What providers can charge
Care management charges must be reasonable and justifiable. This means they must provide value for money and consider the effort and resources it takes.
Providers must publish prices for care management as a dollar figure, so care recipients can easily understand and compare prices. Providers can publish a different amount for self-managed care recipients.
Providers cannot charge care management as an:
- hourly charge
- hourly charge on top of the base care management charge.
Providers should consider lowering care management charges to ensure value for money if the services provide reduce because a care recipient’s:
- capacity increases
- care needs reduce
- circumstances change – for example, if they have increased support from their representative(s) or family, or they choose to self-manage.
When providers can charge
Providers can charge for care management at a fortnightly or monthly rate.
Providers must include care management as its own item in a care recipient’s monthly statement.
If a care recipient leaves midway through the month, providers can still charge the full agreed amount for the entire month.
Providers cannot charge for care management in a month where the care recipient has ceased care for the entire month, such when taking temporary leave from their package.
Price caps
The government have capped care management prices, based on what package level the care recipient accesses.
From 1 March 2025, maximum amounts you can charge for care management are:
| Home Care Package level | Daily maximum care management charge | Fortnightly maximum care management charge |
| Level 1 | $5.86 | $82.04 |
| Level 2 | $10.31 | $144.34 |
| Level 3 | $22.44 | $314.16 |
| Level 4 | $34.01 | $476.14 |
We have set these prices at a maximum of 20% of the package level. They will increase with the basic subsidy 1 July each year, and at any other time following a subsidy increase (see Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements).
The price caps are not the target price for these services or an indicator of what we consider a ‘reasonable’ price.
Find out more about the price caps introduced 1 January 2023.
Monitoring compliance with price caps
If providers do not meet requirements, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission may take compliance action.
The My Aged Care Service and Support Portal prevents price entries above set caps.
The department actively monitor and review that providers are meeting requirements, including providers:
- with charges over the caps
- that raise their charges to the caps
- that implement cost shifting measures.
Issues raised in regular engagements with peak bodies, advocacy groups and care recipients will be investigated, and the department may contact providers for clarification.