Managing Residential Respite Care

Residential respite care is short-term residential care that gives an older person, or their carer, a break from their usual arrangements. The government pays a respite subsidy and supplement to the provider. Respite is simpler than permanent care when it comes to fees, and it has its own day entitlement.

Respite entries

A respite entry is recorded the same way as a permanent entry, using the Submit Entry Event action on the resident's Funding record, with the entry type set to Respite. A respite entry includes a planned departure date, which you can update later if the stay changes. The full entry process is covered in Admitting a Resident.

Eligible people are entitled to 63 days of subsidised respite per financial year. This can be extended by up to 21 days with approval from an Aged Care Assessor.

If a resident needs more than their entitled respite days, submit an extension request through the My Aged Care Service and Support Portal on or before the entitled days run out. Include the reason for the extension and the resident's current respite balance.

Respite fees

Respite residents pay fewer fee types than permanent residents. The table below shows the difference.

Fee type	Permanent care	Respite care
Basic Daily Fee	Yes	Yes, at the same rate
Means tested fees or contributions	Yes	No
Accommodation costs	Yes, for eligible residents	No. The government pays a respite accommodation supplement instead
Higher Everyday Living Fee	Yes, from 1 November 2025	Yes, from 1 November 2025
Booking fee	No	Yes, the provider may charge one

Booking fees

For planned respite, you may charge a booking fee. When you configure it in the Manage RACS Agreement component, Maica calculates and displays the maximum allowed and validates your entry against it.

The maximum booking fee is the lesser of:

• one week's Basic Daily Fee, or

• 25% of (the Basic Daily Fee rate multiplied by the total proposed respite days).

Booking fee cancellation rules apply. If the resident cancels more than 7 days before entry, you must refund the full booking fee. If they cancel within 7 days, you may retain all or part of it.

Respite balances

A respite resident's remaining days are tracked as a respite balance, synced from Services Australia. The balance shows the days left in the current financial year.

Because of delays between providing care and claiming for it, the balance held by Services Australia may not always be fully current. It is good practice to confirm a resident's remaining days with the resident or their carer as well.

The temporary leave provisions that apply to permanent residents do not apply to respite. Absences during a respite stay are managed by agreement between the provider and the resident or their family:

• Hospital admission, intending to return: the place is held, the respite subsidy and Basic Daily Fee continue, and the booking fee is not refunded.

• Hospital admission, not returning: the respite episode ends, the booking fee is refunded, and the service agreement ceases.

• Short non-hospital absences: limited to one night at a time, with the subsidy and Basic Daily Fee continuing and the place held.