You learn your position at reporting time.
The QFR reconstructs the past. A shortfall discovered there isn't a staffing decision anymore — it's a funding and compliance exposure you can only explain, not fix.
Industries
Aged care
New supplement funding from April 2026
Care minutes governance for aged care providers.
Monitor care minutes against targets. Fix gaps before you miss out on funding. Prove compliance to ASAE 3000 auditors — with evidence behind every reported minute.
AN-ACC targets tracked daily · gaps flagged while rosters can change · audit-grade evidence for ASAE 3000.
Care minutes supplement
The national picture
Total providers in Australia
713
Meeting both targets
64%
Non-compliant
36%
Max supplement / bed / day
$33.41
Source: health.gov.au care minutes performance, Jan–Mar 2026
A shortfall caught this week is a roster change. At the QFR, it's an exposure.
The challenge
The target is daily. The truth arrives quarterly.
Care minutes are delivered shift by shift, but most providers only discover their real position when the quarterly reporting is assembled — months after the rosters that caused the gap could have been changed.
The minutes depend on data nobody reconciled.
Whether a minute counts depends on who delivered it, in what role, with what credential — spread across roster, time, care, and HR systems that each hold one piece.
A number you can't defend is a finding.
When assessors ask what sits behind the reported minutes, spreadsheets and goodwill aren't evidence. The $33.41/bed/day supplement — and your Star Rating — ride on it.
The decisions we check
From care demand to the pay run — one governed chain.
The four decisions that decide whether your quarter is calm or a remediation: care-minute delivery against target, who is eligible to work, how the gap gets filled, and what payroll receives.
✓
Care-minute delivery
Daily position against AN-ACC targets, with gap drivers flagged while the roster can change.
Care Minutes →
×
Eligibility at assignment
Registrations, role match, and site eligibility gated before an unqualified worker reaches the floor.
Credentialing →
!
Sourcing the gap
When internal supply can't fill the shift, agency cost, budget, and quals are checked first.
Roster & Sourcing Control →
↳
Time to pay
Roster, clock, award rules, and approvals verified before the pay run executes.
Time & Pay Control →Workforce systems record what happened. Smartta proves why it was allowed.
The plan
Three steps to safer workforce decisions.
1
Map the risk
Identify where decisions move between roster, time, HR, payroll, credentialing, and care systems.
In aged care: where care minutes, eligibility, sourcing, and pay build the reported position.
2
Control the decision
Configure checks that pass, flag, or gate high-risk workforce decisions before they move downstream.
In aged care: care-minute delivery tracked daily against AN-ACC targets — gaps flagged while the roster can change.
3
Prove the outcome
Keep decision evidence ready for payroll review, compliance checks, incident response, and operational governance.
In aged care: who, role, and credential behind each reported minute — QFR- and ASAE 3000-ready.
What changes
Calm quarters, defensible numbers.
The staffing picture behind every reported minute and every pay line — recorded as it happens, ready when assessors ask.
For operations
Gaps surface while staffing can still respond — coverage managed with the target in view.
For finance
Supplement exposure quantified and agency premiums caught before they compound across quarters.
For assurance
"Was this person eligible, and did the minute count?" — answered per shift, per facility.
It's not only care minutes
The same roster decides your pay run — and it's under the microscope.
Several aged care providers have signed Fair Work enforceable undertakings for underpayments ranging from around $2 million to $12 million each — most traced to time-and-attendance and manual payroll that didn't reconcile against the award or agreement. Since 1 January 2025, intentional underpayment is a criminal offence.
Read: what the supermarkets' $1bn underpayment taught — and why aged care is more exposed →
$40.5m
back-paid to 22,000+ aged care workers (FY23-24)
20
providers under Fair Work investigation (2025)
10 yrs
max prison — wage theft is now criminal
Start free
Free compliance tools.
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
What are care minutes in aged care?
Care minutes are the total minutes of direct care delivered per resident per day by registered nurses (RNs), enrolled nurses (ENs), and personal care workers (PCWs). The Australian Government requires residential aged care providers to meet minimum targets: 215 total care minutes and 44 RN minutes per resident per day.
What happens if my provider doesn't meet care minutes targets?
From April 2026, providers below 85% of targets receive no supplement funding. Between 85-100%, the supplement reduces on a sliding scale. At 100%, providers receive the full $33.41/bed/day. For a 100-bed facility not meeting targets, this means approximately $1.2 million per year in lost funding.
How is Smartta different from Humanforce or Mirus?
Humanforce, Mirus, and Deputy are workforce management systems — they handle rostering, scheduling, and time capture. Smartta is a governance overlay that sits above your existing WFM. It reconciles data across rostering, attendance, qualifications, and care records to produce the cross-system evidence that ASAE 3000 auditors require. You keep your current WFM; Smartta adds the governance layer.
What is an ASAE 3000 audit for care minutes?
ASAE 3000 is the auditing standard used to verify your Care Minutes Performance Statement. A named engagement partner must personally attest that your evidence trail is complete. If the auditor can't reconcile care minutes data across rostering, attendance, and qualification systems, the opinion comes back qualified — signalling governance failure to regulators and insurers.
How do I check if my provider is meeting care minutes targets?
Use Smartta's free compliance check tool. Search any of 713 Australian residential aged care providers to see their compliance status, risk level, and facility-by-facility breakdown. Data is sourced from the Department of Health and Aged Care.
What is workforce governance?
Workforce governance is the system of rules, accountabilities, and evidence processes that prove your workforce delivers safe, compliant care. The ACQSC mandates it under Quality Standard 8(3)(c)(iv). Unlike workforce management (rostering), governance verifies that what was planned actually happened — and can prove it to an auditor.
The Care Minutes Movers 2026
Who improved most on care minutes — and what the Jan–Mar 2026 government data reveals.
Read the data →What is Workforce Governance?
The regulator's definition under Quality Standard 8(3)(c)(iv), what assessors look for, and why it matters now.
Read more →10-Day Compliance Assessment
Quantify your funding exposure, map evidence gaps, and get a remediation roadmap. From $4,950 + GST.
Book Your Assessment →Aged care
Ready to protect your funding?
Start with a free compliance check, or book an assessment to find your gaps before you start missing out on funding.
Important Disclaimer
The information on this page is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, accounting, compliance, or professional advice. Compliance data is sourced from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care (health.gov.au, Q4 FY 2024-25) and may not reflect current or future regulatory requirements.
Funding estimates, supplement calculations, and risk assessments are illustrative only and based on general assumptions. Your actual funding entitlements, compliance obligations, and financial position may differ materially. The care minutes supplement regime, ASAE 3000 audit requirements, and AN-ACC pricing are subject to change by the Australian Government.
You should not rely on this information to make business, compliance, staffing, or financial decisions. Always consult qualified legal, accounting, and aged care compliance professionals who can assess your specific circumstances.
Smartplace Pty Ltd and its affiliates accept no liability for any loss, damage, or consequences arising from use of or reliance on the information presented on this page.