The Numbers

Care minutes put $33.41 per resident per day at stake

From 1 April 2026, $33.41 per resident per day of standard MM1 aged care funding is tied to meeting mandatory care minute targets. The figure comes from the official AN-ACC price of $295.64 per day. The working is below, with each rate linked to its source.

How the $33.41 is calculated

National AN-ACC price (1.00 NWAU)	$295.64 per day
NWAU redirected into the care minutes supplement (from 1 April 2026)	0.113 NWAU
Funding tied to care minute targets (0.113 x $295.64)	$33.41 per resident per day

Rates from the Department of Health and Aged Care care minutes funding changes and Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements. Applies to standard MM1 homes from 1 April 2026.

What it looks like across a facility

Take an illustrative 120-bed MM1 home running at full occupancy. The funding contingent on meeting care minute targets works out like this.

$33.41 per resident per day x 120 residents x 365 days

about $1.46 million per year tied to care minute delivery

The 120-bed size and full occupancy are illustrative assumptions to show the method, not a claim about any specific home. The per-resident rate is fixed by the official AN-ACC price. Your exposure depends on occupancy, MM category and how consistently targets are met.

What care minutes financial modelling covers

The funding tied to care minute targets across your homes on current AN-ACC rates
Staffing rosters modelled against registered nurse and total care minute targets
The margin cost of a shortfall, home by home
The break-even point where extra staffing cost is recovered by the supplement
Board reporting that connects care minute performance to funding

Care minutes funding FAQs

How much care minutes funding is at stake per resident?

From 1 April 2026, $33.41 per resident per day in a standard MM1 home is tied to meeting mandatory care minute targets. That figure is 0.113 NWAU redirected from the Base Care Tariff into a care minutes supplement, valued at the national AN-ACC price of $295.64 per day.

Where does the $33.41 figure come from?

The Department of Health and Aged Care moved 0.113 NWAU out of the standard MM1 Base Care Tariff into a new care minutes supplement from 1 April 2026. At the national AN-ACC price of $295.64, 0.113 NWAU equals $33.41 per resident per day. Both figures are published by the department.

What happens if a home does not meet its care minute targets?

The supplement is contingent on delivering the mandated registered nurse and total care minutes. A home that falls short does not reclaim that portion of funding, so the shortfall becomes a direct margin cost on top of any regulatory consequence.

Know your care minutes exposure before the next board meeting

Care minutes modelling shows the funding tied to targets and the margin cost of a shortfall, home by home. Steven Taylor MBA, CPA, FMVA, MAICD works with aged care operators across Australia.

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