Aged care · Caloundra & the Sunshine Coast

Aged care financial advice in Caloundra and on the Sunshine Coast

Aged care financial advice helps you work out how to pay for care, what to do with the family home, and how fees affect the Age Pension. Simon Pederson models paying a RAD, a DAP or a mix using the 2026 rules, so your family can see the trade-offs on paper before choosing.

Book a 30-minute Fit Check with Simon

Simon Pederson, M.Fin, B.Bus (FP), Founder and Lead Retirement Planner, over 15 years helping people plan for retirement

Older couple sitting together at a table on a timber verandah

Why get aged care financial advice before choosing a home?

When someone you love needs care, decisions often have to be made quickly, and the rules changed for people entering care from 1 November 2025. Aged care financial planning brings the fees, the accommodation payment, the family home and the Age Pension together in one picture, so you can weigh the options calmly.

Simon lives in Caloundra and works with families across the Sunshine Coast. We work with people in Caloundra, Mooloolaba and across the Sunshine Coast. Many are adult children helping a parent.

“Simon has been a fount of knowledge, always in a clear and relevant manner”
Keith, Jan 2026Selected reviews. Individual experiences vary.

What can an aged care financial advisor help with?

Funding care: working out how to pay the daily fees and accommodation costs from your income and assets.
RAD, DAP or a mix: modelling a lump sum, a daily payment, or a combination, and what each means for cash flow.
The family home: comparing keeping, renting or selling it for the aged care means test and the Age Pension.
Age Pension and Centrelink: checking how a move into care may change your entitlements, including if a couple is separated by illness.
Paperwork: helping you complete the means assessment forms and read the provider agreement before you sign.
Checking the numbers: reviewing your fee advice so you can see whether the assessment matches your records.
Wills and powers of attorney: working with your solicitor so documents reflect the new situation.

What does residential aged care cost in 2026?

In residential care you typically pay a Basic Daily Fee, a means-tested Hotelling Contribution and Non-Clinical Care Contribution, plus accommodation (a RAD, a DAP or a mix). From 20 September 2026:

Basic Daily Fee: $68.93 a day (standard rate). [1]
Hotelling Contribution: means tested, capped at $22.15 a day. [1]
Non-Clinical Care Contribution: means tested, capped at $109.45 a day, with a lifetime cap of $140,652.80 or four years of payments, whichever comes first. [1]
Accommodation: a home can charge a RAD of up to $789,686 without approval from the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA). [1]

As a general guide from what we see locally, published RADs for single rooms at Sunshine Coast homes often range from about $450,000 to $790,000, and some premium suites are priced above $1 million (checked 14 October 2026; check each home’s published prices). [5]

For a worked example, read our aged care guide for the Sunshine Coast.

Should you pay a RAD, a DAP or a mix?

A Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) is a lump sum. A Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP) is the same cost paid as a daily amount, which is indexed. Many families choose a mix, or have the DAP drawn from a partly paid RAD.

From 1 November 2025, a home can retain 2% a year of a RAD, calculated daily on the declining balance, for up to five years from when it was first paid. After five years, retention stops, and the balance left is refundable when the resident leaves care. [2][3]

On a $750,000 RAD, retention starts at about $15,000 in the first year and then falls as the balance declines. Illustration only: rounded numbers; the exact amount depends on the balance each day.

Whether a particular mix suits you depends on your circumstances, so Simon models the options side by side.

What happens to the family home?

If a protected person, such as your spouse, still lives in the home, it is generally exempt from the aged care means test. If no protected person lives there, its value for that means test is capped at $219,858.40 from 20 September 2026. The cap is indexed in March and September. [1]

The Age Pension uses a separate test. Generally, your former home isn’t counted in the Age Pension assets test for up to two years after you move into care, or for as long as your partner still lives there. After two years it’s counted, and you’re assessed as a non-homeowner. [4]

Keeping, renting or selling the home each affects aged care fees and the Age Pension differently. Read Will downsizing affect my Age Pension? for more.

If a retirement village is one of the options you’re weighing up, our retirement village decision checklist sets out questions to ask before you decide.

What if you’d rather stay at home?

Support at Home replaced the older home care packages on 1 November 2025. From 1 October 2026, you generally won’t pay a contribution for approved personal care if it’s in your support plan and you have enough funds in your Support at Home budget. Contributions may still apply to other services, such as domestic help and gardening. [6]

How does aged care advice with Sunlit Path work?

It starts with a 30-minute Fit Check by phone or video call. It’s general information, not personal advice. If we’re a good match, Simon explains the next steps and what advice would cost, and you can see our fees on the Pricing page. The steps are set out in Our engagement process.

Aged care funding is one part of our Path to Prosperity approach to retirement planning. See also retirement planning for every life stage and our home page.

“Simon has been a big help to me in my situation.”
Frankie, Jan 2026Selected reviews. Individual experiences vary.

Common questions about aged care costs

What does an aged care financial adviser do?

An aged care financial adviser looks at how care will be paid for, alongside the family home, the Age Pension and your wider retirement plan. Simon models the options, such as paying a RAD, a DAP or a mix, and explains the trade-offs in plain English before you decide.

If I pay a RAD, do I get all of it back?

Not always. For people entering care from 1 November 2025, a home can retain 2% a year of a Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD), calculated daily on the declining balance, for up to five years. The balance left is refundable when the resident leaves care.

What is the Basic Daily Fee in 2026?

From 20 September 2026, the standard Basic Daily Fee is $68.93 a day. Most residents pay it, and it is indexed in March and September.

What happens to the family home if it sits empty?

For the aged care means test, if no protected person lives there, its value is capped at $219,858.40 from 20 September 2026. For the Age Pension, your former home is generally not counted for up to two years after you move into care, or for as long as your partner still lives there.

Is there a limit on how much I pay for care?

Yes. The Non-Clinical Care Contribution has a lifetime cap of $140,652.80 from 20 September 2026, or four years of payments, whichever comes first. Other fees, such as the Basic Daily Fee and accommodation costs, continue.

Want to talk through aged care costs for your family?

Start with a 30-minute Fit Check with Simon, Founder and Lead Retirement Planner, by phone or video call.