Aged Care Coordinator
Aged care coordinators arrange the services that help older people live safely at home or settle into residential care, matching support to what each client needs.
- Median salary*
- $75,400
3.9%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 5,900
1.7%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +14%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 38/wk
−2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- In shortage
national
Aged care coordinators work for home care providers, residential aged care homes, community health services and the government agencies that administer aged care funding. The role sits between the client and the people who deliver care: assessing what someone needs, arranging it and checking that it is working. It is different from aged care work, which is the hands-on personal care itself, though many coordinators start there.
How much do aged care coordinators earn?
The median full-time salary for an aged care coordinator is $75,400 per annum, before tax, up $15,700 since 2018.
Pay depends heavily on who employs you, because residential providers, home care providers, community health services and government departments all sit under different agreements. Holding a nursing or allied health qualification, taking on team leadership, and covering on-call or after-hours coordination all lift the figure, and the classification the employer uses for the role matters as much as the job title. Some coordinators are paid as case managers or nurses rather than coordinators, which is why advertised rates for the same work can differ.
What does an aged care coordinator do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Assessing new clients against the aged care assessment and funding they have been given
- Writing and reviewing care plans with the client, their family and their GP
- Booking services such as personal care, nursing, cleaning and transport, and chasing providers when a slot falls through
- Visiting clients at home or in a facility to check how the plan is holding up
- Keeping case notes in the My Aged Care portal and care management software, and reporting against the Aged Care Quality Standards
What skills do aged care coordinators need?
Employers look for care planning and coordination, casework and client support, regulatory compliance, backed by My Aged Care portal fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Care planning and coordination
- Casework and client support
- Regulatory compliance
Software and tools
- My Aged Care portal
- Care management software (e.g., LeeCare, iCare)
- Microsoft Office
- Scheduling systems
General skills
- Written communication
- Stakeholder management
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 5,900 people work as aged care coordinators in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 14% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become an aged care coordinator?
Here's the path most aged care coordinators take, step by step.
- 1Start with a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing)
This is the entry qualification for aged care work and takes about six months of study, often alongside paid shifts. Doing the hands-on care first teaches you what clients need day to day, which is the knowledge coordinators draw on later.
- 2Work as an aged care worker or support worker
A year or two on the floor builds the client experience and provider knowledge that coordination roles ask for, and many providers promote from within rather than hiring externally.
- 3Add a Certificate IV in Ageing Support or a Diploma of Community Services
These are the qualifications most advertised coordinator roles list, and they cover assessment, care planning, case management and the quality standards. A Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121) or a health degree also works if your background is clinical.
- 4Learn the aged care systems
My Aged Care, the Support at Home program and the Aged Care Quality Standards are where the job actually happens. Employers usually provide training, but familiarity with the portal and the funding pathways before you apply makes the transition easier.
- 5Apply for coordinator roles and check the screening requirements
A police check is standard, and depending on the state and the clients you work with you may also need an NDIS worker screening clearance or a Working with Children Check. Some employers ask for a driver's licence, since home visits are part of the job.
Ready to apply as an aged care coordinator?
Whether you're working toward becoming an aged care coordinator or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an aged care coordinator move to?
Moving into Housing Officer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $14,000 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing Officer An aged care coordinator's understanding of vulnerable clients and service coordination applies to housing assistance roles. | +$14,000 | 59% | short course |
| Behaviour Support Practitioner An aged care coordinator's client-centred planning and behaviour observation skills suit behaviour support, though a degree is required. | +$13,000 | 81% | reskill |
| Disability Support Coordinator An aged care coordinator's assessment and care planning skills transfer directly to coordinating disability support services. | +$5,200 | 80% | minimal |
| Social Security Assessor An aged care coordinator's needs assessment and case management skills apply to assessing social security claims. | +$0 | 60% | short course |
| Injury Management Coordinator An aged care coordinator's care planning and client advocacy skills transfer to coordinating injury management plans. | −$15,600 | 67% | minimal |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an aged care coordinator?
The typical aged care coordinator is 45 years old; 85% are women, 77% work full-time, and full-timers average 38 hours a week.
- 45
- Median age
- 85%
- Female share
- 77%
- Full-time
- −2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an aged care coordinator?
The job runs on a caseload: a set number of clients whose plans, reviews and problems are yours to manage. Full-time coordinators average 38 hours a week, and the time splits between home visits, phone calls with families and providers, and documentation in the system. It suits people who like untangling a problem on someone else's behalf and are comfortable with the paperwork that comes with it.
