Register and audit providers

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The current process of becoming an approved provider and applying for reaccreditation will change with the new Aged Care Act.

The transition to the new Act affects these registration and audit activities:

Registration categories

Under the new Act, funded aged care services need to be delivered by a registered provider.

All providers of aged care services will need to be registered by the Commission, including organisations and individuals.

To become a registered provider under the new Act, an organisation or individual will need to apply and be registered by the Commission. Providers can be registered into one or more of 6 registration categories. Registration categories group together provider services based on similar types of care, complexity, and risk.

The 6 proposed registration categories are:

Category 1 – Home and community services

Category 2 – Assistive technology and home modifications

Category 3 – Advisory and support services

Category 4 – Personal care and care support in the home or community (including respite)

Category 5 – Nursing and transition care

Category 6 – Residential care (including respite)

These categories may be subject to further change.

We will register providers for a set period. We will then invite providers to renew their registration. 

Registered providers will have obligations they must meet based on their registration categories. The Commission may also add conditions on a provider’s registration.

Changes to provider approvals

Under the new Act, applications to be an approved aged care provider will change to applications to be a registered aged care provider. After 1 November 2025, we will make all decisions about provider registration under the new Act.

If you apply to be an approved provider before 1 November 2025, and we haven’t made a decision about your application by 31 October 2025, we will transition it (change it) into an application to be a registered provider under the new Act. We will also send you a request for more information to help us decide whether to register you. This will include information like which categories you want to be registered in.

If you want to be registered in categories 4, 5 or 6, from 1 November we will need to audit you before we can register you. We will also need to audit you if you applied before 1 November and we transition your application to a registration application under the new Act.

How we calculate fees for applications to be a provider will also change. The information below explains how this will affect you if you applied before 1 November and we are transitioning your application to the new Act.

Fees for provider applications transitioned to the new Act

Under the new Act, our charging arrangements (the way we charge fees) will be different.

We’ll have new charging arrangements for assessing applications to:

  • become a registered provider
  • renew a registration
  • vary or change a registration
  • approve a residential care home.

We’ll also have new charging arrangements for any audits we do for these applications.

You can find more information on our Cost Recovery consultation webpage.

We’re working to make decisions about provider applications we receive before 1 November and we will try and finalise as many applications as possible. Some applications will be transitioned and we will make a decision on them under the new Act.

We want to avoid charging extra fees to people who apply for provider approval before 1 November but where we make a decision about their application under the new Act.

That’s why we’re setting up the following process.

For applications submitted before 8 August:

  • We won’t charge extra fees to decide on your application.
  • We won’t charge extra fees for audits.
  • If you paid a fee for your approval application before 8 August but would have paid a smaller amount (or not paid at all) under the new Act, we’ll refund the difference after 1 November.

For applications submitted on or after 8 August:

  • We won’t charge extra fees to finish processing your application, even if you would have paid more after 1 November, except if we need to audit you.
  • We’ll charge a fee for audits.
  • If you would have paid a smaller amount (or not paid at all) under the new Act, we’ll let you know the proposed difference in fees before we invoice you. You will then have the chance to withdraw your application and resubmit it after 1 November.

Why we have chosen 8 August as a key date

  • We have 90 days to decide on applications to be an approved provider. While we’re working to finalise applications, we know that we won’t finalise all applications submitted from 8 August to 1 November.
  • We want to set a clear date for applicants so you know what to expect if you apply for approval from 8 August to 31 October. We want you to understand what applying during this transition period means, and how it will affect the fees you pay.

What to expect

The information we need to register a provider under the new Act is different to the information we need to approve a provider under the current Act. To meet the new requirements, we’ll contact you to find out:

  • what categories you want to register in
  • what types of services you want to provide
  • where you want to deliver your services.

We won’t charge extra fees for these requests for information.

If you currently have an application with us, we ’ll contact you to discuss it.

Fees

New charging arrangements are being finalised and will apply to providers when the new Act starts on 1 November.

