Medicare, funding and the cost of fertility treatment
Fertility treatment in Australia is part publicly subsidised and part paid by you. This is how Medicare, the Safety Nets, the PBS, private health cover and state programmes fit together — and what to ask before you commit.
The short version
Medicare pays a rebate towards many fertility services, including IVF where there is a medical reason. It does not pay the whole cost.
The gap — the difference between the clinic's fee and the rebate — is yours to pay, and it differs between clinics.
The Medicare Safety Nets can increase your rebates later in a calendar year, which matters if you have more than one cycle.
Some medicines are PBS-subsidised when criteria are met; others are not, and can be a large cost.
Private health insurance does not pay for IVF itself, but hospital cover may reduce the hospital part of the cost.
A few states run their own rebate or public programme. That is where the differences between states are biggest.
Funding where you live
Choose your state or territory to see the programmes recorded for it. Nothing is detected automatically.
8 programmes listed across Australia.
Fertility Treatment Rebate-2
Open$2,000
New South Wales · Rebate towards costs you have paid
A one-off rebate towards out-of-pocket costs for IVF and other assisted reproductive treatment, part of the NSW Affordable IVF Initiative and administered by Service NSW with NSW Health.
Who it is for
For eligible women in New South Wales who received eligible ART treatment on or after 19 February 2025.
Income tested — the household income test is set out in the Service NSW guidelines.
You must apply within 90 days of the date you received the treatment.
The rebate can be claimed once, and you cannot also claim the earlier fertility treatment rebate.
How to apply: Apply online through Service NSW.
Applies to treatment from 2025-02-19. Published closing date: 2028-08-30.
Applications are stated to continue until 30 August 2028 or until the programme's funding is exhausted, whichever comes first. Because funding can run out early, check the Service NSW page before you count on it.
Last checked by Antega on 2026-09-11. Always confirm the current position on the official page.
Public Fertility Care
Open with a waiting list
Victoria · Publicly funded treatment
Victoria's state-funded public fertility programme, led by the Royal Women's Hospital with partner public health services across metropolitan and regional Victoria. It includes fertility assessment, IVF, ICSI and IUI, and a public egg and sperm bank.
Who it is for
A referral from a GP or specialist is required.
Clinical and other eligibility criteria are set by the programme.
Places are limited and waiting times vary between services.
How to apply: Ask your GP for a referral to a Public Fertility Care service.
Public Fertility Care is not universally free. Medicines, some tests and specialised services can still cost you money. Ask the service what you will be charged before you start.
Last checked by Antega on 2026-09-11. Always confirm the current position on the official page.
Public reproductive medicine service (King Edward Memorial Hospital)
Open with a waiting list
Western Australia · Publicly funded treatment
A limited publicly funded reproductive medicine service in Western Australia providing investigation, education, counselling, cycle tracking, ovulation induction and reproductive surgery. It does not routinely provide public IVF.
Who it is for
Referral is required and inclusion criteria apply.
The service is limited and does not cover general public IVF.
How to apply: Ask your GP about a referral to the Reproductive Medicine service.
Last checked by Antega on 2026-09-11. Always confirm the current position on the official page.
How the national schemes work
How Medicare applies to fertility treatment
Medicare pays a rebate towards many fertility services, including specialist consultations, some investigations, and IVF and ICSI cycles where there is a recognised medical reason. It does not pay the whole cost, and there is no limit written into Medicare on how many cycles you may have.
Medicare rebates apply to specific items in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). A service only attracts a rebate if it matches an MBS item and its rules.
You generally need a referral from a GP for the specialist rebate to apply.
Clinics set their own fees. The difference between the fee and the Medicare rebate is your out-of-pocket cost, often called the gap.
Medicare rebates for treatment are usually claimed by the clinic on your behalf; ask how it works before your cycle starts.
Treatment sought for social rather than medical reasons — including some elective egg freezing — may not attract a Medicare rebate. Ask your clinic which items will and will not be claimable in your case.
Day-hospital, theatre, anaesthetic, embryo storage and some laboratory add-ons are frequently charged separately.
