Search for GPs who bulk bill in your area — meaning you pay nothing for your visit. Medicare covers the full cost.
Bulk billing means the GP charges Medicare directly and accepts the Medicare rebate as full payment. You pay $0. No gap fee, no payment at the desk, nothing.
Paid upfront because the visit wasn't bulk billed? You can claim the Medicare rebate back yourself — how to claim your Medicare rebate →
Powered by the National Health Services Directory — Australia’s official health service database, managed by Healthdirect Australia.
Service data: NHSD Terms of Use · Healthdirect Privacy Policy
Children under 16. Concession card holders (Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card). Veterans (DVA Gold/White card holders). Patients registered with MyMedicare at that practice.
Working-age adults without a concession card. Longer appointments (20+ minutes). After-hours visits. New patients at a practice. Telehealth consultations. Procedures done in the consultation.
Always ask when booking: "Do you bulk bill?" and specify your situation (age, concession card, Medicare). Some practices bulk bill only certain groups or certain appointment types.
From November 2023, patients who register with a GP practice through MyMedicare may get access to bulk billing and longer telehealth consultations. Ask your GP if they participate in MyMedicare — you register through MyGov.
Community health centres and Aboriginal Medical Services often bulk bill everyone. They may also offer allied health, dental, and mental health services. Ask Izzy (askizzy.org.au) can help you find one.
If you're a student, your university's health clinic usually bulk bills enrolled students. GP Registrar training practices often bulk bill as well.
Some practices that charge gap fees during peak times may bulk bill for early morning, late afternoon, or Saturday appointments to fill quieter slots.
Bulk billing rates are generally higher in outer suburban and regional areas than in inner-city locations. If you can travel, you may find more bulk billing options slightly further out. Part of the reason is that the Medicare bulk billing incentive paid to GPs is loaded by location — it is higher in regional and remote areas than in the major cities — so practices outside the big cities often have more room to bulk bill.
If you need to see a GP but can't afford a gap fee, tell the practice — many will bulk bill in cases of financial hardship, even if they don't normally. You can also visit a public hospital Emergency Department for urgent issues (always free), or call Healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for advice.
Don't just ask "do you bulk bill?" — the answer is often "it depends." Be specific:
The Medicare rebate hasn't kept pace with the actual cost of running a GP practice. In 2024, a standard 15-minute consult attracts a Medicare rebate of about $45.05 — but the average cost to the practice (rent, staff, insurance, equipment) is estimated at $80–$100 per consultation.
GPs who bulk bill everyone effectively take a pay cut on every patient. This is why bulk billing rates have dropped from about 88% in 2019 to around 76% in 2024.
What's helped: In November 2023, the government tripled the bulk billing incentive for GPs who bulk bill children under 16 and concession card holders. This has stabilised bulk billing for these groups. If you hold a concession card or have children, you're more likely to find bulk billing than before.
What hasn't changed: For working-age adults without a concession card, bulk billing continues to decline. If you can't find a bulk billing GP, ask about the gap fee — many practices keep it between $20–$40, and your Medicare rebate covers the rest.
The Medicare rebate for a standard GP consultation (item 23, 6–20 minutes) is approximately $45.05. If the GP bulk bills, you pay $0. If they charge privately, typical fees range from $60–$120 for a standard consultation, with you paying the gap between the fee and the Medicare rebate.
Longer consultations cost more. Item 36 (20–40 min) has a higher rebate but many GPs charge a higher gap for longer appointments. Always ask about fees before your appointment.
Some practices offer a "known gap" — a fixed out-of-pocket amount they tell you upfront. Others charge a percentage above the schedule fee. There's no standard — it varies by practice.
MyMedicare is a voluntary registration system where you formally link to a GP practice. Benefits include triple-bulk-billing incentive payments to your GP for seeing you, access to longer Medicare-funded telehealth consultations, and better continuity of care.
You can register through MyGov (linked to your Medicare account) or ask your GP practice to help you register. You can only register with one practice at a time but can change at any time.
If you reach the Medicare Safety Net threshold in a calendar year, Medicare pays a higher percentage of your out-of-pocket costs for the rest of the year. There are two tiers: the Original Medicare Safety Net (lower threshold, available to everyone) and the Extended Medicare Safety Net (higher rebate once the threshold is reached). Use our Medicare Safety Net Calculator to check if you're close to the threshold.