View the Cost Recovery implementation Statements that outline the fees that apply until 31 October 2025:

In the lead up to 1 November, a new Cost Recovery Implementation Statement will be available and will set out the new charging arrangements and fees.

You can view the fee comparison tables to find out the current fees and proposed fees charged under the new Act.

Changes to accreditation

Accreditation activities, including site audits and review audits, will end under the new Act.

Audit and approval of residential care homes will replace accreditation.

Residential aged care services with accreditation expiring after 1 November will be deemed to be approved residential care homes under the new Act. You will not need:

  • reaccreditation
  • a site audit
  • to apply for accreditation.

If your accreditation expires after 1 November, please don’t submit an application for reaccreditation. If you already have, we’ll will contact you.

Site audits and other accreditation activities will end on 1 November 2025. However, we’ll continue to gather information, monitor and investigate residential aged care services to make sure providers comply with their responsibilities up to 1 November.

If we find evidence of non-compliance before 1 November, we may take regulatory action if that non-compliance is also with obligations under the new Act.

Reaccreditation update

To support providers to focus on getting ready for the new Act, the Commissioner will consider extending the accreditation of residential aged care services with expiry dates between 1 July and 31 October 2025. The Commissioner can use powers under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Rules to extend periods of accreditation.

At this stage, residential aged care services with an expiry date between 1 July and 31 October 2025 should not submit an application of reaccreditation. We will contact you to discuss the next steps. 

As part of our Regulatory Strategy, we will continue to supervise impacted providers to make sure they provide quality, safe aged care service.

Assessment against the Quality Standards

Assessments against the Quality Standards, including assessment contacts, performance assessments, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) program quality reviews, will end under the new Act.

Audits will replace assessments and the strengthened Quality Standards will replace the Quality Standards.

Assessments against the Quality Standards need to finish before Transition Day. To do this, we may:

  • do assessments quickly to finish them before Transition Day
  • pause assessments to make sure everything finishes before the new Act begins.

If we find an issue close to Transition Day, we will still gather information, monitor and investigate to make sure providers continue to comply with their responsibilities.

If we find non-compliance with the Quality Standards before Transition Day, we may take regulatory action if the non-compliance is also with obligations under the new Act.

Further information

Reconsiderations and review

Most review and reconsideration rights and processes will continue under the law that applied at the time of the request for review.

Reviews or reconsiderations started before Transition Day will have the same time limits, communication and procedural fairness requirements as they have under the old law. The only exceptions are provider approval and accreditation decisions. These will end on Transition Day and be replaced by provider registration.

Transitioning providers to new provider registration categories

In preparation for the new Act, and to enable providers to continue to deliver care and services to older people, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing will move current providers to registration categories based on the current services they deliver or the services they are funded to provide. This is known as ‘deeming’.

The department has contacted providers to validate the information it has for their organisation to make sure they are placed in the correct categories. 

There will be opportunities for providers to review and update any incorrect information on their registration details and proposed registration categories.

New providers

Prior to the new Act, new providers seeking to deliver government-funded aged care will need to apply in line with the current process.

We will provide more information on this as it becomes available.

Provider Registration Policy

Read our Provider Registration Policy. This explains the process and principles for registration. The policy includes information on:

  • our registration model
  • initial registration of providers
  • approving residential care homes
  • renewing registration
  • changes the Commission can make to registration
  • changes a provider can request to their registration
  • the Provider Register 

Guidance and resources

Our guidance material and resources are designed to support your registration and renewal experience.  

We‘ll continue to release and update resources in the lead up to 1 November 2025. To keep up to date, sign up to our monthly newsletter.

We have published draft forms to help you prepare for changes under the new Act. These forms are for viewing only and are subject to change. Please do not try to submit a form.

Final forms will be available from 1 November.

Other forms

We will publish guidance material for these forms shortly.

Further information

View our webinar on Provider Registration and Renewal in Practice and presentation slides.

For more information on the new aged care regulatory model and details on provider registration and registration renewal, visit the department’s website.

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Acknowledgement of Country

In the spirit of reconciliation, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, water and community. We pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that content on this website may contain images of deceased persons.