Fill Out Medicare Safety Net Registration Form (MS016) Online
Medicare Safety Net Registration and Amendment for Couples and Families form
Services Australia
Registers or updates a couple or family for the Medicare Safety Net so eligible medical costs count toward the threshold together.
Reviewed July 2026
How it works
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Open the form. The official PDF loads straight into the editor, no download needed first.
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Fill it out in the editor. Click anywhere to type, add checkmarks and place your signature.
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Form MS016 is the Services Australia form for registering a couple or family for the Medicare Safety Net, or for amending an existing registration. Individuals are covered automatically once enrolled in Medicare, but couples and families must register so their out of hospital medical costs count toward the Safety Net thresholds together.
You can fill out MS016 in the Universal PDF editor. Enter the Medicare card details for each family member, complete the declarations, then download the finished PDF to sign and lodge with Services Australia.
What is Form MS016 used for
The Medicare Safety Net helps lower out of pocket costs for out of hospital services once a threshold is reached in a calendar year. MS016 registers a family or couple so their costs combine, adds a partner or dependant to an existing registration, or removes you from an existing family registration, including the option of copying your dependants to a new registration with you.
One thing the form cannot do is remove a partner from a registration. For that, and to track your current Safety Net balance, Services Australia points people to their Medicare online account through myGov or its phone line.
Who uses Form MS016
Couples and families who want their medical costs counted together use the form, as do people whose circumstances have changed, such as after a separation. For Safety Net purposes a dependant is someone the family supports financially who is either a child under 16 or a full time student aged 16 to 25, and a dependant can be registered on two Safety Net families at once.
Registration can also be done by phone on the Medicare line, so the paper form suits people who prefer to lodge in writing or need to make several changes at once.
How to fill out Form MS016
Have the Medicare cards for everyone being registered in front of you:
- Tick what you want to do at question 1: register a family, add a partner or dependant, remove yourself, or remove yourself and copy your dependants to a new registration.
- Complete your own details as the contact person, including Medicare card number, date of birth, postal address, and contact details.
- Add your partner's details if you are registering as a couple. Your partner completes their own declaration on the form.
- List each dependant with their Medicare card number and date of birth, and mark whether each is being added or removed.
- Ask any dependant aged 15 or older to complete the dependant declaration next to their details.
- Sign and date the main declaration. If more than 3 dependants are involved, attach their details on a separate sheet as the form instructs.
How to submit Form MS016
Return the completed form by post to Services Australia, Medicare, PO Box 7856, Canberra BC ACT 2610, or lodge it in person at a service centre. Check that every required declaration is signed before sending, because incomplete declarations delay registration.
Confirm you have the current revision on servicesaustralia.gov.au/ms016 before lodging, since Services Australia can reject superseded versions.
Frequently asked questions
No. You are registered as an individual automatically when you enrol in Medicare. Registration with MS016 is only needed for couples and families who want their costs combined toward the thresholds.
Someone the family supports financially who is either a child under 16 or a full time student aged 16 to 25. A dependant can be registered on two Safety Net families at the same time.
No. The form lets you remove yourself from a registration, but it cannot remove a partner. Contact Services Australia on its Medicare line to discuss changes the form does not cover.
You can view the thresholds and your family's current balance through your Medicare online account via myGov. When a family approaches a threshold, Services Australia asks the nominated contact person to confirm who is in the registered family.
Dependants aged 15 or older must complete their own declaration consenting to the collection of their information, and a partner being added completes a partner declaration. The main declaration is signed by the contact person.
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This form is reproduced from official Australian Government sources, © Commonwealth of Australia, and where applicable is used under a Creative Commons Attribution licence. Universal PDF is not affiliated with or endorsed by any Australian government body; always confirm you have the current version on the official site.