Bulk billing incentives for all patients: how to describe your fees

From 1 November 2025 bulk billing incentives cover all Medicare-eligible patients and BBPIP began. Here is how to describe your fees accurately.

1 November 202511 min read

From 1 November 2025, Medicare bulk billing incentives can be claimed when any Medicare-eligible patient is bulk billed, not only children under 16 and Commonwealth concession card holders. On the same day, the voluntary Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP) began, paying participating general practices an extra quarterly incentive if they bulk bill every eligible service for every Medicare-eligible patient.

For practice marketing, this changes what many GP clinics can truthfully say about their fees, and it creates a new category of practice: the fully bulk billing practice that has signed up to the program and must promote that status in specific ways. It also raises the stakes for getting fee descriptions right. “Bulk billing” is one of the most searched phrases in general practice, and a patient who books on the strength of it and then faces a fee will feel misled.

How this replaced the earlier rules

This change builds on, and replaces the eligibility limits of, the tripled bulk billing incentive that started on 1 November 2023. That earlier change applied to children under 16, pensioners and other Commonwealth concession card holders, for most common GP consultations. If your website, Google Business Profile or signage still says something like “bulk billing for children and concession card holders only”, it may now be out of date, depending on how you bill. Review it against your current billing policy.

What changed

The Australian Government’s investment has two parts, as described by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

1. Bulk billing incentives for all Medicare-eligible patients

Bulk billing incentives are additional MBS payments made when a doctor bulk bills an eligible patient for an eligible service. The MBS Online factsheet on the change says the incentive items were amended to remove the requirement that the patient is under 16 years of age or a Commonwealth concession card holder. The value of the incentive depends on the service provided and the location, using the Modified Monash Model classification.

In his media release published on 3 November 2025, the Health Minister said that for the first time, bulk billing incentives would be paid to GPs for every patient they bulk bill.

2. The Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program

Practices participating in BBPIP receive an additional quarterly incentive payment of 12.5% on MBS benefits paid from eligible services. The payment is split evenly between the GP and the practice, and is paid on top of Medicare benefits and the bulk billing incentives themselves.

The program is for general practice. Participating practices must bulk bill every eligible service for every Medicare-eligible patient to receive the payment.

The Minister’s release said over 1,000 GP practices that were previously mixed billing had signed up to become fully bulk billing, on top of 1,600 practices that were already fully bulk billing. The Government’s stated goal is for 9 out of 10 GP visits to be bulk billed by 2030.

Who it applies to

All general practices that bulk bill. The expanded incentive eligibility affects any GP practice that bulk bills Medicare-eligible patients for eligible services.
Practices that join BBPIP. These practices take on specific obligations, including how they promote their participation.
Any practice that advertises bulk billing. Whether or not you join BBPIP, if you mention bulk billing in your advertising, the description must be accurate. That applies to GP practices and to other practices that bulk bill some services.

What the rules require

BBPIP participation requirements

According to the Department, to participate in BBPIP a practice must:

bulk bill all BBPIP MBS eligible services for all Medicare-eligible patients
be registered in MyMedicare. Practices registering in MyMedicare for the first time to participate in BBPIP are exempt from MyMedicare accreditation requirements, and patients do not need to be registered in MyMedicare for the practice to participate
promote its participation by registering as a fully bulk billing practice in healthdirect Australia’s National Health Services Directory, and displaying Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage on site (some practices, including those without a physical location, are not required to display signage)
meet the BBPIP healthdirect and signage requirements
register for BBPIP through Services Australia
meet the requirements in the BBPIP program guidelines.

The Department has published a separate fact sheet on the healthdirect and signage requirements, and program guidelines. We have not been able to confirm the exact signage wording, or whether the program places conditions on using the signage or program name in online advertising. Before you change your website, ads or printed material, read the current program guidelines and the healthdirect and signage requirements on health.gov.au, or contact the program at the address listed there.

No extra charges on a bulk billed service

This rule is not new, but it is the one that most often trips up fee descriptions. MBS explanatory note GN.7.17 explains that a practitioner who bulk bills accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment for that service and cannot raise additional charges for it. The note gives examples including booking fees, record-keeping fees, annual administration fees and consumables such as bandages.

There is a narrow exception for vaccines. For general practitioners and other non-specialists, an extra charge covering only the cost of a vaccine may apply if the vaccine is supplied from the practitioner’s own stock and is not available free through government programs or the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The exception applies to specific attendance items, so check the note itself.

GN.7.17 also says that where several services are provided on one occasion (other than operations), the practitioner can bulk bill some and privately charge for others. For BBPIP practices, the program requirement to bulk bill all eligible services for all Medicare-eligible patients sits on top of that.

Accuracy in advertising

We are not aware of a specific law that regulates the phrase “bulk billing” in advertising. But two general rules apply. The Australian Consumer Law prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct. And for registered practitioners, the National Law prohibits advertising a regulated health service in a way that is false, misleading or deceptive. A fee description that leaves patients with the wrong impression can breach both.

What it means for your marketing

Website

Your fees page is the first place to check. Ask these questions:

Does it reflect your current billing policy? Many sites still carry wording from before November 2023 or November 2025.
Is “fully bulk billed” accurate? Only describe the practice this way if it is true. If you are a BBPIP practice, make sure the website matches your healthdirect listing and the program requirements.
Are the limits clear? The BBPIP requirement is framed around Medicare-eligible patients and eligible services. If some patients (for example, people without Medicare eligibility) or some services attract a fee, say so plainly, close to the bulk billing statement.
Are there hidden fees? If a service is bulk billed, you cannot charge a booking, administration or consumables fee for it, apart from the vaccine exception. Remove any wording that suggests otherwise, and remove the fees.
For mixed billing practices: say exactly which patients or appointment types are bulk billed. “Bulk billing available” on its own can imply more than you offer.

