Key Takeaways
- Read the Schedule of Fees as carefully as the headline hourly rate. Every fee on top compounds.
- Notice periods to exit a provider are negotiable. The default is often 28 days but 14 is reasonable.
- Exit fees beyond admin recovery are not legally enforceable under Support at Home, so push back if you see one.
- Surcharges for weekends, public holidays, evenings, and travel often add 25 to 100% on top of the base rate.
- Under Support at Home the separate package management fee no longer exists. The fees you should see are the Care Management fee and, on self-managed services, a self-management fee. Make sure both are disclosed.
- A provider can't claw back unspent funds when you leave. The funding belongs to you.
- Look for an annual cap on fee increases (CPI plus 0 to 2% is typical). Uncapped is a red flag.
Why the Service Agreement Matters
Support at Home is government-funded but provider-delivered. The Service Agreement is the legal contract between you and the provider you choose, and unlike the brochure and the discovery call, it is the document you are bound by once you sign.
Most providers use a templated agreement that runs 15-30 pages. The pricing brochure you got at the discovery meeting often shows only the headline hourly rate. The agreement is where the fee structure, surcharges, exit terms, and small print actually live. People who sign without reading carefully are the people who end up surprised by their first invoice, or trapped by their notice period when they want to leave.
Your right to negotiate
Service Agreements are not take-it-or-leave-it. You can request amendments before signing. Reputable providers expect this and accommodate reasonable changes. If a provider refuses to consider any redlines, that's a signal about how they'll treat you as a client.
1. The Schedule of Fees: Read This First
Every Service Agreement includes (or refers to) a Schedule of Fees. This is the dollars-and-cents document, separate from the hourly rates, that tells you what the provider charges on top of care delivery.
Items to look for:
- Care Management fee: covers care planning and reviews, charged as a share of your quarterly Support at Home budget (often around 10%, and typically higher on full-service than self-managed)
- Self-management fee: on a self-managed service, the provider's overhead for arranging and paying workers, capped at 10% under the program rules
- Setup or onboarding fee: should be capped (less than $300) or zero
- Travel charge: per kilometre or per visit (typical: $0.95 to $1.20 per km, sometimes built into the rate)
- After-hours, weekend or public holiday surcharges: usually expressed as a percentage uplift (25 to 100%)
- Cancellation fee: if you cancel a visit with less than 24 hours notice
- Statement or reporting fee: for additional or printed statements
Insist on the FULL Schedule of Fees before you sign. If one is "available on request" instead of attached, request it. If it can't be provided in writing, that's a red flag.
2. The Rate Card: Beyond the Headline Hourly Rate
Brochures lead with the cheapest possible rate (Tuesday morning standard service). The Rate Card in the agreement has the full picture. Compare these line items across at least three providers:
- Standard weekday daytime rate: personal care, domestic, and nursing (priced separately)
- Saturday rate (typical: plus 25 to 50% over standard)
- Sunday rate (typical: plus 50 to 75%)
- Public holiday rate (typical: plus 100% or flat double)
- Evening rate (after 6pm, typical: plus 25 to 40%)
- Overnight rate (often a flat fee per night plus hourly)
- Last-minute booking surcharge (under 24 to 48 hours)
- Specialist clinical rate (registered nurse vs enrolled nurse vs personal care worker)
The 3-scenario test
Quote each provider for the SAME 3 scenarios: (1) a Tuesday morning standard cleaning, (2) a Saturday morning personal care visit, (3) an end-of-day shower routine on a public holiday. The variance between providers on scenarios 2 and 3 is much wider than on scenario 1.
3. Notice Period: How Easily Can You Leave?
Default notice periods in home-care service agreements range from 14 to 28 days. Some providers attempt 60-day or even 90-day notices in their template. Anything longer than 28 days is unusual and worth pushing back on.
Your right to leave is protected. Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission guidance is clear that providers cannot impose unreasonable barriers to switching. If your provider's standard notice is 30+ days, request 14 days. Most will accommodate.
Watch for clauses that try to extend notice by adding conditions:
- "Notice must be in writing and acknowledged by the provider in writing": providers can drag their feet on acknowledgement
- "Notice period begins from the start of the next billing cycle": can effectively double the wait
- "Notice excludes any pending visits already rostered": can keep you on the hook for more days
4. Exit Fees: Almost Always Not Enforceable
Exit fees were a common feature of the old Home Care Packages program. Under Support at Home (which replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025), exit fees beyond legitimate admin cost recovery are generally not permitted. Despite this, some providers' templates still include them.
Red-line any clause that includes:
- "Exit administration fee" greater than $300 (administrative recovery should be modest)
- "Unallocated funds will be retained by provider on exit": unspent funds are YOURS, and they transfer with you
- "Penalty for early termination": if you're inside the notice period, there's no penalty
- "Recovery of any subsidised setup or onboarding costs": only valid if the agreement clearly disclosed this upfront in the Schedule of Fees
If you've already signed and want to leave
If you're locked into a provider you want to leave and they're invoking an exit-fee clause, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (1800 951 822) handles disputes and can advise on enforceability. Many of these clauses don't survive scrutiny.
5. How Rates Increase Over Time
Care needs typically last years. The Service Agreement should specify exactly how rates change over time. Look for:
- Annual fee review clause: when rates can be increased
- Notice period before an increase takes effect (30 days minimum is reasonable)
- Cap on annual increase (CPI plus 0 to 2% is typical; uncapped is a red flag)
- Right to terminate without penalty if a rate increase is announced
A clause like "Rates may be adjusted from time to time at the provider's discretion" with no cap, no notice period, and no termination right is not in your favour. Push for: 30 days notice, capped at CPI + 2%, terminate without penalty if you object.
6. Worker Substitution Clauses
Consistency of worker matters in home care, for trust, safety, and care quality alike. The agreement should clarify what happens when your usual worker is unavailable.
Reasonable language:
- Provider will inform you in advance if a substitute is being sent
- You have the right to refuse a substitute and reschedule
- If you refuse a substitute, no cancellation fee applies
- Substitution will not exceed [X] visits per quarter without consultation
Watch for: "Provider may substitute workers at its discretion without notice". This is too provider-friendly. Negotiate it.
7. Your Records, Your Right of Access
The provider holds records about your care: visit logs, care plans, incident reports, medication records, communications. The agreement should give you clear, timely access to all of these.
Key rights to confirm in the agreement:
- Right to a copy of your full care record within 30 days of request, at no charge
- Right to a copy of your transaction history (every invoice, every payment) on request
- Right to portability: if you switch providers, the new provider can request the records on your behalf
- Privacy clause that explicitly limits use of your data to care delivery and regulatory reporting only
8. The Complaints and Escalation Path
Every agreement should include a clear complaints process. At minimum:
- How to raise a complaint internally (email, phone, written form)
- Internal response timeframe (10 business days is typical)
- Escalation to an internal manager if unresolved
- Right to escalate to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission without retaliation
- Confirmation that raising a complaint won't affect your service
Three numbers to keep handy
Older Persons Advocacy Network (1800 700 600) for free advocacy support if you're stuck. Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (1800 951 822) for formal complaints. My Aged Care (1800 200 422) for general questions about your funding or to start a switch.
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