A guide for families

Choosing a home care provider: the questions to ask

By the Supportd team · Checked against official sources on 26 October 2026

The short answer

With Support at Home, all of your parent’s services come through one registered provider, so shortlist a few, compare their published prices and compliance records on My Aged Care, and ask each the same questions before signing a service agreement. Good questions cover registration, prices and what they include, who the care partner will be, how often the same workers will come, and what happens if a visit is cancelled or you want to leave.

Why the choice matters

Under Support at Home, your parent gets all of their services from a single provider, so make sure the provider can deliver everything in the Support Plan, including any short term pathways. Some providers deliver services themselves and some use other companies, which can affect price and consistency.

You do not have to commit when you first talk to a provider, and you can say no for any reason. Bring the Notice of Decision letter, the Support Plan and the income and assets assessment outcome if you have it, and bring a family member or friend if that helps.

Registration and quality

Under the Aged Care Act 2024, every provider of government funded aged care must be registered with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Registered providers must uphold the Statement of Rights, deliver care in line with the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards and follow the Aged Care Code of Conduct.

The Find a provider tool on My Aged Care lists registered providers. Each profile shows the services offered, published prices, a compliance section with current and past performance, and a summary of the provider’s finances.

Providers that are not government funded are generally not regulated by the Australian Government in the same way, so you will need to check them yourself.

Prices and fees

Support at Home providers set their own prices, but they must publish the price they most frequently charge for each service on My Aged Care and their website, keep it up to date, and agree prices with your parent in the service agreement. If the agreement has higher prices than the published ones, it must note the reason. Prices must be reasonable, based on the cost of delivering the service, and providers cannot charge separate administration or travel fees.

The government has also said it will publish a national summary of Support at Home prices each quarter, showing the median and range of prices, and will encourage providers to raise prices no more than twice a year.

Care management and the care partner

Ten per cent of each quarterly budget goes to care management, done by a care partner. Care partners help your parent choose and manage services and act as the link between the provider and the family. Some hold health qualifications, but none are mandatory. Providers must have at least one direct care management contact with your parent or their registered supporter every month.

Before services start, the provider and your parent agree a care plan. It records goals and preferences such as the gender of workers, preferred days and times, and cultural needs, and you or another family member can be involved.

Questions to ask every provider

Are you registered with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to deliver Support at Home, and for which services?
Can you deliver every service in my parent’s Support Plan in their suburb, and do you deliver it yourselves or through another company?
Can we see your price list, including evenings, weekends and public holidays? How often do prices change, and how will you tell us?
Who will be my parent’s care partner, how do we reach them, and how often will they check in?
Will the same workers come each time? What happens when a regular worker is sick or on leave?
Can my parent choose the gender of their workers and preferred days and times?
What happens, and what does it cost, if we cancel a visit at short notice? Is that written in the service agreement?
How do you handle complaints, and who do we call after hours?
Do you have experience with my parent’s needs, such as dementia, and with their language, culture or faith?
Can my parent self manage parts of their care or use a worker they already know?

Signing the service agreement

The service agreement is a legal contract setting out the services, prices, how contributions are paid, rights and responsibilities, and the complaints process. It must be in place on or before the day services start. Your parent does not have to sign straight away, and family, friends, a legal professional or an aged care advocate can help them understand it. The provider must give them a copy of the Code of Conduct for Aged Care and the Statement of Rights.

Once an agreement is in place, the provider must keep delivering services for as long as your parent needs them. If the provider stops for its own reasons, it must help find a new provider.

Changing providers and making complaints

Your parent can change providers at any time, and they cannot be charged for leaving. Check the service agreement for any notice period, line up the new provider first, then agree an end date with the old one so there is no gap in care.

If something goes wrong, raise it with the provider first. If that does not fix it, contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission on 1800 951 822. The Older Persons Advocacy Network gives free, independent help on 1800 700 600.

Next steps

Read the full picture in Support at Home explained.
Browse home care providers by suburb, Support at Home funded or private.
Ask us to find home care for your parent. A real person looks for providers near them, free for families.
Look up unfamiliar words in the aged care glossary.

Supportd is a directory of providers. We are not a care provider, we are not part of My Aged Care, and we cannot assess eligibility or speed up funding.

Tell us what your parent needs

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Common questions

Do we have to use one provider for all Support at Home services?

Yes. Your parent receives all of their Support at Home services through a single provider, so check that the provider can deliver everything in the Support Plan.

Can a Support at Home provider charge travel or admin fees?

No. Providers cannot charge separate administration or travel fees. Those costs have to be built into the price of each service, which must be published and agreed in the service agreement.

Can we change home care providers?

Yes, at any time, and your parent cannot be charged for leaving. Check the agreement for a notice period and line up the new provider before agreeing an end date with the old one.

Can my parent choose their own support worker?

In some cases. With the provider’s agreement, your parent may be able to choose their own workers, as long as the workers meet the program’s requirements. The provider can add an overhead of up to 10% for a third party worker.

Are the providers on Supportd registered?

Each provider tells us whether they offer Support at Home as a registered provider or take private clients. Supportd is a directory, not part of My Aged Care, so always check a provider’s registration and compliance on the My Aged Care Find a provider tool before signing.

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Sources

General information only, last checked on 26 October 2026. Rules, wait times and amounts change, so check the official sources for the latest. For advice about your own situation, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.