Evidence-led guidance · Mornington Peninsula
Aged-care extra fees (HELF): what is included and optional?
Can you refuse an extra-services package? Check what is already included, the 1 November 2026 protections, bundle charges, cooling-off and what to ask for in writing.
Published by Tom Le Cerf · Sources retain their individual dates.
The short answer
Yes, an optional Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) service can be declined. An aged-care home cannot make you agree to HELF to secure a room, and a standing HELF agreement cannot be signed before the service agreement or before entry into care. Essential care and services on the residential care service list remain part of the standard service offer, not optional paid upgrades.
HELF is distinct from assessed care contributions, basic daily fees and accommodation payments. A person may still owe those other charges even when they refuse all optional extras. See the four parts of an aged-care quote.
Included services or optional extras? Compare the service, not the marketing label
| In the written quote | What to establish | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Essential everyday care and services | Residential care providers must deliver the required standard service list: for example, meals and refreshments, personal laundry, cleaning and necessary personal care. Assessed fees may still apply. | Show me the equivalent standard service included without HELF and the service-list item. |
| Optional higher-standard services | A genuine upgrade above the required standard or another eligible extra can be offered for an optional charge. Whether a specific proposal qualifies depends on what the home must already supply. | What exactly changes from the standard offer? Specify the price, standard and frequency separately. |
| Room price and means-tested contributions | Accommodation payments and assessed contributions are separate from HELF. HELF cannot be used to charge for accommodation-related services. | Give me separate service, accommodation and optional HELF agreements and an itemised budget. |
There is no universal list making every premium-sounding service chargeable. Read the government residential care service list and the HELF charging guidance before accepting a specific charge.
Who does the new 1 November 2026 protection cover?
Already in residential care before 1 November 2025: if a resident received a higher-standard service free of additional charge immediately before that date, the provider cannot start charging them HELF for that service from 1 November 2026. It must continue without HELF while that service, or a substantially similar one, is offered to other residents in the home.
Important exceptions: this specific protection does not apply to someone who entered care on or after 1 November 2025 or to a service that was already provided under an additional or extra service fee arrangement. The general protection against charging HELF for required standard services still matters to everyone.
Previously paid for an extra service: old additional and extra service fee agreements could continue only to 31 October 2026. They do not automatically mean that a resident has consented to a new HELF agreement. Ask the provider which services and charges are proposed under the new arrangement.
My Aged Care: protection from 1 November 2026 · Check care-fee and accommodation cohorts separately.
What must a HELF agreement tell you?
For planned or ongoing HELF services, the standing agreement must be written. It must identify each service, its separate price, delivery standard, frequency and how charges work. Ad-hoc HELF is different: it covers a single unplanned service requested at the time, such as an impromptu café purchase, and can be agreed verbally.
You should not be asked to pay for a service you cannot or will not use. A bundle may contain an unusable item, but each component must also be available separately and the bundle price cannot exceed the sum of the individual prices for services you can use. Check the actual services and compare the line items rather than trusting a single package total.
Providers set their advertised HELF prices; the government does not approve every price. Once a resident has agreed, the amount can only increase by annual indexation under the applicable arrangements. There must be a review of standing HELF services at least annually.
Cooling-off, cancellation and changes
A standing HELF agreement has a 28-day cooling-off period after signing. During it, you can cancel or vary the higher everyday living services without a cancellation fee or minimum notice period; notify the provider. After that, cancellation or variation at the resident’s request normally requires 28 days notice. The provider may pass on proven unavoidable expenses extending beyond that period for up to 90 days, and no more than actually incurred.
If the home stops delivering an agreed service, or cannot deliver it to the agreed standard, the service must be cancelled or varied immediately. Keep the dated request and provider acknowledgement. These protections are for HELF, not a 28-day blanket right to cancel the care or room agreement.
Five questions that make the written quote useful
- Which services are required by the residential care service list, and what standard will be delivered without HELF?
- For each proposed optional item, what is its separate price, delivery standard, frequency and cancellation rule?
- Can every bundled service be bought separately, and what is the total price of just the services this person can use?
- If the resident was already in care before 1 November 2025, which services were free immediately before that date, and will those continue without HELF?
- Where are the service agreement, accommodation agreement, optional HELF agreement and assessed fee advice letter, and who will correct an error?
Print the aged-care visit and document request sheet Organise the written daily charges
A written request to send to the home
Please send the standard residential care service list applicable to this home and a written itemisation of any proposed Higher Everyday Living Fee (HELF) services. For each item, please specify the difference from the standard service, individual and bundle price, delivery standard and frequency, whether it can be declined, and the agreement and cancellation terms. Please keep accommodation and assessed fees separate. If this resident was in care before 1 November 2025, please confirm which higher-standard services were provided free immediately before that date and how the 1 November 2026 protection has been applied.
Copy this wording into your own email, adjusting it for your situation. The website does not send or keep the request. For an editable request and visit notes, use the aged-care home checklist.
If a proposed charge does not look right
Start by asking the home for the service-list comparison, its signed HELF consent record, invoices and a written explanation or correction. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission accepts complaints, including about fees presented as compulsory or items that should already be standard. It can be contacted on 1800 951 822. For independent advocacy, the Older Persons Advocacy Network can be contacted on 1800 700 600.
The Commission has publicly described investigations and corrections to inappropriate HELF charging. That is a reason to insist on the specific agreement and evidence, not evidence that any particular home in this directory has charged incorrectly. Read the Commission statement.
Editorial/source check: 13 November 2026. General consumer information, not individual legal or financial advice. Official rules and the particular resident’s agreements control the answer.