Google Business Profile and healthdirect

Patients often see your Google Business Profile before your website. Check the business description, services list and any posts that mention bulk billing. If you participate in BBPIP, your healthdirect National Health Services Directory listing is a program requirement, so your Google profile should not contradict it. If you do not participate, make sure neither listing describes you as fully bulk billing unless that is accurate.

Online booking platforms

Third-party booking platforms often have their own billing fields and filters. These are part of how you present your fees. Update them whenever your billing policy changes and check that “bulk billed” labels apply to the right appointment types.

Social media and paid ads

Short-form ads are where fee claims get compressed. “Bulk billing for everyone” in a headline may be misleading if the fine print excludes some patients or services. Keep any limits in the ad itself or very close to the claim. Also check the current program guidelines before using program names or signage imagery in ads.

Email and SMS

If you tell existing patients about a change to your billing, make the message specific: from what date, for which patients and services, and what still attracts a fee. Messages that promote your services are commercial messages and need consent and a working unsubscribe under the spam rules.

Printed and in-clinic material

BBPIP practices must display Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage on site, unless they are exempt. Make sure other posters and fee notices in the clinic do not contradict that signage or each other. Old fee schedules left at reception are a common source of confusion.

Common mistakes we see

Outdated eligibility wording that still refers only to children and concession card holders, or that describes a billing policy the practice has since changed.
Charging booking or admin fees on bulk billed services, sometimes described on the website as “non-Medicare fees”.
“Fully bulk billed” claims from practices that are not, or that only bulk bill some patients.
Different messages on different channels: the website says one thing, the Google profile another and the booking platform a third.
Fine print far from the claim, such as an exclusion buried at the bottom of a fees page.
Not updating after leaving or joining the program, so listings and signage no longer match reality.

A practical checklist

Write down your current billing policy: which patients, which services, which fees.
Compare it with every place you describe fees: website, Google Business Profile, healthdirect listing, booking platforms, social media bios, ads, printed fee schedules and on-hold messages.
Remove booking, administration, record-keeping and consumables fees from bulk billed services, apart from the vaccine exception in GN.7.17.
Only use “fully bulk billing” if it is accurate, and state any limits close to the claim.
If you join BBPIP, read the program guidelines and the healthdirect and signage requirements before updating marketing, and keep a copy of the version you relied on.
Register or update your healthdirect National Health Services Directory listing if you participate.
Display the required on-site signage, unless you are exempt.
Brief reception staff so that what they say on the phone matches what you advertise.
Set a reminder to review all fee descriptions whenever the billing policy or program rules change.

How this fits with other rules

Medicare and the MBS. Billing rules, including GN.7.17 on additional charges, come from the MBS. These are not advertising rules, but your advertising has to be consistent with them.

BBPIP program guidelines. These set the conditions for participating practices, including the healthdirect and signage requirements. Check the current version on health.gov.au.

Ahpra and the National Law. Advertising a regulated health service must not be false, misleading or deceptive. Fee claims are part of your advertising.

Australian Consumer Law. The ACL prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct. From 1 July 2027, new drip pricing rules under the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Act 2026 will require transaction-based charges to be shown with any displayed base price. Whether particular practice fees count as transaction-based charges depends on the facts, so take advice if you display prices with additional fees.

Frequently asked questions

Can we say we bulk bill all patients now?

Only if you do. The 2025 change means bulk billing incentives can be claimed for any Medicare-eligible patient who is bulk billed, but it does not require any practice to bulk bill. Describe your actual policy.

We are a mixed billing practice. What should our website say?

Say clearly which patients and which services are bulk billed, and what fees apply to everyone else. Avoid general phrases like “bulk billing available” without explaining the limits.

Can we charge a booking fee for bulk billed appointments?

No. MBS note GN.7.17 says that when a service is bulk billed, no additional charge can be raised for that service, including booking, record-keeping, administration or consumables fees. The only exception is the cost of certain vaccines supplied from the practitioner’s own stock.

Do BBPIP practices have to advertise that they participate?

The Department says participating practices must promote their participation by registering as a fully bulk billing practice in healthdirect’s National Health Services Directory and displaying Medicare Bulk Billing Practice signage on site, with some exemptions. For any other promotional use, check the program guidelines.

Does BBPIP apply to specialists, dentists or allied health?

BBPIP is a general practice program. Other practices that bulk bill some services still need accurate fee descriptions and must follow the MBS additional charges rule for those services.

Is there a rule about the exact signage wording?

The Department has published a fact sheet on the healthdirect and signage requirements. We have not reproduced the details here. Check the current version on health.gov.au before you print or display anything.

Need a hand?

Fee pages, Google profiles and booking platforms drift out of sync over time. If you are changing your billing model or joining the program, we can review every place your practice describes its fees as part of an AHPRA compliance audit, and update your clinic website so it reflects your policy clearly. See how we work with general practice.

This article is general guidance based on the published rules, not legal advice. Final responsibility for advertising sits with the registered practitioner and the practice, and complex situations may need independent legal advice.