No. An aged care home cannot require a Higher Everyday Living Fee, known as HELF, to secure a place. A home may promote barista coffee, premium meals, entertainment subscriptions or other lifestyle services, and these features can matter to a resident. They should not be confused with the care and everyday services the home must already provide.
Understand what HELF is
HELF is an optional fee for a resident who chooses higher-quality or additional everyday living services in permanent or respite residential aged care. It sits above the required care and services. It is not the accommodation price, a means-tested care contribution or the basic daily fee.
The system began for new arrangements under the Aged Care Act changes from 1 November 2025 and replaced the previous extra service and additional service fee models. An existing resident with an older agreement may be under transitional rules, so ask the provider to identify the agreement in force rather than treating every extra charge as HELF.
Separate required services from optional upgrades
Before judging an upgrade, ask for the home’s Residential Care Service List information. Required care and everyday living services must not be relabelled as premium extras. The provider should explain what every resident receives and what is genuinely above that level.
Use concrete comparisons. “Premium dining” tells little. Ask which meals, drinks, choices and dietary support are standard, then what the paid service adds. Repeat this for internet, television, activities, newspapers, hair and beauty services or other offered items. If the distinction cannot be explained in plain language, do not agree yet.
The place comes before the HELF agreement
A provider cannot require a person to agree to HELF before entry in order to secure a place. The resident should not be offered or asked to sign the HELF agreement until after moving into the selected aged care home. Refusing the optional agreement must not affect the place.
This sequence protects the decision from admission pressure. The family can discuss available lifestyle services while comparing homes, but it should keep the admission, accommodation agreement and optional HELF decision separate. If a sales conversation combines them, ask for the requirement and price structure in writing.
Providers set prices, so compare the same service
Providers set HELF prices and do not need government pricing approval for them. A high or low price therefore says little without the content, frequency and conditions. Compare a daily service with a daily service and an occasional service with an occasional service. Ask whether the advertised price is per day, per use or part of a standing arrangement.
A provider may offer a bundle, but the resident is not required to accept it. Services in a bundle should also be available individually, and the bundle should not leave the resident worse off than buying only the services they can use. Calculate the likely use instead of dividing a large bundle by an ideal week.
Read the written agreement as an operating plan
The agreement should identify each service, price, delivery pattern and how changes work. Ask what happens when staff shortages, illness or a cancelled activity prevent delivery. Check indexation, review dates, complaints and how the provider records that a service was supplied.
After agreeing, residents have a period in which they can change their mind. Agreements also require review, and protections apply when health changes mean a resident cannot use a service. Ask the provider to explain the current cancellation and notice terms in the document rather than relying on a verbal summary.
Test value against the person’s real life
List the services the person already uses, those they would value and those they are unlikely to use. Dementia, hearing loss, mobility or diet can change the value of an attractive package. An activity is not valuable because it appears on a calendar; the resident needs practical access and suitable support.
Ask for individual prices and build a one-month example. Include the required aged care fees and accommodation separately so the optional amount remains visible. Review affordability without assuming that family members will cover an optional package indefinitely.
Do not let lifestyle extras hide care fit
Compare clinical and personal suitability first: dementia support, mobility, medication, continence, night staffing, communication, location and the resident’s daily routine. Then compare the room and required costs. HELF belongs after those decisions, not before them.
A polished café does not answer what happens after a fall at night. A broad activity programme does not confirm support for someone who needs one-to-one prompting. Ask each home the same care questions and mark which answers are written, conditional or still unknown.
FAQ
Must a resident accept HELF to secure an aged care place? No. HELF is optional, cannot be required before entry to secure a place, and refusal must not affect the place.
Is HELF part of the room price? No. It covers optional higher everyday living services. Accommodation and required aged care charges are separate.
Should a bundle be accepted if one service is useful? Compare the individual services, prices and likely use first. A resident is not required to accept a bundle, and the provider should explain individual purchase options.
Assessment approval, fees payable for the individual, current vacancies, suitability and admission must be confirmed by My Aged Care, other responsible bodies and the selected provider.