Aged Care Means Test Calculator

This calculator estimates the means assessment used to decide the Residential Care Subsidy in New Zealand, which determines how much the government puts towards rest home or hospital-level care and how much you pay yourself. You enter your assessable assets, the current asset threshold, your weekly income and the weekly care fee charged by the facility. The tool then works through the two-part test: it checks whether your assets sit above or below the threshold, and if you are below it, works out your likely weekly contribution and how much of the fee the subsidy would cover. Results show your status, how far your assets sit above or below the threshold, your indicative weekly contribution, and the weekly amount the subsidy would cover. Use it to get a quick, realistic picture of where you or a family member stand before applying, and to see how sensitive the outcome is to changes in assets or income. The real assessment carried out by Work and Income is more detailed, with different treatment of the family home depending on whether a partner remains living there, rules about income from assets, and a maximum contribution amount, and the thresholds themselves change over time. Treat the figures here as an indicative starting point for planning rather than a final answer, and confirm your position with Work and Income before making care decisions.

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This is a simplified, indicative estimate. The real means assessment has detailed rules on what counts as an asset, different thresholds depending on whether a partner remains at home, income from assets, and a maximum contribution. Thresholds change over time. Confirm with Work and Income, as eligibility and amounts depend on the full assessment.