How to Register Your Family or Couple for the Medicare Safety Net
Register a family or couple to combine eligible Medicare Safety Net costs, and learn how to update the registration when your family changes.
AU Australia
Benefits & Support ~ 4 min read
6 FAQ
Updated 2026-09-25
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If you are enrolled in Medicare and are part of a couple or family, register with Services Australia to combine eligible Medicare Safety Net costs. Call Medicare on 132 011 or complete form MS016. You must register as a family even if everyone is on the same Medicare card.
What you need
- Medicare details for the people you want included in the Safety Net family.
- If applying in writing, the completed Medicare Safety Net Registration and Amendment for Couples and Families form (MS016), including the relevant declarations.
- Details of any dependants you want to include.
Eligibility
You must be enrolled in Medicare to be eligible for Medicare Safety Nets. For family registration, Services Australia recognises a married couple who are not separated, a de facto couple, or a single person with dependants. A dependant is someone you support financially who is either under 16 or a full-time student aged 16 to 25. An individual with no dependants does not need to apply for family registration.
How to do it
- Decide who belongs in your Medicare Safety Net family and check their Medicare details.
- Register by calling the Medicare program on 132 011, or download and complete form MS016 from Services Australia.
- If using MS016, answer the applicable questions, complete the relevant declarations and return it using the instructions on the form: by post or at a Services Australia service centre.
- When Services Australia asks you to confirm your family near a Safety Net threshold, check the listed members and complete the confirmation. If the membership is wrong, call Medicare or use MS016 to amend it.
- Tell Services Australia when your family situation changes, including after a birth, adoption or separation.
Who needs to register as a family?
Services Australia automatically tracks Medicare Safety Net amounts for an individual with no dependants. A couple or family must register to combine eligible costs, even when everyone is already on the same Medicare card. You only need to register once, but you must report later changes to your family.
For this purpose, a family can be a married couple who are not separated, a de facto couple, or a single person with dependants. A dependant must be financially supported by the family and be either a child under 16 or a full-time student aged 16 to 25. If you first need to join Medicare, see how to enrol in Medicare.
How do you register?
Contact the Medicare program on 132 011 or complete Services Australia's Medicare Safety Net Registration and Amendment for Couples and Families form (MS016). The form is also used to amend an existing registration. Follow its instructions to return a completed paper form by post or in person at a Services Australia service centre. Services Australia does not publish a registration processing time or list a registration fee.
Registration lets Services Australia tally the family's eligible out-of-pocket and gap amounts for out-of-hospital Medicare services. Medicare Safety Nets operate by calendar year, from 1 January to 31 December. They can increase the Medicare benefit once the applicable threshold is reached; they do not change the provider's charge.
What happens near the threshold?
When a registered family is close to a Medicare Safety Net threshold, Services Australia asks its nominated contact person to confirm who is in the family. The contact person or their partner can confirm the listed members through a Medicare online account linked to myGov or through the myGov app; confirmation is also available by phone. This online action confirms an existing list. To change who is listed, call Medicare or complete MS016.
How do you change the registration?
Notify Services Australia if you become a couple, have or adopt a child, separate, or a dependant leaves your care. Call the Medicare program or use MS016. If you separate, also update your personal Medicare details to help protect your information. Changing who appears on a Medicare card does not by itself change the Safety Net family registration.
A dependant may be listed in two registered Safety Net families, but their eligible costs count towards the family that pays for the medical services.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to register if everyone is on the same Medicare card?
Yes. Services Australia says a couple or family must register for the Medicare Safety Net even if all members share one Medicare card.
Can I register a Medicare Safety Net family through myGov?
Services Australia directs families to register by calling Medicare or completing form MS016. The online Medicare service can confirm an existing family when Services Australia asks you to do so; it cannot change the listed members.
Do I need to register again every calendar year?
No. Services Australia says you only need to register once. You must report changes and confirm your family when asked near a threshold.
What should I do when we have a baby or adopt a child?
Tell Services Australia about the change by calling the Medicare program or completing form MS016.
What happens to the registration if my partner and I separate?
Tell Services Australia by calling Medicare or using MS016, and update your personal Medicare details to help keep your information safe.
Can a child belong to two Medicare Safety Net families?
A dependant can be registered in two families, but their eligible gap and out-of-pocket amounts count towards the family that pays for the medical services.
Official sources
Services Australia — How to register for Medicare Safety NetsServices Australia — Medicare Safety Net form MS016Services Australia — How to manage your Medicare Safety NetServices Australia — Confirm your Medicare Safety Net family onlineServices Australia — Medicare Safety NetsRelated procedures
Useful next steps and closely related guides for Australia.
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