CAPS 2026-27: The $739.40 Continence Payment and How Far It Actually Goes
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The Continence Aids Payment Scheme pays eligible Australians $739.40 for the 2026-27 financial year. It is cash, it lands in your bank account, and nobody tells you where to spend it. That last point matters more than most guides let on.
This is not a product delivery scheme and it is not a voucher tied to a catalogue. Services Australia pays the money and you choose the supplier, the brand and the product. If what you are using now does not fit properly or costs more than it should, CAPS money is yours to move.
Who can get CAPS
You need to meet all of the following:
- Be five years of age or older
- Have permanent and severe incontinence, confirmed by a registered health professional
- Have an eligible neurological condition, or another eligible condition, that is the cause of that incontinence
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and hold a current Medicare card
The eligible condition lists are published by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The scheme is not means tested. Your income and assets do not come into it, and the payment is not counted as taxable income.
How to apply
The order of these steps matters, because Services Australia cannot process an application without the health report section completed.
- Book the health professional first. A GP, a continence nurse advisor or another registered health professional completes the health report section of the form. Ask when you book, because some practices treat this as a longer appointment.
- Choose your application route. If you are applying for yourself and your Medicare online account is linked to myGov, you can apply online and only need the completed health report. If you are applying on someone else's behalf, you need the full paper form.
- Lodge it with Services Australia. Processing commonly takes several weeks.
- Pick your payment frequency. One annual payment in July, or two payments in July and January.
Two things catch people out. CAPS is not retrospective, so it will not reimburse what you have already spent. And your first payment is calculated pro rata from the date Services Australia receives a complete application, so a form sitting in a drawer for three months is money gone.
The National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 can talk you through eligibility and send you a paper form.
How far does $739.40 actually go?
Here is the part almost nobody writes down. Take a tab-style continence brief at the price on our website and divide.
| Size | Price per pack of 10 | Per brief | Briefs CAPS buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium | $23.99 | $2.40 | about 308 |
| Large | $25.99 | $2.60 | about 284 |
| Extra Large | $27.99 | $2.80 | about 264 |
At three changes a day, that is roughly 88 to 102 days of supply. Somewhere between eleven and fifteen weeks. At four changes a day it is closer to nine weeks.
So CAPS is a genuine contribution and it is not a full year of cover. Anyone telling you otherwise has not done the sum. Most people top it up from their own pocket, from an aged care package, or from an NDIS plan.
CAPS alongside other funding
Support at Home. The program that replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. You can generally receive CAPS and Support at Home at the same time if you meet the CAPS criteria. The exclusion applies where continence aids were already included in a home care plan before 1 November 2025. If you are unsure which side of that date your arrangement falls on, ask your provider before you apply.
NDIS. Continence products sit under Core Supports in the Consumables category. CAPS and an NDIS plan are administered separately, so check with your plan manager or support coordinator about how they interact in your situation.
DVA and state schemes. Several states run their own continence subsidy programs. The National Continence Helpline can tell you what operates where you live.
Making the payment stretch
Three things move the number more than brand shopping does.
Fit before absorbency. The most common reason people burn through product is leaking, and the most common reason for leaking is a brief that is the wrong size rather than one that is not absorbent enough. Measure around the waist and hip at the widest point and buy to the measurement, not to the clothing size.
Buy in larger quantities. Postage on a single pack is a real cost. Ordering several packs at once, or splitting a bulk order with someone else in the same situation, changes your cost per brief more than switching brands will.
Ask for a continence assessment. A continence nurse advisor can look at the whole picture and often lands on a product plan that costs less and works better than the one that got picked by guesswork. This is worth doing before you spend the payment, not after.
Common questions
Do I have to keep receipts for CAPS?
No. CAPS is a payment, not a reimbursement. You are not required to submit receipts for the products you buy.
Can I buy from any supplier?
Yes. The scheme does not restrict which supplier, brand or product you choose.
Does CAPS affect my pension or other payments?
No. It is not taxable income and it does not stop you receiving other payments from Services Australia.
What if my needs change during the year?
The payment amount is fixed for the financial year. If your needs increase, speak to a continence nurse advisor about a reassessment and about other funding streams.
Does the amount change each year?
Yes. It is re-rated each July through the Government's budget process. The 2026-27 rate is $739.40.
Where Equipit fits
Equipit is the product-supply arm of Kinship Uniting Services, an NDIS registered and CHSP approved provider since 2017. We supply unisex tab-style continence briefs in Medium, Large and Extra Large, stocked in Australia and dispatched from our warehouse in Western Sydney.
Every order ships in plain outer packaging with nothing on the outside that says what is inside, and every order comes with a tax invoice. If you would like help working out what a year of supply looks like for your situation, call 0448 663 293 or email products@equipitdsp.com.
This article is general information about a government payment and is not medical or financial advice. Confirm current rates and eligibility with Services Australia.