In Australia, approval for government-funded residential aged care is no longer a provider-owned bed allocation. Under the Aged Care Act 2024 settings that began on 1 November 2025, an approved residential care place is assigned to the older person. It does not expire and moves with them. That is useful buying power: a family does not need to accept the first home merely because it fears the approval will disappear.
The rule does not create a vacant room. A provider still decides whether it can safely meet the person’s needs, whether an appropriate room is open and whether the parties can agree on fees and admission documents. Families should therefore compare two separate things: the person’s enduring approval and each home’s current, resident-specific offer.
Separate the person-held place from a live room
The Department of Health says residential care places are assigned directly to older people who are approved for government-funded residential aged care. Existing residents were automatically assigned a place, while newly approved people receive one through their assessment and approval. The former system in which providers needed allocated places through an approvals round ended on 1 November 2025.
This change removes one old supply constraint, but it does not mean every registered home has a vacancy. A home may be full, may have a room that is unsuitable, or may conclude that its staffing and equipment cannot support the applicant. Ask separately, “Is the person approved?” and “Will this home make a written offer for this person now?”
Read the approval before comparing homes
Take the Notice of Decision and support plan to every serious provider. Check that residential aged care is an approved service type and identify any conditions or assessed needs that affect the search. Approval for another program, such as residential respite, should not be presented as approval for permanent care. My Aged Care also warns that respite approval does not guarantee a place.
Correct administrative problems before an urgent move. Give a provider the information needed for its admission review, but first ask who receives the clinical file, how it will be protected and which documents are required.
Use the no-expiry rule to keep genuine options open
Because the residential care place does not expire, a sales deadline should not be confused with a government approval deadline. A quoted room may be offered only briefly, and a provider may ask for a prompt answer, but the person-held approval itself remains. Ask the provider to identify in writing exactly what expires: the room offer, a quoted accommodation price, a promotional inclusion or something else.
The place also moves with the person. That matters when comparing an initial home with a later transfer. It does not remove the need to find a receiving home, arrange safe continuity and sign new agreements, but the family should not assume the government-funded place is permanently attached to the current provider.
Treat online availability as a dated signal
My Aged Care’s Find a provider tool can help identify homes and may show availability information. Use it to build a shortlist, then verify the position directly. Record the date, room type, whether the opening is for permanent or respite care, and whether it suits the person’s mobility, dementia support, cultural needs and preferred location.
Ask whether “available” means an empty room, a room expected after a departure, or only acceptance onto a waitlist. If there is a waitlist, request the provider’s review process, the information it uses to prioritise applicants and when the family should update changed needs. A list position is not the same as an admission commitment.
Obtain a resident-specific acceptance decision
A useful offer identifies the home, room or room category, proposed entry date, care needs the provider has reviewed, fees, deposits or accommodation arrangements, and documents still required. Ask who has authority to approve the admission and whether the clinical review is complete. A salesperson’s encouraging phone call is not enough for a removal booking or hospital discharge plan.
Compare the proposed care with the person’s current risks: transfers, continence, medication, behaviour support, nutrition, wound care, communication and overnight supervision. Ask what would make the home withdraw or delay the offer. If an urgent placement is needed, keep a fallback option until admission is confirmed.
Check provider registration and the home’s approved capacity
Providers no longer need an individual allocation of places to deliver government-funded residential care. They must still be registered for the relevant service category, and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission approves the number of beds at each home. Verify the provider and the exact home rather than relying on a group brand.
Approved capacity is a regulatory ceiling, not a real-time vacancy count. A home approved for many beds may still have none suitable today. Compare Star Ratings, staffing information, recent quality information and the room itself, but ask the provider to explain how those signals apply to the unit and care level being offered.
Recognise specialised-program exceptions
The person-held-place model does not replace every aged-care program. The Department notes that specialised programs such as Multi-Purpose Services and Transition Care continue to operate with allocated places. If the family is moving from hospital, transition care or a rural service, ask which program authorises the current stay and which approval is required for permanent residential care.
A temporary program place, permanent residential-care approval and a provider’s available room are three separate facts. Record the responsible organisation and next action for each.
Compare total cost after approval
Government-funded approval does not fix the family’s final price. Obtain the fee notification available to the person, the home’s accommodation price and payment options, the resident agreement, and a list of optional services. Separate recurring care fees and contributions from accommodation payments, extra service charges and one-off moving costs.
Model at least three periods: the first month, an ordinary month and a month in which needs or purchased extras increase. Ask whether any quoted inclusion can change, how notice is given and which amount is refundable if entry does not proceed. Compare like room types and identical support assumptions; a cheaper advertised room may be unsuitable or unavailable for this applicant.
Audit referral fees and conflicts before using placement help
A placement consultant or referral service may be paid by the family, by a provider after admission, or by both. Ask for the payer, amount or calculation method, the event that earns the fee, the providers excluded from the search and whether compensation varies between homes. Provider-funded help can still be useful, but the commercial relationship should be visible.
Require the adviser to distinguish an approval check from live vacancy confirmation. A service should not imply it controls the person’s government-funded place, owns a queue position or can guarantee acceptance. Include any fee paid by the family in the search budget and retain written records of the options actually compared.
Follow a decision sequence that preserves choice
First confirm permanent residential-care approval and the assessed needs. Second shortlist registered providers and suitable homes. Third request current room details and a resident-specific care review. Fourth compare accommodation, recurring fees, optional services, quality information and location. Fifth obtain the proposed agreement and clarify cancellation or refund terms before paying or organising the move.
If one provider declines, the person’s approval has not been used up. Ask for the reason, update the support plan if needs have changed and continue the search. If a home accepts, confirm what is binding and what remains conditional. Keep My Aged Care, the assessor, the provider and any hospital discharge team aligned on the same documents.
Use Curalune to compare approval, vacancy and offer separately
Curalune’s option-selection service can organise suitable homes by registered provider, location, care fit, stated availability, room type and cost evidence. Its fuller contact service can ask shortlisted homes whether they have reviewed the person’s approval and needs, whether a live room is suitable, what fees apply and which admission conditions remain.
Curalune does not guarantee availability or admission. It does not issue aged-care approvals, make a provider’s clinical decision or reserve a government-funded place. Its role is to help families compare documented options without mistaking an enduring personal approval for a guaranteed bed.
FAQ
Does residential aged-care approval expire? Under the current person-held-place model, an approved residential care place does not expire and moves with the older person. Confirm the service type shown in the person’s own decision documents.
Does approval guarantee a room in a chosen home? No. The provider must have a suitable vacancy and agree that it can meet the person’s needs before admission.
Can a person compare several homes after approval? Yes. The approval is not owned by one provider. Families can compare registered homes, but each provider’s availability, care review, fees and agreement must be checked.
Does an approved bed capacity show live availability? No. The Commission-approved bed number is a capacity limit. Ask the home for a dated, resident-specific vacancy and acceptance decision.