Current rates
View the Schedule of Fees and Charges for current fee rates.
Fees that apply
The fees that may apply to people who start Home Care Packages from 1 July 2014 are:
- a basic daily fee
- an income tested care fee
- amounts for additional care and services.
You can use the Understanding fees for home care fact sheet to help explain fees to your care recipients:
Understanding fees for home care
See the Home Care Package fee scenarios for some simplified examples of how fees are worked out for people with different financial circumstances.
The fees are different for people who started home care before July 2014. See fees for people who entered Home Care Packages before 1 July 2014.
Basic daily fee
You can ask everyone taking up a Home Care Package to pay the basic daily fee. It doesn’t matter what their income is.
How much can you charge?
You can charge up to the maximum basic daily fee that applies to a person’s package level. View the current maximum fees in the Schedule of Fees and Charges.
Income tested care fee
If a person’s income is above a certain amount, you can ask them to pay an income tested care fee. This is in addition to the basic daily fee.
Full pensioners do not pay an income tested care fee.
How much can you charge?
The income tested care fee is different for everyone, because it depends on their income. Services Australia conducts income assessments to work out the maximum income tested care fee a person can be asked to pay.
See the Home Care Package fee scenarios for some simplified examples of how the income assessment works for people with different financial circumstances.
After you submit an Aged Care Entry Record Form for a person entering your care, Services Australia will send a fee advice letter to you and the person.
If a person wants to know their fees before they enter a Home Care Package, they can get a fee advice letter from Services Australia. This letter is valid for 120 days.
Interim fees
You may wish to start collecting fees while waiting for a person’s income assessment to be finalised. Interim fees are set by providers, not by the Government. You can use the My Aged Care fee estimator or the Home Care Package fee scenarios to determine an appropriate interim fee for the person.
If a person does not complete an income assessment
If a person does not complete an income assessment, you can ask them to pay up to the maximum income tested care fee. This is the lower of:
- the second daily cap in the Schedule of Fees and Charges, or
- the daily subsidy rate for the package received.
How the income tested care fee affects the subsidy
Services Australia deducts a person’s maximum income tested care fee from the basic subsidy and primary supplements they’re eligible for. This is called the care subsidy reduction.
Services Australia will do this whether you charge the maximum income tested care fee, a lower income tested care fee or no fee.
If you do not charge the maximum income tested care fee, you must still provide services to the full value of the person’s package.
See the Home Care Package fee scenarios (part-pensioner Li Wei and self-funded retiree Maria) for examples of how the income tested care fee affects the amount of Government contribution paid towards a person’s Home Care Package.
Annual and lifetime caps
Annual and lifetime caps apply to income tested care fees. View the caps in the Schedule of Fees and Charges.
If a person has reached the:
- annual cap, you cannot charge them any more income tested care fees in that year
- lifetime cap, you cannot charge them income tested care fees for the rest of their time in home care.
Services Australia will let you and the person know when they have reached a cap. The Australian Government will pay the remaining income tested care fees to you through a higher subsidy.
Did you know?
- The annual and lifetime caps move with a person if they change providers.
- The lifetime cap includes the income tested care fee for home care and the means tested care fee for residential aged care.
Amounts for additional care and services
A person can choose to pay for additional care and services if they do not have enough money in their Home Care Package budget to support their care plan.
You can only charge additional service fees if:
- you and the person agree to the fees and services prior to commencement
- the additional services do not include items specified in Part 2, Schedule 3 of the Quality of Care Principles 2014.
Review of fees
Changes to the basic daily fee rates
The maximum basic daily fee increases on 20 March and 20 September each year, in line with changes to the age pension.
Reviews of the income tested care fee
Services Australia regularly reviews income tested care fees. If a person’s income tested care fee changes, Services Australia will send a letter to you both. You may owe the person a refund as a result of this review.
You should encourage care recipients to update their details with Services Australia if their financial circumstances change.
Temporary leave
When a person takes leave from home care, it may affect the fees you can ask them to pay. To find out more, go to temporary leave from Home Care Packages.
Managing fees
Find out what you must do to manage fees when a person enters and receives home care.