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What actually happens at an aged care assessment
What they ask, who can be there, and a common mistake people make when describing how they are managing.
5 min read · Updated 29 July 2026
The assessment decides how much support you are funded for, which makes it the most consequential conversation in the whole process. It is also the one people prepare for least.
How it works
After you contact My Aged Care, an assessor arranges to talk with you, usually at home. It is a conversation, not a test. They want to understand how you are managing day to day: washing and dressing, cooking, getting around the house, getting out, keeping on top of the place, any health conditions, and what help you already get from family or friends.
There is no pass or fail. The point is an accurate picture.
The mistake almost everyone makes
People describe their best day.
It is completely understandable. Nobody wants to sit in their own lounge room listing everything they can no longer do, particularly not to a stranger with a form. So people say they are managing, that the shower is fine, that they only had that one fall.
The trouble is the assessment reflects what you describe. Understate it and you are funded for the version of yourself you described, not the one who struggles on a bad week.
Worth doing before the visit
Spend a week noticing what is genuinely hard rather than what you have got used to working around. Most people have adapted so gradually they no longer register it as difficulty.
Have someone with you
You are entitled to have a family member, friend or advocate present, and it is worth arranging. Two reasons: they will remember things you forget to mention, and they often have a clearer view of what has changed than you do. Living with a decline day by day makes it invisible.
If English is not your first language, My Aged Care can arrange an interpreter at no cost. Ask when you first call.
What to have ready
- Your Medicare card
- A list of your medications
- Contact details for your GP and any specialists
- Details of any support you currently receive
- Notes on what you find difficult, including the things you have stopped doing because they became hard
After the assessment
If you are eligible you will receive an outcome letter with your classification and a referral code. Keep the code somewhere safe — a provider needs it to access your assessment information and arrange your funding.
Giving a provider your referral code does not commit you to using them. It lets them see what you have been approved for so they can talk to you sensibly about options.
If circumstances change
Assessments are not permanent. If your needs increase significantly, you can ask My Aged Care for a reassessment and may be moved to a higher classification. People often wait far longer than they should before doing this.