Help with the cost of incontinence: the payment many older Australians never claim

This one isn't often talked about, which is exactly why it's worth writing down. Incontinence — bladder or bowel — is very common as we age, far more common than the silence around it suggests, and the ongoing cost of pads, pull-ups, catheters and other continence products is a real, quiet strain on a fixed income. It can run to hundreds of dollars a year, paid out of pocket, by people who often feel they can't mention it. So let's mention it plainly: there's no shame in this, it's a medical issue like any other, and there's a government scheme that helps pay for it which a great many eligible people have simply never heard of. This article is general information only, not personal or medical advice — for anything about your health, see your GP or a continence nurse.

What is the scheme?

The Continence Aids Payment Scheme — usually just called CAPS — is an Australian Government scheme that provides an annual payment to help with the cost of continence products for people with permanent and severe incontinence (Department of Health, https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/continence-aids-payment-scheme-caps). The important thing to understand is that it's a payment to you, not a delivery of specific products: the money goes into your bank account each year, and you use it to buy whatever continence aids suit you best.

How much is it, and how is it paid?

CAPS pays a flat annual amount that's indexed each year — for 2026-27 it's $739.40 — paid into your Australian bank account either as one lump sum in July or as two bi-annual instalments in July and January (Services Australia, https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/continence-aids-payment-scheme). It isn't counted as income for tax purposes. It's not designed to cover the entire cost of your continence products — think of it as a solid contribution that takes a meaningful bite out of an expense you'd otherwise carry alone. For someone spending regularly on pads or catheters, that yearly payment adds up to real relief.

Who is eligible — is it about the condition or your income?

This is the part worth getting right. Eligibility for CAPS is broadly based on having permanent and severe incontinence caused by an eligible condition (certain neurological and other specified conditions), along with meeting age and residency requirements, and your eligibility being confirmed by a qualified health professional — such as a nurse continence specialist or a doctor (Services Australia, https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/continence-aids-payment-scheme).

Note what's not in that list: your income and assets. Unlike the Age Pension, CAPS is generally not means-tested — it's tied to your medical condition, not your bank balance. So don't rule yourself out on the assumption that you "earn too much" or "have too much saved." If the condition and certification are there, the payment can be too.

How do you apply?

Because eligibility has to be certified by a health professional, the natural first step is a conversation — with your GP or a continence nurse — who can assess you and support the claim. If you're not sure where to start, the National Continence Helpline (a free advice line staffed by continence nurses) can point you in the right direction on both the paperwork and the products (Continence Foundation of Australia, https://www.continence.org.au/national-continence-helpline). It's a modest bit of admin for a payment that recurs every year.

Where else can help come from?

CAPS isn't the only door, and part of getting it right is using the correct one rather than doubling up. The National Continence Helpline (1800 33 00 66) offers free, expert, confidential advice on products, funding and services, and is a genuinely useful call to make. If you receive a Home Care Package or other aged-care support, your continence aids may be funded through that instead — and you generally wouldn't draw from two sources for the same thing, so it's worth getting advice on which pathway fits your situation (Services Australia, https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/home-care-packages). And if you're a veteran, the Department of Veterans' Affairs may cover continence aids for eligible veterans through its Rehabilitation Appliances Program — a separate pathway worth asking about (Department of Veterans' Affairs, https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-treatment/care-home-or-aged-care/rehabilitation-appliances-program-rap), and our article on DVA health entitlements has more.

Is it often treatable?

Finally, and importantly: incontinence is frequently treatable or improvable, not simply something to be endured as a fact of getting older. Pelvic floor work, medication, treating an underlying cause, or a specialist referral can make a real difference for many people. So the single best move isn't just to claim the payment — it's to raise the whole subject with your GP, who can look at both treating the problem and funding the products while it's managed. The embarrassment that keeps people quiet is precisely what stops them getting help that genuinely works.

What do the worked examples show?

These show how the scheme and the alternatives play out in practice. They are illustrative only, not personal or medical advice.

Consider Norma, 74, a single age pensioner who developed permanent incontinence after a stroke and spends around $800 a year on pads out of her own pocket, quietly, without telling anyone. On these facts CAPS is exactly what she's missing: a continence nurse or her GP can certify that her stroke-related condition meets the "permanent and severe" test, and because the scheme is not means-tested, her pension and modest savings don't count against her — she can receive the $739.40 annual payment for 2026-27 straight into her bank account (Services Australia, https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/continence-aids-payment-scheme). On these facts it is generally rational for someone in Norma's position to raise it with her GP or ring the National Continence Helpline, because that payment covers the great bulk of what she's currently paying alone.

Now consider Robert, 70, who already receives a Home Care Package and has recently developed incontinence. On these facts the question is which door, not whether there's help: his continence aids may already be able to be funded through his existing package, in which case he generally wouldn't also claim CAPS for the same products, so the sensible step is to check with his package provider which pathway covers it (Services Australia, https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/home-care-packages). On these facts it is generally rational for someone in Robert's position to sort out the funding pathway and to raise the incontinence itself with his GP, since at 70 it may well be treatable or improvable rather than simply managed.

What should you do in short?

If incontinence is part of your life or a loved one's, know two things. First, there's real financial help — the Continence Aids Payment Scheme pays $739.40 a year (2026-27) toward the cost, it's about your condition rather than your income, and it's badly under-claimed. Second, and just as important, it's a medical issue worth bringing into the open with your GP, both because it's often improvable and because that conversation is how you unlock the help. Nothing here is a reason for embarrassment, and quite a lot of it is a reason to pick up the phone.

Sources

• Services Australia — Continence Aids Payment Scheme
• Department of Health — Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS)
• Continence Foundation of Australia — National Continence Helpline
• Department of Veterans' Affairs — Rehabilitation Appliances Program
• Services Australia — Home Care Packages