How we work

Comparison services in aged care have a trust problem, worldwide. The biggest referral service in the United States is under investigation for steering families toward facilities that pay it. We built CareShortlist to be the opposite, structurally, and this page puts that in writing.

Who pays us

Families never pay us anything. When we connect a family with a provider and that provider takes part in our referral program, the provider pays CareShortlist a flat referral fee. Under Australian rules, that fee cannot be passed on to you and cannot be drawn from a government care budget.

What providers can buy, and what they cannot

  • Providers CAN pay to receive shortlist requests from families, faster and with more context.
  • Providers CANNOT pay to rank higher, to appear on this site, to remove or soften a Star Rating, to push a competitor off a page, or to be recommended.
  • Every government-listed provider appears here, participating or not. The fee changes how quickly a provider can respond to you; it never changes what you see.

Where the data comes from

Service details come from the Australian Government aged care service list (30 June 2025). Star Ratings come from the official quarterly extract (May 2026). Cost figures carry the date they were last verified against government sources. When something on this site is out of date, we want to know: hello@careshortlist.com.au.

Our promises to families

  1. No pay-for-ranking, ever. Order on this site is never sold.
  2. Official ratings shown verbatim, for every home, favourable or not.
  3. No pressure mechanics. No countdown timers, no manufactured scarcity, no repeated sales calls. Take the time the decision deserves.
  4. Your data is not for sale. Details you give us are used to build your shortlist and connect you with providers you choose to hear from, and nothing else. See the privacy policy.
  5. Dated facts. Every figure shows when it was verified. Aged care rules change constantly; undated advice is how families get hurt.

What we are not

We are not a government service, not an aged care provider, and not financial advisers. Assessments and funding decisions belong to My Aged Care and Services Australia. For personalised financial advice on aged care, see a licensed adviser.