Advice and support
Government funding / State and territory schemes
What each state and territory actually funds, including the question that matters most: does the scheme pay for disposable pads, or only washable products?
State schemes sit on top of the national ones, and they vary more than most people expect. New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory fund disposable continence products in some form. Victoria funds washable products only. South Australia has no state subsidy for disposable pads. Tasmania and the ACT do not publish enough detail to say either way, so call them.
Almost every scheme requires a health professional to assess you and lodge the application, and most set quantity limits rather than handing over cash. If you want a payment you can spend freely, that is CAPS, the national scheme.
| Where you live | Scheme | Funds disposable pads? | What you get | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Continence Assistance, EnableNSW | Yes | Up to 810 to 1,080 products a year | 1800 362 253 |
| VIC | Continence Aids Program, SWEP | No, washables only | Up to $1,200 over 12 months, shared with catheters | 1300 747 937 |
| QLD | Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme (MASS) | Yes | Up to 2.5 pads a day for adults, supplied in kind | 1300 443 570 |
| WA | Continence Product Subsidy Scheme (CPSS) | Yes | $490 a year, from one nominated supplier | 1300 650 803 |
| SA | Equipment Program | No | Bedding protectors and equipment only | 1300 130 302 |
| TAS | TasEquip, plus a continence contact | Not documented | Equipment scheme, continence not detailed | 1300 134 106 |
| NT | Territory Equipment Program (TEP) | Yes | Published ceiling of $1,500 a year, after CAPS | 08 8922 5571 |
| ACT | ACT Equipment Scheme (ACTES) | Not specified | Continence aids listed as fully funded | (02) 5124 1076 |
EnableNSW provides continence assistance as quantities of product rather than a cash amount, and the allocations are generous: up to 810 disposable products a year for urinary or faecal incontinence, or up to 1,080 where you have both. Washable alternatives are funded instead if you prefer them.
You need permanent or long-term moderate to severe incontinence, and your need must be greater than CAPS alone would cover. You are expected to claim CAPS each year first, with EnableNSW topping up. A concession card is not required.
Not funded: disposable bed and chair pads, chair pads of any kind, gloves, creams and barrier wipes, products for mild stress incontinence or bedwetting alone, and nappies for children under 4. A $100 yearly co-payment applies to most people.
A prescriber lodges the application, not you. That is usually a continence nurse or a registered nurse with continence training. Reapply every two years. enable.health.nsw.gov.au, phone 1800 362 253.
This is the one that surprises people. Victoria's Continence Aids Program, run by SWEP, does not fund disposable pads or pants. It funds washable incontinence pads and pants, waterproof covers such as mattress protectors, bed pads, chair pads and floor mats, and catheter and drainage items.
Three things worth knowing before you plan around it. The subsidy is up to $1,200 across a rolling 12 months from your own start date, not the financial year. That ceiling is shared across all continence items including catheters, so it is not a washables budget. And washable products are funded as a one-off order rather than an annual supply, so you receive a set quantity once, not every year.
There is no concession card requirement and no means test. You do need to be assessed by a SWEP-registered continence practitioner, who lodges the application. If you rely on disposables in Victoria, CAPS is the scheme that helps.
People receiving higher-level aged care support are excluded from continence funding. You can hold CAPS and SWEP at the same time. swep.bhs.org.au, phone 1300 747 937.
The Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme supplies products directly rather than paying you, so there is no dollar figure. Adults can receive up to 2.5 disposable pads a day, and children aged 5 to 15 up to 4.5 a day. Supply is arranged every six months.
Funded items include disposable pads, nappies, pull-on style pads and all-in-ones, reusable bed pads, chair pads and pants, catheters and drainage. Not funded: disposable liners or booster pads, catheter change packs, gloves and urinals. MASS states plainly that it is not intended to cover all of your continence needs.
You need to be a permanent Queensland resident with a permanent, stable condition, and hold a Pensioner Concession Card, a Health Care Card, a DVA Pensioner Concession Card or a Queensland Seniors Card. A Commonwealth Seniors Health Card does not qualify, and DVA Gold Card holders are not eligible because DVA supplies them instead.
NDIS participants, residential aged care residents and people on higher-level home care packages are excluded. A prescriber applies on your behalf and MASS asks for about a month to process. qld.gov.au, phone 1300 443 570.
Western Australia's scheme is now the Continence Product Subsidy Scheme. If you have seen it called CMASS, that name is retired. The Department of Health funds it, Silverchain does the clinical assessment through its continence advice service, and the funds are held and the products supplied by a single contracted supplier.
