Mirus: Aged care room price now over $600,000
- RAD milestone: Average RAD surpasses $600,000 nationally
- Occupancy growth: Aged care occupancy reaches nine-year high
- Assessment gains: Reassessment wait times improve significantly
- Admissions decline: New permanent resident intake falls
168 operators lifted their top Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) for an aged care room in May 2026.
The average RAD hit a new record high average of $604,919 in May, the first time it has surpassed $600,000, according to the latest Mirus Australia survey. The maximum Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) in Australia is $758,627.
The RAD is a lump-sum, upfront payment used to cover residential aged care accommodation. Operators can deduct 2% per year (calculated daily) from the RAD balance, for a maximum of 5 years (equating to a total maximum retention of 10%).
At the same time, national occupancy hit a nine-year high of 93.12%, the fourth consecutive monthly rise, stated Mirus Australia's latest Accommodation Pricing Report.
The data survey, which captures approximately 90,000 residential aged care beds, nearly one-third of the sector, showed days from reassessment request to completion improved. The national average reassessment wait time fell from 18.71 to 16.57 days - an 11.4% improvement.
"The sector is absorbing more residents, pricing rooms with more confidence, and processing reassessments faster than we have seen in some time. That is a genuinely positive picture," said Rob Covino, Founder, Mirus Australia.
Total care minutes slightly lower
At the same time, total care minutes delivered per resident per day fell marginally (0.56%) to 228.65 minutes in May, as rosters absorbed increased resident numbers.
The average AN-ACC case mix (per resident per day) was 216 minutes in May, up 1.4 minutes since November 2025.
Rising average case mix and occupancy indicate "demand is catching up to rosters that still have capacity to absorb that increasing demand", Mirus Australia said.
Admissions down
Despite the rise in occupancy, new permanent admissions fell 11.18% to 4,082 in May.
Mirus will "monitor whether this represents a seasonal pattern or a more sustained shift in admission activity".
The average age of new admissions ticked down slightly to 85.08 years, according to the Mirus Australia data for May.
