A guide for families

Paying privately for home care: when it makes sense and what to check

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

The short answer

You can pay a home care provider privately at any time, and families often do while waiting for Support at Home funding, when a parent is not eligible for funded care, or to add help on top of a Support at Home budget. Private services are not subsidised and are generally not regulated by the Australian Government, so you pay the full price and need to check the provider’s experience, insurance, worker checks and written prices yourself.

When paying privately makes sense

Your parent is waiting for Support at Home funding to be allocated and needs help now.
Your parent was assessed as not eligible for government funded aged care.
Your parent has Support at Home but needs more than the budget covers.
You want help quickly and have not started the My Aged Care process yet. Private help does not need an assessment, although an assessment is still the way into government funded care.

How private care is different

Government funded aged care is subsidised and regulated by the Australian Government. Private services are not subsidised, so your parent pays the full cost whatever their needs or finances, and they are generally not regulated by the Australian Government. Private help at home includes cleaning, gardening, transport, and health and therapy services.

That means the protections of the funded system, such as published prices, the Statement of Rights and complaints to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission about funded services, may not apply in the same way. A written agreement matters even more.

Paying privately alongside Support at Home

If your parent needs more than their Support at Home budget allows, they can make a private agreement with their provider to buy extra services, which the government does not fund. They can also ask for a reassessment, which may lead to a higher classification.

Keep the two clearly separate. A provider should not deliver more than the quarterly budget allows; if it does, your parent only pays for the extra if that was agreed in the service agreement.

Within Support at Home, some providers will arrange services through a worker your parent chooses, with the provider’s agreement. The provider can add an overhead of up to 10% of the cost of a third party worker.

What to check with a private provider

There is no government price list for private care, so ask for everything in writing and compare a few providers:

The hourly rate, and whether it changes for evenings, weekends and public holidays.
Any minimum visit length, travel charges or other fees.
How cancellations work, how much notice you need to give, and what a late cancellation costs.
Whether they hold public liability insurance and how they screen workers, including police checks.
Their experience with your parent’s needs, such as dementia, mobility or personal care.
Whether the same worker will usually come, and who replaces them when they are away.
How to raise a concern, and how either side can end the arrangement.
That invoices show the date, hours and service, so you can keep track.

Thinking about the money

My Aged Care recommends independent financial advice before deciding how to pay for aged care, and Services Australia’s Financial Information Service is free. If your parent may be eligible for funded care, an assessment is still worth doing, because funded services are subsidised and clinical supports carry no contribution under Support at Home.

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

Leave your details and a real person on our team will look for help at home near you and come back to you within a few hours.

Common questions

Do we need a My Aged Care assessment to pay for home care privately?

No. Anyone can pay a provider privately. An assessment is only needed for government funded aged care such as Support at Home.

Is private home care regulated?

Private services that do not receive government funding are not subsidised and are generally not regulated by the Australian Government, so check insurance, worker screening and the written agreement yourself.

Can we pay for extra help on top of Support at Home?

Yes. Your parent can make a private agreement with their provider to buy extra services that the government does not fund, or use another private provider.

How much does private home care cost?

Each private provider sets its own prices and there is no government price list for private care, so ask several providers for written quotes covering weekday, weekend and public holiday rates and any minimum visit length.

Does Supportd charge families?

No. Searching and matching are free for families. Providers pay a flat subscription to be listed. Supportd does not set providers’ prices and is not a care provider.

All aged care guides →

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.