How to Apply for CAPS: A Step-by-Step Guide
By William Belmont
, BBiomedSc (Hons), La Trobe University
│ 01 July 2026
Last reviewed: 21 June 2026
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The CAPS application form is shorter than most people expect, but it trips people up for one reason: a section of it has to be completed by a registered health professional, not you. Knowing that before you start saves a return trip and weeks of waiting. This guide walks through the whole process, from who fills in what to what happens after you submit.
This is the how-to-apply article. If you want the full picture of the Continence Aids Payment Scheme, who it pays, how much, and what it covers, that lives in our complete CAPS guide. Here we stay on one job: getting your application in and approved.
Before you start: who applies and who completes the form
Two people touch a CAPS application. The applicant is the person with the eligible condition (or their parent, carer, guardian, or nominee acting on their behalf). The certifying health professional is a registered health professional who can confirm your condition, for example your GP, a continence nurse, a registered or community nurse, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker, or a medical specialist. You cannot submit the form with only your part filled in, and the health professional cannot lodge it for you. The applicant signs and sends.
Worth sorting out early: who your certifying health professional will be. Most people use their GP, but if you already see a continence nurse, a physio, an occupational therapist or another registered health professional, they may be able to certify too. Check the current accepted list on the Services Australia CAPS page, then line this up before you download the form so you are not chasing an appointment halfway through.
Step 1: Confirm you are eligible (in brief)
CAPS has set eligibility criteria tied to permanent and severe incontinence from an eligible neurological or other specified condition, and an age threshold. We do not reproduce the full criteria here because Services Australia updates them, and getting it wrong wastes your time. Check the current eligibility rules on the Services Australia website, or read our complete CAPS guide for the plain-language version. If you are unsure whether you qualify, the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 can talk it through before you apply.
One thing to settle now: if your NDIS plan includes continence support, you generally cannot get CAPS. It is an eligibility rule, not just a no-double-dip on the same items, so check the current eligibility rules on the Services Australia CAPS page. If you are an NDIS participant, your continence consumables are funded through your plan, and our NDIS continence funding guide covers how that works.
Step 2: Get the CAPS application form from Services Australia
There is one official source for the form, and it is Services Australia. Do not use a copy you find on a third-party site, as it may be out of date. Go to the Services Australia CAPS page, download the current application form, and print it (the health professional section needs a signature).
We deliberately do not host or reproduce the form here. Always download the current form from Services Australia, as older copies on third-party sites can be out of date.
Step 3: The health professional certification section
This is the part that catches people out. A section of the form must be completed and signed by a registered health professional who can confirm your condition, such as your GP, a continence nurse, a registered or community nurse, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker, or a medical specialist. They confirm your eligible condition and the clinical detail CAPS needs to assess the claim. Check the current accepted list on the Services Australia CAPS page if you are unsure who can sign.
Take the printed form to your appointment rather than assuming the practice has one. Ask the health professional to fill in their section in full and sign it. If anything in that section is left blank or unsigned, the application comes back, and you start the wait again.
Step 4: Documents and details to gather
Before you sit down to complete your part, have these ready:
- Your Medicare number and, if relevant, your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN).
- Your bank account details, because CAPS is paid as a direct deposit.
- Your contact details and date of birth.
- The completed and signed health professional section from Step 3.
Having the bank details on hand matters more than it sounds. An incorrect or missing bank account number can delay a payment even after the application is approved, so double-check it before you lodge.
Step 5: How to submit, and what happens next
Once both sections are complete, the applicant lodges the form with Services Australia. The current lodgement options, including post and any online or upload channel, are listed on the Services Australia CAPS page. Submit it the way the form instructs.
After you lodge, Services Australia assesses the application. Processing takes time, so apply well before you need the payment rather than the week you run short. If they need more information, they will contact you, which is another reason your phone and bank details must be right. Once approved, you are set up for the scheme and do not need to reapply each year unless your circumstances change.
How the payment is made once approved
CAPS pays a fixed annual amount as a direct deposit to your nominated bank account, intended to help with the cost of continence products. The payment is $717.10 (as at 2025-26, subject to annual indexation). Because the figure changes each year, confirm the current rate on the Services Australia CAPS page rather than relying on a number you read somewhere. The payment is yours to spend on continence products from the supplier of your choice.
Common reasons applications are delayed or returned
Most hold-ups are avoidable. Watch for these: the health professional section left incomplete or unsigned, an out-of-date form, missing bank or Medicare details, and eligibility that has not been confirmed before applying. A five-minute check against the current form and the Services Australia criteria before you lodge is the cheapest insurance there is.
Where to get help
You do not have to work this out alone. The National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 is a free service staffed by continence nurse advisors who can help with eligibility questions and the application itself. For anything about the form, the current payment rate, or how to lodge, Services Australia is the authority.
Once your CAPS payment is approved, you choose where to buy. Comfort First is an Australian owned and run continence supplier, and our pull-up pants, slips, pads, underpads and hygiene products are all available to CAPS recipients. If you would like to try the fit before you commit, our free trial sends a sample so you can check it suits you. Call our Bendigo team on 03 5443 2239 or email sales@comfortfirst.au if you want a hand choosing the right products.