Home Cleaning Costs Under Support at Home: What You Pay and What Is Covered

What home cleaning includes under Support at Home

Cleaning is one of the most common services older Australians use. Knowing what it covers helps you plan your visits and your budget.

Routine domestic tasks that are covered

Home cleaning, sometimes called domestic assistance, is about keeping your home tidy and safe week to week. A typical visit can include vacuuming and mopping floors, cleaning the bathroom and toilet, wiping down kitchen benches, dusting surfaces, and changing or washing your bed linen. Some workers also help with general laundry while they are there.

The aim is simple. The work supports you to keep living safely and comfortably at home.

What is usually not included

Routine cleaning does not cover heavy, one-off, or specialist jobs. Things like full spring cleans, carpet steam cleaning, window cleaning on the outside, gutter clearing, or moving heavy furniture usually fall outside standard domestic assistance.

If you need a bigger job done, talk to your provider first. Some tasks may sit under a different service or may not be fundable at all.

Why it counts as an everyday-living service

Support at Home sorts services into groups. Cleaning sits in the everyday-living group, alongside help such as meal preparation and shopping. This matters because everyday-living services can carry a means-tested participant contribution, which we explain next. You can read more in our guide to home care services and prices explained.

How home cleaning is funded and what you might pay

Support at Home started on 1 November 2025, replacing Home Care Packages. Your funding now comes as a quarterly budget set by your classification, from 1 (lowest) to 8 (highest).

The means-tested participant contribution explained

A participant contribution is the share of a service cost you pay yourself. For everyday-living services like cleaning, how much you contribute depends on a means test that looks at your income and assets. Some people pay nothing. Others pay a set percentage of the service cost.

Clinical services such as nursing are different. They are fully government funded with no contribution from your budget.

How cleaning fits in your quarterly budget

Your cleaning costs are drawn from your quarterly budget along with your other services. If you do not use all your budget, unspent funds carry over. That carry-over is capped at the greater of $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget each quarter. Funds that transitioned from an old Home Care Package are not capped.

Where to check what you will be asked to contribute

My Aged Care can tell you your contribution rate before you start services. Call 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au. Your provider should also show your expected contribution clearly in your service agreement.

Self-managed cleaning costs

Self-management gives you the most control over who cleans your home and what you pay them.

Choosing your own cleaner and agreeing a price

With self-management, you and your family find a worker from your local community, agree an hourly price with them, and your provider onboards that worker to meet Commonwealth standards. You can keep a cleaner you already trust, or choose someone new. You set the schedule that suits you.

The 10% self-management loading

A 10% self-management loading applies to the cost of workers you arrange. It covers workforce assurance (the checks that confirm a worker is safe and qualified) and invoice payment. So if you agree an hourly rate with a cleaner, you pay that rate plus the 10% loading on top.

What a self-managed cleaning visit can look like

Say you find a local cleaner and agree an hourly rate. You book a regular weekly visit for vacuuming, bathrooms and the kitchen. Each invoice is the agreed rate for the hours worked, plus the 10% loading. Because you negotiate directly, self-managed rates for everyday tasks tend to be the lowest option.

Full-service cleaning costs

Full-service is the more traditional model. The provider does the arranging for you.

How a fixed price list works

In a full-service arrangement, the provider employs the workers and publishes a fixed price list. You pick services from that list and the provider sends a worker. You do not negotiate the hourly rate yourself.

Why full-service rates are higher

Full-service hourly rates for everyday services typically sit 50% to 100% above the matching self-managed rate, based on Trilogy Care's comparison of published provider price lists. The higher rate reflects the provider employing staff, rostering, supervision and coordination. You can read why in our guide to why the same cleaner costs more under full-service.

Weekday versus weekend and public holiday rates

Most provider price lists charge more for cleaning on weekends and public holidays than on a weekday. If you can book a regular weekday visit, you will usually pay the lowest listed rate. Check the price list for these differences before you commit.

Comparing cleaning prices the right way

A single hourly figure rarely tells the whole story. Compare like with like.

Read the per-hour rate and any minimum visit

Look at the rate per hour, then check for a minimum visit length. A provider with a low hourly rate but a two-hour minimum may cost more than one with a slightly higher rate and a one-hour minimum if you only need a short clean.

Check what the rate actually includes

Ask what is covered in the visit. Does it include laundry and linen changes, or are those extra? Make sure the rate covers the tasks you actually need.

Use indicative prices as a guide only

The government has deferred price caps but has published indicative prices for services like cleaning. These are indicative figures (provider-reported intentions), not price caps or recommended prices. Treat them as a rough guide, then compare real provider price lists side by side.

Questions about this topic

Does Support at Home pay for house cleaning?

Yes. Routine domestic cleaning is a funded everyday-living service under Support at Home. It is drawn from your quarterly budget, and a means-tested contribution may apply.

How much does home cleaning cost per hour under Support at Home?

There is no single set price. Self-managed rates are what you agree with your worker, plus a 10% loading. Full-service rates typically sit 50% to 100% above the matching self-managed rate, based on Trilogy Care's comparison of published provider price lists.

Do I have to pay a contribution for cleaning?

You might. Cleaning is an everyday-living service, so a means-tested participant contribution can apply. Some people pay nothing. Check your rate with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

Is window cleaning or spring cleaning included?

Usually not. Routine domestic assistance covers regular tasks like vacuuming, bathrooms and kitchens. Heavy or one-off jobs such as full spring cleans or external window cleaning generally sit outside standard cleaning. Ask your provider before booking.

Why does the same cleaner cost more with a full-service provider?

A full-service provider employs and rosters staff, supervises the work, and adds coordination. Those costs are built into the listed hourly rate, which is why it is higher than a self-managed rate for similar work.

See what cleaning costs in your area