The Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) can no longer be used to charge long-standing aged care residents for services they used to receive at no extra cost. Since 1 November 2026, residential aged care providers have had to keep those services free for anyone who was already living in their home before 1 November 2025. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission has confirmed this in its latest Quality Bulletin.
What changed with the Higher Everyday Living Fee
The HELF was introduced on 1 November 2025 under the Aged Care Act 2024. It replaced the old extra service and additional service fees. It’s meant to be optional, a way for residents to pay for services above the standard every home must provide. However, some residents found themselves being charged for things that had always been included. After complaints from residents and their families, the Government amended the Aged Care Rules 2025 to close that gap.
Under the new rule, providers must not charge a HELF for any service a resident received at no extra cost immediately before 1 November 2025. That service must stay free for as long as the home continues to offer it, or something substantially similar, to other residents.
Who the Higher Everyday Living Fee protection covers
The rule covers residents who were living in a residential aged care home before 1 November 2025, and the providers that run those homes.
It doesn’t cover everyone, though. Residents who entered care on or after 1 November 2025 aren’t protected by this rule. Neither are residents who were already paying for a service under an extra or additional service fee arrangement.
When it starts
The rule came into force on 1 November 2026. That date also marks the end of the transition period for the old extra and additional service fee agreements, which could only run until 31 October 2026.
What the Higher Everyday Living Fee change means in practice
Providers will need to check which residents were in care before 1 November 2025 and what each of them was receiving free of charge at that point. Any of those services that have since been added to HELF charges or agreements need to come off. It’s also worth talking with residents and families directly, so nobody is left confused by a change in their bill.
The Commission has made it clear that it can take regulatory action against providers that don’t meet their HELF obligations, so getting this wrong carries real risk.
Perhaps your relative has been in care since before November 2025, and they’re now being charged for something that used to be included. If so, raise it with the home first. If that doesn’t resolve things, you can contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Related: Personal care contributions end and aged care complaints data goes public
General information only, not legal advice. Please check the official source before acting.
Source: Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, Aged Care Quality Bulletin 9-2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
Further reading: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Changes to aged care higher everyday living fee
