Home Care Guide

Support at Home prices: what drives your home care package cost

Your home care package cost is made up of your government subsidy, any income-tested contribution, and the fees your provider charges for services and management. Here's how each part works.

Clinically reviewed by our aged care nursing team — decades of frontline experience across aged care, community, palliative and dementia care.Last updated: July 2026

The three parts of your cost

1. Government subsidy

Set by your classification level (1–8) — from $10,731 to $78,106 per year. This is the government's contribution, paid directly to your provider on your behalf.

2. Your income-tested contribution

Depending on your income, you may be asked to contribute on top of the subsidy. Many full pensioners pay little or nothing beyond a basic daily fee.

3. Provider fees

Providers charge for actual services delivered (personal care, nursing, domestic help, etc.) plus a management/administration fee, typically 15–35% of your package — this is where pricing varies most between providers.

Your government subsidy by level

See the full breakdown of what each of the 8 Support at Home classification levels provides on our funding levels guide.

A note on provider service pricing

The Australian Government publishes indicative national median prices for individual Support at Home services (e.g. per-hour personal care, per-trip transport) to help you compare provider quotes. We're building this national price comparison directly into WithSally, sourced live from the government's published data, so it's always current.

That live table isn't published on this page yet — we don't want to show you a number that isn't current or verified. In the meantime, you can see the government's published indicative prices directly at health.gov.au, or ask us — we'll help you compare real quotes from providers in your area, free.

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General information only. Not financial advice. Subsidy figures are 2025–26 government rates, subject to change. Sources: health.gov.au, myagedcare.gov.au. WithSally is independent and not affiliated with the Australian Government.