Home Care Package fees

Care recipients are expected to pay fees to help with the cost of their government-subsidised home care. We changed the way we calculate fees on 1 July 2014. These changes do not apply to care recipients who entered the program before that date.

What fees apply

Care recipients pay fees to their approved provider to contribute to the cost of delivering Home Care Package services. 

There are 3 types of fees you may ask care recipients to pay towards their Home Care Package:

  • basic daily fee – you can ask all care recipients to pay this fee, and the maximum amount you can charge is set based on package level 
  • income tested care fee – payable by care recipients who have income over a certain amount as assessed by Services Australia
  • amounts for additional care and services – payable if a care recipient wants more services than their package funding can cover.

We changed how we calculate fees from 1 July 2014, so fee arrangements will depend on when the care recipient entered the program.

Managing fees

As an approved provider, you are responsible for correctly managing Home Care Package fees. 

Find out when you can charge fees, what to do if a person is in financial hardship and when you must refund fees

Fees before 1 July 2014

The fees for Home Care Packages changed on 1 July 2014. These changes do not apply to care recipients who entered the program before this date. 

Find out what fees you can charge, noting you should not cause care recipients financial hardship.

Fees from 1 July 2014

As an approved provider, you can ask care recipients who entered the program from 1 July 2014 to pay certain fees to contribute to the cost of their care. 

Find out what fees apply, how much you can charge and what you need to do.

Home Care Package fee scenarios

A care recipient’s fees will depend on their package level, their income assessment and negotiations with their provider. 

See examples to better understand how Services Australia calculates fees and how the income assessment works for care recipients who entered the program from 1 July 2014.

Date last updated:

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