Using Medicare for podiatry at home

If your GP has you on a chronic condition management plan, Medicare pays part of up to five allied health visits a year. Podiatry is one of them. Here is exactly what that leaves you paying.

What Medicare pays, and what you pay

Medicare item 10962 has a schedule fee of $74.55 and pays a benefit of $63.40. You pay us the full fee, and Medicare pays the benefit back to you: $170 − $63.40 = $106.60 out of pocket on a first visit.

ServiceItemFeeMedicare paysYou pay
First home visit10962$170$63.40$106.60$170 − $63.40
Follow-up home visit10962$150$63.40$86.60$150 − $63.40
Sixth and later visits in the same calendar year—$150$0$150

The fee is payable either way

Every rebate on this page depends on your eligibility being valid and current on the day of the visit. In most cases we bill the full fee and you are responsible for claiming back whatever rebate you are entitled to.

If the plan has lapsed, the referral has run out, the annual limit is used up, the funding is not approved or the card is not current, there is no rebate and the full fee is payable on the day. We will tell you what we can see, but we cannot confirm your entitlement — only your fund, your plan manager, your provider or Medicare can do that. Check before you book if you are not sure.

  • Five rebated services per calendar year, shared across every allied health provider on your plan — not five each.
  • The visit must run at least 20 minutes and must be recommended in your plan.
  • Home visits are not bulk billed. You pay the full fee and the rebate comes back to you.
  • Nail surgery and orthotics are not covered by this item. They are private fees, and your health fund extras may cover part of them.
  • Nail surgery is quoted after an assessment and is never done at the same visit. The assessment decides whether surgery is the right answer for your toe, and whether it should be done here or in a clinic. Follow-up visits are charged separately.

Figures from MBS — item 10962 and Services Australia — chronic condition allied health billing rules. Checked 21 August 2026. Government fees change — if you find a figure here that is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.

How you become eligible

Your GP decides. If you have a chronic condition — diabetes, arthritis, peripheral vascular disease, anything that has lasted or will last six months or more — your GP can prepare a GP chronic condition management plan and refer you for allied health. Ask at your next appointment. We cannot arrange it for you, and neither can any podiatrist.

Five visits, not five podiatry visits

The five services are shared across every allied health provider on your plan. Four podiatry visits and one dietitian visit uses all five. The count resets on 1 January, not on the anniversary of your plan.

Why home visits are not bulk billed

The Medicare rebate of $63.40 does not cover a visit that includes driving to you, carrying the equipment in and setting up at your table. So we charge the full fee and Medicare pays you back part of it. You are never surprised: the gap is on this page before you book.

How you get the money back

We can lodge the claim on the spot through Tyro Health, from a phone rather than a countertop terminal, and the rebate goes to your bank account, usually the next business day. If you would rather, we give you an itemised receipt and you claim it yourself through the Medicare app.

Common questions

How much do I get back?
$63.40 a visit. That is the Medicare benefit for item 10962 from 1 July 2026. It is the same amount whether the visit is your first or your fifth.
Do I need a new plan every year?
Your plan needs to have been prepared or reviewed in the last 18 months. Your GP will usually review it yearly as part of your normal care.
I have an older GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements. Do they still work?
Yes, until 30 June 2027, if they were prepared before 1 July 2025. After that your GP moves you to the newer chronic condition management plan.
Can I use Medicare and my private health fund for the same visit?
No. One visit, one rebate. Work out which gives you more back and use that one. We can tell you which is likely to be better once we know your fund.
What happens after the fifth visit?
You pay the full fee, or your private health extras cover part of it. Most people on routine nail and skin care come every six to eight weeks, so five rebated visits covers most of the year.