What you need to know about Home Care Package fees and costs

When you research Home Care Packages, it can be confusing to understand what you’ll have to pay for. The Australian Government subsidises Home Care Packages but depending on your income, assets, circumstances and what provider you choose, you will need to pay a variety of fees.

If you are eligible for a Home Care Package, it’s important to understand what fees you may have to pay, how much the government will contribute, and how your budget works. It’s helpful to do all this before you choose your provider.

Having all the information upfront can help you make the right choice for your care needs and financial situation. You can use our Yellow Door Care budgeting tool on our website.

Here we explain more about how your budget works and what Home Care Package fees you might have to pay.

What is your Home Care Package budget?
Your Home Care Package comprises the Australian Government subsidy (and supplements if you’re eligible) and the fees and costs you might be asked to pay.

The subsidy you will receive depends on what level of care you’ve been approved for. The subsidy changes every year and the current government daily subsidy for each package (as of June 2024) is:

• Level 1: $28.14
• Level 2: $49.49
• Level 3: $107.70
• Level 4: $163.27

You may also be eligible for supplements if you have specific care needs such as dementia, enteral feeding, or a need for continual oxygen therapy.

What Home Care Package fees and costs will you need to pay?
In addition to the Government subsidy, you will also have to contribute to your home care. You won’t necessarily have to pay all these fees and charges.

It will depend on what provider you choose and what your income circumstances are. These are some of the Home Care Package fees that you could be asked to pay.

Care Management Fees
Care management is a mandatory service that includes regularly assessing your needs, goals and preferences.

It includes the creation and review of a home care agreement and care plan and ensuring that the care and services we provide you align with your care plan and other supports.

We will partner with you and your family or carers about your care, ensure your care and services are culturally safe and identify and address any risks to your safety, health and wellbeing.

Package Management Fees
Package management fees are different to care management fees.

Package management is a service that supports delivery of a Home Care Package and can cover administrative activities that Yellow Door must undertake.

These can include establishing and managing home care budgets, coordinating and scheduling services and workers, preparing invoices and monthly statements, and complying with regulatory and assurance requirements.

Basic Daily Fees
A basic daily fee is a fee that some providers charge.

It’s set by the Government at a percentage of the single basic age pension and varies from 15.68% to 17.50% depending on your package level. This fee would need to be paid every day even if you don’t receive services on that day.

Yellow Door Care don’t charge the basic daily fee as part of our Home Care Package fees.

Income Tested Fees
The income tested fee is an extra contribution that some people will pay, depending on their income assessment. It’s different for everyone and is based on what you earn, including your pension.

Full pensioners and people with an income up to $31,504.20 don’t pay an income tested care fee. The income tested fee goes directly to your home care provider and goes straight onto your Home Care Package.

Exit Fees
Some providers charge exit fees if you choose to leave. This amount varies considerably and is something you should keep in mind when choosing your Home Care Package provider. Yellow Door Care doesn’t charge this fee.

Hourly Rates for your Personal Care Assistants
Every provider charges different service hourly rates for their personal care workers, nursing, cleaning and gardening services.

Things that can affect the cost of these services include the level of expertise (particularly for nursing and respite staff) and whether there is weekend or evening surcharges.

Transportation
Many providers charge your Home Care Package for travel in between clients. Yellow Door Care does not charge this fee. However, if a Yellow Door care worker is transporting a client to an appointment, shopping or social outing, $1 is charged per kilometre which helps pay for your care workers petrol and vehicle expenses.

Extra fees for external service providers
If you choose to have a different supplier than what your provider offers, you can. However, depending on the provider you choose you may need to pay an extra surcharge for your home care provider to manage this.

For example, if you need something that your home care provider doesn’t offer, such as allied health or other services, you may need to pay an extra fee for your provider to find and manage that service for you. Yellow Door Care does not add a surcharge to pay for any external providers services that you choose to use.

How do these fees work in a Home Care Package budget?
When you are looking for a Home Care Package provider, they will put together a budget for you which will include your subsidy, supplements and less any fees and costs you will have to pay.

This will then give you a good idea of how much care you can expect to receive each week. You can use our budgeting tool to work out your budget here on the Yellow Door Care website.

My Aged Care has a comparison tool where you compare Home Care Package fees side by side with other providers. Understanding what fees and charges you will need to pay is an important consideration when choosing your home care provider.

If you’d like to better understand what Home Care Package fees and charges would apply in your situation, please get in touch with us at Yellow Door Care on 83623033.