Changes to bulk billing incentives (BBIs) from 1 November 2025 will expand the eligibility of BBIs to all Australians with a Medicare card.
Currently, GPs only receive Medicare BBIs if they bulk bill children under 16 and Commonwealth concession card holders.
Additionally, from 1 November 2025, practices can choose to register and participate in the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program (BBPIP) and will equally share in the additional incentive payment of 12.5 per cent of MBS billings for eligible services.
A new calculator has been released for general practice owners, managers and individual general practitioners to estimate annual earnings from Medicare BBIs and the new BBPIP, starting 1 November 2025. Click here to access the BBI calculator.
A user guide is also available explaining how to use the calculator.
The calculator uses MBS information about BBPIP MBS eligible services only. It uses data to build an average annual provider and practice payment estimate for BBPIP MBS eligible services for your practice type and location. The payment model can be used as a baseline to estimate if you will benefit from joining BBPIP.
To get the most accurate estimate, have these details handy before you commence using the calculator:
- select your role as a GP or a practice manager (or equivalent)
- practice location by Modified Monash Model (MMM) classification
- percentage of billings paid to the practice
- billing type – bulk billing only, mixed billing or private billing
- number of BBPIP MBS eligible services provided per year
- percentage of BBPIP MBS eligible services provided to concession card holders or children under 16 years old
- your bulk billing rates, average privately billed fees and annual proportion of BBPIP MBS eligible service types, including:
- short (level A)
- standard (level B)
- long (level C)
- extended/Prolonged (level D/E)
- management plans and reviews
- other BBPIP MBS eligible services.
These details can be found in your practice management system. Please refer to the user guide for step-by-step instructions to support use of the calculator.
Additional resources from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing are available here.
An Expression of Interest (EOI) form is also available here for providers that intend to join the BBPIP. Practices that complete the EOI form will be mailed communications material for their practice to display from 1 November when they register for BBPIP.
Further details and instructions on how to register in BBPIP will be provided later this year, and registration for BBPIP will be available from 1 November 2025.
To participate in the BBPIP, practices will need to be registered for MyMedicare. Instructions on how to register for MyMedicare are available on this Services Australia page.
Participation in the BBPIP is voluntary for practices. If a practice chooses to participate, all general practitioners at that practice must bulk bill all eligible services. For practices continuing to operate a mixed billing model, the RACGP has materials for practices to help them plan and communicate their billing arrangements to patients:
For practice support, please contact primarycare@nwmphn.org.au
