.
Support at Home means services come to the person. A support worker three mornings a week. A nurse on Tuesdays. A cleaner fortnightly. They stay in their home.
Residential care means moving into a facility with 24-hour support. It is not giving up. For some people — particularly those with dementia, high falls risk, or complex medical needs — it is better care than Support at Home can provide at any classification level.
Is the risk of staying home — falls, missed medication, cognitive decline without supervision — greater than the disruption of moving? If you are not sure, the residential care guide walks you through it. Most families who delay this decision say, in retrospect, they waited too long.
Providers miss visits. Classifications come back too low. Funding sits unallocated. The system does not self-correct.
Complaint to the provider first — in writing, with a 5-business-day response deadline and a copy kept. If nothing happens, call OPAN on 1800 700 600. OPAN advocates are free, independent, and know exactly how to escalate when providers don't respond.
"I don't want to make trouble for my parent." Under the Aged Care Act 2024, the ACQSC is legally required to handle complaints in a way that protects the person receiving care. Providers who respond to complaints by reducing care quality face serious regulatory consequences. The people who complain formally get better outcomes than the people who don't.
For the full escalation sequence — who to call at each stage, what to say, and what to do when nothing moves — read the escalation ladder guide.
The $79 action plan tells you exactly who to call, what to say at the assessment, and what to do when funding arrives.
A Classification 4 is worth $29,545 in care funding every year. The difference between Classification 3 and 4 often comes down to one assessment conversation. The action plan gives you the written list framework, the exact domains the algorithm scores, and the scripts for every phone call from registration to 56-day provider sign-up.
Get your action plan — $79Full refund if it doesn't tell you something useful you didn't already know.
AgedCareActionPlan.au is an independent Australian resource for families navigating the aged care system. It covers assessments, funding, provider selection, and escalation. No provider commissions. No referral fees. Independent advice in the system's language.
This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Process steps verified against the Aged Care Act 2024, Aged Care Rules 2025, and My Aged Care (myagedcare.gov.au). Classification budgets from DoHAC "Support at Home program – classifications and budgets" PDF, effective 1 November 2025. Wait time data from the Aged Care Act 2024 Wait Times Report, DoHAC, published 12 May 2026. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.
By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last updated: 15 May 2026
Know exactly who to call, what to say at the assessment, and what to do when funding arrives — before your parent leaves hospital. Most families wish they'd had this two weeks earlier.
ACAT stood for Aged Care Assessment Team — the teams that conducted aged care assessments in Australia. From 9 December 2024, ACAT was replaced by the Single Assessment System using the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), a standardised algorithm that scores functional ability across eight domains. The term ACAT is still widely used and most families still search for it. The process is the same. To start, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
The IAT scores across eight domains: mobility, cognition, self-care, continence, falls risk, behaviour, communication, and social engagement. It produces a classification from 1 to 8. The classification determines your quarterly budget. Assessors are guided by the algorithm's output — they are not making purely clinical judgements. Families who bring specific written evidence of worst-day functioning consistently achieve more accurate classifications than those who answer verbally from memory.
There are two separate waits. The assessment appointment is booked within 2–6 weeks of registration. After approval, waiting for Support at Home funding takes around 12 months at the national median, per the inaugural Aged Care Act 2024 Wait Times Report (Department of Health and Aged Care, published 12 May 2026). Urgent priority cases receive funding within one month. If the person is at risk at home, request urgent priority explicitly when you call.
No. Eligibility is based on assessed care need, not income or assets. Means testing applies later when calculating your contribution to service costs. Many families do not apply because they assume they earn too much. That assumption is wrong — the assessment is about need, not money.
You cannot compel an assessment on someone who has capacity and declines. If their capacity is in question, a guardianship or power of attorney arrangement may be relevant. This varies by state — consult the relevant state guardian and trustee office. A care finder or OPAN (1800 700 600) can provide guidance on navigating this situation.
Need a complete personalised plan for your situation?
This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Verified against the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.