What people like
- You see the plan work. When a client gets the help they need to stay at home, the difference shows up within weeks, and you usually know which phone call made it happen.
- Long relationships with clients and families. You get to know people over months and years, which makes the work personal in a way that task-based roles are not.
- You learn how the system fits together. Knowing which provider, funding stream or assessment pathway suits a client is a skill that builds quickly and stays useful wherever you work next.
- Variety across the week. A home visit, a family meeting and an afternoon of case notes can all fall in the same week, so the job rarely keeps you in one place.
What people find hard
- Funding sets the limit. The package a client holds caps what you can arrange, so there are times you know what would help and cannot pay for it.
- Waiting lists you cannot move. When no provider has capacity, the plan stalls and the follow-up calls are yours to keep making until a place opens.
- The documentation load. Notes, reviews and compliance records take a real share of the week, and they are written in the portal rather than at the kitchen table.
- Difficult conversations with families. Families do not always agree about what a parent needs, and the coordinator is often the one who has to explain what the funding will and will not cover.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ aged care coordinators?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of aged care coordinators, followed by Other Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
- 2Other Services
- 3Administrative and Support Services
- 4Public Administration and Safety
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Certificate III/IV | 34% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 26% | |
| Bachelor degree | 20% | |
| Year 12 or below | 20% |
Will AI replace aged care coordinators?
Aged care coordination is moderately exposed to AI, mostly in the administrative half of the job. Rostering, provider matching, case note drafting and parts of the assessment paperwork are already handled or assisted by the My Aged Care portal and care management software, and that reach is growing. The client-facing work, home visits, family conversations and judgement about a changing condition, stays with the coordinator.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Client assessments and home visitsJudging whether someone is managing at home, or whether a bruise or an unplanned weight change needs following up, depends on being there.30%low
- Care planning, case notes and compliance recordsCare management systems now draft summaries from your notes and prompt you when a review is due, but the plan itself still reflects your own assessment of the client.25%high
- Conversations with families, GPs and providersExplaining what the funding covers and negotiating between a family, a GP and a provider is done by the coordinator, usually in person or on the phone.25%low
- Scheduling visits and matching providers to clientsRostering and brokering tools suggest who is available and closest, which speeds up the search, though you still ring the provider when the system finds no one.20%high
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from aged care coordinator work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Behaviour Support Practitioner
High skill overlap (81%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming an aged care coordinator
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does an aged care coordinator earn?
The median is $75,400 per annum, before tax. Pay moves with your employer's enterprise agreement, whether you hold a nursing or allied health qualification, and whether the role includes team leadership or after-hours coordination. It is a median for full-time coordinators, so part-time and casual rates are usually lower.
How do you become an aged care coordinator?
Most coordinators start in aged care work, add a Certificate IV in Ageing Support (CHC43015) or a Diploma of Community Services (CHC52025), then move into coordination with the same provider. The role needs a police check, and some employers also ask for a nursing or allied health qualification or a driver's licence for home visits.
Are aged care coordinators in demand?
Aged care coordinators are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 14% over the decade to 2035. The work is spread across home care providers, residential facilities and community organisations rather than concentrated in one employer type, so it pays to look at all three when you are applying.
Will AI replace aged care coordinators?
Parts of the job are already automated, particularly documentation, visit scheduling and matching clients to services, and that reach is growing. What is harder to automate is the home visit, the judgement about a client who is declining, and the conversations with families, and those take up a large share of the week. Coordinators who are comfortable using the portal and care management software tend to spend less time on administration.
What can an aged care coordinator move into?
Disability support coordination is a common move, because assessment and care planning skills carry across and pay is $5,200 more. Behaviour support practitioner is a step up for coordinators willing to complete a degree, and housing officer draws on the same client advocacy work at $14,000 more.
What is the difference between an aged care coordinator and an aged care worker?
An aged care worker delivers the hands-on care, such as showering, meals, medication prompts and companionship. A coordinator arranges those services, reviews whether they are working and becomes the contact point when something changes. The two roles work closely together, and many coordinators started as aged care workers.
Related roles
- Disability Support Coordinator
- Behaviour Support Practitioner
- Housing Officer
- Injury Management Coordinator
- Social Security Assessor
- Aged Care Worker
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