Nova Scotia Long-Term Care Rate Schedule: Standard Charges, Daily Rates, and What Each Covers

The Current Rate Schedule (Effective March 1, 2026)

Nova Scotia publishes an official Long-Term Care Rate Schedule through the Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care. The rates are updated annually, typically effective March 1. Here are the current figures:

Nursing home accommodation: $114.00 per day (approximately $3,467.50 per month). This is the Standard Accommodation Charge (SAC) — the maximum daily rate any resident pays for room and board at a licensed nursing home.

Residential care facility (RCF) accommodation: $68.00 per day (approximately $2,068.34 per month). Residential care facilities serve people who need personal care and supervision but not the 24-hour professional nursing coverage a nursing home provides.

Respite care: $42.80 per day flat rate. Respite stays provide temporary relief for family caregivers, limited to 60 days per calendar year.

These three rates are the anchors of the entire provincial billing system. Every other financial calculation — income-tested rate reductions, spousal protections, the Minimum Retained Income — is measured against these benchmarks.

What the Standard Accommodation Charge Covers

The SAC pays for the non-clinical operational costs of running the facility. That includes:

• Three meals per day plus snacks
• Housekeeping and facility maintenance
• Laundry services for linens and personal clothing
• Utilities (heating, electricity, water)
• Basic room furnishings

Everything related to health care — professional nursing, medication administration, wound care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medical supplies — is funded separately by the province through the facility's operating budget. Your parent is never billed for clinical care at a licensed facility.

This distinction matters because the SAC is the only portion of the nursing home cost that the family is responsible for. The health care side is invisible on the invoice.

Why Most Families Pay Less Than the Standard Rate

The $114.00 SAC is the ceiling, not the floor. Most families pay a reduced daily rate after the Eligibility Review Unit (ERU) completes an income-based financial assessment.

The formula works like this: the ERU calculates your parent's Assessed Income using their most recent CRA Notice of Assessment — specifically, Net Income (Line 23600) minus Total Taxes Owed (Line 43500). From that assessed income, the province guarantees your parent keeps the greater of $366.00 per month (the Minimum Retained Income) or 15% of their total assessed income. The remainder — capped at the SAC — becomes the daily accommodation charge.

No resident ever pays more than 85% of their assessed income toward accommodation. And the assessment is entirely income-based — the province does not count your parent's home, vehicle, savings, or investments.

If the family chooses not to apply for a rate reduction (or fails to submit the required documentation on time), the full SAC of $114.00 per day applies automatically. This is one of the most common and costly administrative errors families make — missing the financial assessment deadline means paying the maximum rate until the paperwork catches up.

Nursing Home vs. Residential Care Facility: Which Rate Applies

The type of facility your parent enters determines which rate schedule applies, and the clinical assessment drives that determination — not the family's preference.

Nursing homes (SAC: $114.00/day) provide 24-hour on-site registered nursing care, clinical monitoring, and medical management for residents with complex health needs. If your parent has advanced dementia, requires regular wound care, needs medication management for multiple chronic conditions, or has significant mobility impairments, they'll likely be placed in a nursing home.

Residential care facilities (SAC: $68.00/day) serve residents who need help with activities of daily living — bathing, dressing, meals, medication reminders — but don't require continuous professional nursing oversight. These facilities provide a supervised living environment with staff support, but the clinical intensity is lower.

Both types of facilities are licensed under the Homes for Special Care Act and both participate in the provincial income-tested rate reduction system. The financial assessment process is identical for both — only the maximum daily rate differs.

How Rates Change Over Time

The province adjusts the rate schedule annually to reflect cost-of-living increases. The Minimum Retained Income, Spousal Income Threshold, and Dependent Allowance may also be adjusted. When new rates take effect, follow the ERU's instructions for how they affect your parent's charge.

However, the mandatory annual income review still applies. Each year, your parent must file their income tax return and submit updated income information to the ERU by June 30. If the paperwork isn't submitted on time, the ERU defaults to billing the full Standard Accommodation Charge until the documentation arrives.

For a complete walkthrough of how to apply for the rate reduction, calculate the projected daily charge, and coordinate the financial assessment with waitlist placement, the Nova Scotia Long-Term Care Costs & Subsidies Guide includes the income-testing formula with worked examples and a document assembly checklist.

See more Nova Scotia guides →