Once your out-of-pocket costs for out-of-hospital services pass a yearly threshold, the Medicare Safety Nets increase the rebate you receive for the rest of that calendar year. For people having repeated fertility cycles this can make a real difference to later cycles in the same year.
There is an Original Medicare Safety Net, based on the gap between the Medicare rebate and the schedule fee, and an Extended Medicare Safety Net, based on your actual out-of-pocket costs.
Thresholds reset on 1 January each year and are indexed, so the amounts change. Check the current thresholds with Services Australia rather than relying on a figure you were told previously.
Couples and families should confirm they are registered as a family with Services Australia, because thresholds are counted differently for individuals and families.
Safety Nets apply to out-of-hospital services. Costs incurred as a hospital inpatient are treated differently.
Higher Safety Net benefits are capped for many items, so passing the threshold reduces your costs rather than removing them.
Some fertility medicines are subsidised through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme when specific clinical criteria are met. Others are not, and are charged at the pharmacy's own price.
PBS subsidy for fertility medicines is conditional — the criteria for each medicine are published in the PBS schedule and your specialist decides whether they are met.
Where a medicine is subsidised, you pay the PBS co-payment; concession card holders pay less.
The PBS Safety Net reduces medicine costs once your family's PBS spending in a calendar year passes the threshold. Ask your pharmacy to record your spending on a Prescription Record Form.
Use the same pharmacy where you can, so your Safety Net total is tracked properly.
Medicines that are not PBS-subsidised — including some used in fertility cycles — can be a significant cost. Ask your clinic for the likely medicine cost of a cycle before you start.
Private health insurance does not pay for the IVF cycle itself, but appropriate hospital cover can reduce the hospital and theatre part of the cost when your egg collection or a related procedure is done as a hospital admission.
Fertility-related hospital admissions usually sit in a specific clinical category of hospital cover. Cover at a lower tier may not include it.
Waiting periods commonly apply — often 12 months for pregnancy and assisted reproductive services. Joining after you have decided to start treatment may not help this cycle.
Extras cover does not pay for IVF.
Ask your clinic for the item numbers involved, then ask your fund in writing what it will pay for those items at that hospital.
Compare policies through the Australian Government's PrivateHealth.gov.au rather than a commercial comparison site.
Some people apply to release superannuation early on compassionate grounds to pay for IVF. It is possible, but it is a serious financial decision with long-term consequences.
Applications for compassionate release of superannuation for medical treatment are assessed by the Australian Taxation Office against published criteria, and supporting medical evidence is required.
Money released is taxed and permanently removed from your retirement savings, so the true cost is more than the amount withdrawn.
Consider free financial counselling before applying — the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007 is free and independent.
Be cautious with any business that offers to arrange early access to super for a fee.
Ask your clinic whether it offers a payment plan and, if so, what the total cost including fees would be.
Can I have a written estimate for a full cycle, including everything I am likely to be charged?
Which items will attract a Medicare rebate, and what is my expected out-of-pocket cost after the rebate?
What will the medicines cost, and which of them are PBS-subsidised?
What is charged separately — day hospital, theatre, anaesthetist, ICSI, embryo freezing, storage, genetic testing?
What are the annual storage fees for eggs, sperm or embryos, and when do they start?
What happens to the cost if the cycle is cancelled before egg collection?
What does a frozen embryo transfer cost compared with a full cycle?
Are any add-ons being recommended, what is the evidence for them, and what do they cost?
Do you take part in any state programme or lower-cost service, and am I likely to be eligible?
Is there a payment plan, and what is the total cost including any interest or fees?
Work out your own numbers
These planning tools stay on your device. They do not know your Medicare details and cannot tell you what you will be charged — they help you organise the estimates your clinic gives you.
Antega does not decide what Medicare, a state programme, a private health fund or a pharmacy will pay. Rebates, thresholds, eligibility and programme funding change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure here comes from the official source shown beside it — check that source, and ask your clinic for a written estimate, before you commit to treatment.
This funding information was last reviewed on 11 September 2026. Rules, programmes and services can change.
