The short answer
A Priority 1 incident must be notified to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission within 24 hours of the provider becoming aware of it.
A Priority 2 incident is any other reportable incident that does not meet the Priority 1 criteria. It must be notified within 30 calendar days of awareness. That is 30 calendar days, not business days.
SIRS reporting criteria and timeframes
An incident is reportable if it is one of the eight reportable incident types and it has occurred, or is alleged or suspected to have occurred, to a person receiving aged care. You do not wait for proof, and you do not need the older person's permission to tell the Commission.
An informed choice excludes an incident only in narrow cases. In a home or community setting, it applies only if the incident would otherwise be neglect alone, the person told the provider, and the provider recorded it in writing before the incident (Aged Care Rules 2025, s16-10(3)). In residential care, it covers an incident resulting from the resident refusing services (s16-10(2)). Recording the choice after the incident does not create the exclusion.
| Step | Timeframe |
|---|---|
| Report a Priority 1 incident to the Commission | Within 24 hours of becoming aware |
| Provide further information on a reported incident | Within 5 days of becoming aware, unless the Commission sets a different period (s165A-25(6)) |
| Report a Priority 2 incident to the Commission | Within 30 calendar days of becoming aware |
| Tell the Commission about significant new information on a reported incident | As soon as reasonably practicable (s165A-40) |
| Provide a final report, if the Commission requires one | Within 84 days (s165A-45) |
| Notify police if there are reasonable grounds to report the incident to police | Within 24 hours of becoming aware (s164-40(2)), with a fresh 24 hours if the grounds emerge later (s164-40(3)) |
What is the timeframe for reporting a Priority 2 reportable incident? 30 calendar days from the day the provider becomes aware of it, not business days and not from the day it happened. Notifications are made through the My Aged Care provider portal.
Not sure when the clock started? Read when the SIRS clock starts, or work out the cut-off with the deadline calculator.
These are always Priority 1
These are Priority 1 no matter how the individual case looks. You do not assess severity first:
- Unexpected death: the death resulted from services delivered or not delivered, or, in residential care, reasonable steps were not taken (Aged Care Rules 2025, s16-5(8))
- Sexual contact or conduct (Aged Care Act 2024, s16(1)(b))
- Unexplained absence, which is defined by there being reasonable grounds to report it to police (in a home setting, from the setting during the delivery of funded aged care services, s16-5(11))
The Rules' Priority 1 definition names sexual contact or conduct outright, so it cannot be under-classified onto the 30 calendar day clock.
The rest are assessed against the Priority 1 trigger
For the remaining categories, an incident is Priority 1 if either of these is true:
- It has caused the person physical or psychological injury or discomfort that requires medical or psychological treatment (treatment that can only be provided by a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, psychologist or social worker); or
- There are reasonable grounds to report it to police.
The treatment test is narrow. Medical or psychological treatment counts only when it is treatment that can only be provided by a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, psychologist or social worker. Treatment anyone can give, such as an ice pack, does not by itself make an incident Priority 1. The Rules say to judge the impact on the person even if they cannot tell you (s165A-25(3)): a person with cognitive impairment who cannot remember an incident may still have been affected.
If neither is true, the incident is still reportable, but as Priority 2 on the 30 calendar day clock. Inappropriate use of a restrictive practice is reportable regardless of severity: if it does not meet the Priority 1 trigger, it is reported as Priority 2.
Priority at a glance
| Category | Priority | Report within |
|---|---|---|
| Unexpected death resulting from services delivered or not delivered | Always Priority 1 | 24 hours |
| Unlawful sexual contact | Always Priority 1 | 24 hours |
| Inappropriate sexual conduct (not unlawful contact) | Always Priority 1 | 24 hours |
| Unexplained absence (reasonable grounds to report to police) | Always Priority 1 | 24 hours |
| Unreasonable use of force | Assessed: P1 or P2 | 24 hours / 30 calendar days |
| Psychological or emotional abuse | Assessed: P1 or P2 | 24 hours / 30 calendar days |
| Neglect | Assessed: P1 or P2 | 24 hours / 30 calendar days |
| Stealing or financial coercion by a staff member | Assessed: P1 or P2 | 24 hours / 30 calendar days |
| Inappropriate use of a restrictive practice | Reportable; P1 or P2 | 24 hours / 30 calendar days |
Indicative summary of the classification logic. Confirm each case against current ACQSC guidance and your own policy.
A worked example
A care worker uses more force than is reasonable while assisting a person to transfer, and the person is left with bruising but needs no treatment. There is no suggestion the matter should go to police. Because it did not cause injury requiring medical or psychological treatment and there are no grounds to report to police, this would likely be assessed as Priority 2 and reported within 30 calendar days.
Change one fact: the same incident causes a fracture requiring hospital treatment. Now it caused injury requiring medical treatment, so it would likely be Priority 1 and reported within 24 hours. The category is the same; the trigger changes the priority.
These examples are illustrative. The actual classification is a judgement for your nominated delegate.
Primary source
This page is based on guidance published by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) under the Aged Care Act 2024 and the Aged Care Rules 2025, in force from 1 November 2025.