Services & Costs
What each Support at Home service includes and what it costs, from personal care and nursing to cleaning, respite and transport. Compare prices in your area.
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Home Care Services and What They Cost
Support at Home is the government-funded home care program that began on 1 November 2025. It groups services into three types: clinical care like nursing, help with independence like personal care, and everyday living like cleaning and meals. Prices vary by service, by who you choose, and by the time of day.
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Personal Care at Home: What It Includes and What It Costs
Personal care at home is charged at an hourly rate. If you self-manage, the price usually sits near everyday market rates. Full-service rates typically run 50% to 100% higher, and weekend or after-hours visits cost more. The care is funded under Support at Home, the government program for older Australians, so most of the cost comes from your care budget.
Home Nursing Care: What It Includes and What It Costs
Home nursing care is funded in full within your Support at Home budget, so for eligible nursing you do not pay a participant contribution (a means-tested amount based on your finances). Nursing covers clinical tasks like wound care, medication support and monitoring of ongoing health conditions. It is treated as a clinical service under Support at Home, the government program that replaced Home Care Packages.
Home Cleaning Costs Under Support at Home: What You Pay and What Is Covered
Home cleaning under Support at Home covers routine domestic help inside your home, such as floors, the bathroom, the kitchen and laundry. It is an everyday-living service, so a means-tested contribution may apply, though some people pay nothing. What you pay per hour depends on whether you self-manage or use a full-service provider.
Home Care Transport Costs and What's Covered
A lift to the doctor, a run to the shops or a Saturday catch-up with friends are all trips transport can cover. Transport under Support at Home gets you to appointments, shopping and social outings when you cannot drive or use public transport easily. It is charged per trip or per hour, plus any kilometres. Self-managed transport often costs less than full-service, where a provider sets a fixed price.
Meal Preparation Home Care Costs Explained
Support at Home funding pays for the worker who prepares your meals, not the groceries. It is an everyday-living service, so you may pay a means-tested contribution toward the worker's time. Self-managed rates usually run lower than full-service rates, because full-service hourly prices typically sit well above the matching self-managed rate.
Respite Care Costs and What's Included
In-home respite care gives a family carer a planned break. A support worker stays with their loved one while the carer rests. Under Support at Home it is paid from your quarterly budget, not as a separate fee. Some everyday-living respite can still carry a means-tested participant contribution. The cost depends on the hours you use and whether you self-manage or choose full-service.
Social Support Home Care Costs and What's Included
A friendly visit, a chat over a cup of tea, or a lift to the shops can make a quiet week feel less lonely. That is what social support pays for. Under Support at Home it is an everyday-living service. So you may pay a means-tested contribution, though some people pay nothing. Self-managed rates are usually lower than full-service ones.
Allied Health Under Self-Management: What Stays Smooth, What Needs Extra Care
Many families worry that switching to self-managed Support at Home means losing access to good allied health, physio, OT, podiatry, dietetics. The honest framing is more nuanced: most allied-health relationships are unaffected by the switch, but a small subset of complex coordination cases need more active management. Here's how to know which one you are.
How to Read a Home Care Invoice (Line by Line)
Most home-care invoices are designed to be glanced at, not understood. Here is the field guide: what each line means, which fees are legitimate, which deserve a question, and how to spot the markup hiding in plain sight.
Six Ways to Optimise Your Nursing Costs Under Support at Home
Nursing is usually the most expensive line on a Support at Home invoice, $90 to $200 an hour, depending on the provider and the day. Six practical levers that move the number, without compromising care quality.