The subsidy is $490 a year, with two important catches. It is not a financial-year amount: it renews twelve months from your first assessment, and unused funds do not roll over. And it is not cash, so it can only be spent with the contracted supplier.
You need a chronic continence condition lasting six months or more, permanent WA residency, and a Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card if you are 16 or over. A Commonwealth Seniors Health Card does not qualify. You can hold CPSS and CAPS together, and WA actively encourages people to claim both.
WA is the only jurisdiction publishing waiting times: currently up to 8 weeks for a reassessment and up to 13 weeks for a new assessment, so apply early. A new GP referral is needed each year. Assessment 1300 650 803, orders 1300 788 855. wa.gov.au.
South Australia does not have a state subsidy for disposable continence products. The Equipment Program, run by the Department of Human Services, includes a small continence category covering bedding protectors, bed pans and urinals, and nothing else in the way of absorbent products.
South Australia's own consumer guidance points people to the national schemes for product costs, so if you live in SA, CAPS and, where relevant, the NDIS or DVA are the routes to look at.
equipmentprogram.sa.gov.au, phone 1300 130 302.
Tasmania runs TasEquip, a state-wide equipment scheme covering durable equipment such as shower chairs, walking aids and hoists. Continence products are not described anywhere in its published scope, and there is a $50 annual loan fee for equipment.
Separately, the Department of Health lists a continence aids contact staffed by a continence nurse adviser, but publishes no eligibility, product list or subsidy detail. Rather than assume Tasmania funds nothing, the honest answer is that nothing is documented publicly, so call and ask.
Continence nurse adviser, phone 1300 134 106. Tasmanians are also eligible for the national schemes, and CAPS is the usual starting point.
The Territory Equipment Program funds both disposable and reusable pads, along with catheters, drainage bags and related consumables. The published ceiling is $1,500 a year, though the source guideline is some years old, so confirm the current figure by phone before relying on it.
The Northern Territory is explicitly a top-up scheme: you are only eligible once your CAPS funding has been exhausted. Pads are not supplied under age 5, and children aged 5 to 15 can receive up to 4 a day.
Eligibility requires permanent NT residency, a permanent or long-term functional impairment, and generally a full Centrelink Disability Support or Age Pension. Children up to 16 are eligible regardless of parental income. Washable bed protection sits outside the scheme except in rural and remote settings or where it is the culturally appropriate choice.
Top End 08 8922 5571, Central Australia 08 8951 6747. health.nt.gov.au.
The ACT Equipment Scheme lists continence aids among the equipment it fully funds, but does not publish a dollar figure, a cap, or a product list, so we cannot say from official sources whether disposable pads are included. Call before you plan around it.
You need to have lived in the ACT for at least six months, have a permanent disability lasting more than two years, and hold a Centrelink Pension or Low Income Health Care Card in your own name. A Seniors Health Card does not qualify. You are not eligible if the item is available through aged care funding, the NDIS or private health insurance.
Your therapist, GP or specialist completes the application with you. Phone (02) 5124 1076 or email ACTES@act.gov.au.
Most of these schemes limit how much you get, so the product needs to work first time. Answer a few questions and we will send free samples to try at home.
How you buy depends on the scheme. Some, such as Queensland and DVA, supply products to you directly. Others, such as CAPS, pay you and leave the choice entirely open. Western Australia's subsidy can only be spent with its contracted supplier.
Where you have a free choice, open the product you want on this site and use the Shop Online button to order it from a distributor, or browse the full list of distributors. If you are claiming under a scheme, check with your distributor first that they can supply under it, since not every supplier participates in every scheme.
If you're a healthcare professional, you can access a wide range of exclusive resources and order up to 40 free samples. Register today and let us help you make a difference in delivering trusted and affordable continence care. In most states you are the person who assesses the client and lodges the application, so trialling products first makes that recommendation stronger.
Please register with your organisation's email address so we can verify you as a healthcare professional. Registrations made with a personal address are set up as customer accounts.
Last reviewed: 27 July 2026. Scheme names, amounts and eligibility change, and two figures on this page come from documents their departments have not refreshed recently: the Northern Territory ceiling and anything relating to the ACT. Every figure links to the scheme that sets it, but the scheme's own website is the only current source. Please check there, or call the scheme, before you rely on an amount or a rule, and where anything here differs from the scheme's own information, the scheme is correct. This is general information, not financial or medical advice. These schemes are run by government, not by Ontex.
Start with the national schemes, since most state programs expect you to use those first. Then explore the full continence range or the guide to incontinence pads. For free, confidential advice from nurse continence specialists, call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66.
