Fees and funding, explained before care begins
Clear information about the cost of your care
Support at Home combines Australian Government funding with participant contributions for some types of services.
How much you may need to contribute depends on the service you receive and your individual circumstances.
We will explain our prices, your available funding and any costs you may need to pay before care begins.
For a full breakdown of our Support at Home service prices, please download our current Price Schedule below. It includes our personal care, nursing and clinical care rates, along with important pricing information. Not sure what this means for you? Your Care Navigator can walk you through it in a complimentary 15-minute call.
You will receive clear information about the services we propose to provide and the price of those services before care begins.
Your agreed services and prices will be included in your service agreement.
If a price is different from our usual published price, we will explain why and agree it with you before the service is provided.
Support at Home providers are required to set reasonable and transparent prices, publish their most frequently charged prices and agree prices with participants.
How your Support at Home funding works
If you are approved for Support at Home, the Australian Government provides funding for the care and services included in your Support Plan.
Some services are fully government funded. For other services, you may need to make a participant contribution.
How much you contribute depends on the type of service you receive and, where applicable, an assessment of your income and assets by Services Australia.
WattleCare Services does not decide your contribution rate.
From 1 October 2026, you no longer pay a contribution (the part of the cost you pay yourself) towards personal care. This applies when personal care is in your support plan and there are funds left in your Support at Home budget. Personal care is still paid for from that budget, so it still uses up your funding. Care given before 1 October 2026 is charged as before. The price of personal care has not changed. What has changed is who pays: instead of you paying a share, the whole cost now comes from your Support at Home budget.
Your Care Navigator can walk you through it in a complimentary 15-minute call.
Different ways care can be funded
The right pathway depends on your age, assessed care needs, Support Plan and individual circumstances.
For government-funded aged care, WattleCare Services provides services through the Support at Home program
Support at home
Support at Home provides Australian Government-funded care and services for eligible older people living at home.
My Aged Care is the starting point for assessment and access to government-funded aged care.
Once you have been assessed and funding is available, you can choose a registered provider to deliver the services included in your Support Plan.
Privately funded care
Government-funded care is not the only option. Our sister service, Wattle and River Home Health, provides privately funded, Nurse Practitioner-led care at home. Wattle and River Home Health is a related business under the same ownership as us, and you are free to choose any provider.
Private care may be useful for people who:
- Are not eligible for government funding
- Are waiting for government funding to become available
- Want services outside their funded Support Plan
- Prefer a different private care model
Privately funded care does not require a My Aged Care assessment.
NDIS
For eligible people living with disability, NDIS funding may provide access to supports that help you live safely, independently and well at home and in your community.
WattleCare Services can work with people who have an NDIS plan, including participants aged 65 and over who joined before turning 65, to provide supports that align with their individual goals, needs and approved funding. NDIS-funded supports may include:
- Personal care and assistance with daily living
- Nursing and disability-related health supports
- Support to remain safe and independent at home
- Assistance to participate in the community and everyday activities
- Support that builds independence, choice and control
- Services delivered in accordance with your NDIS plan and available funding
We work with you, your family or representatives, and other members of your support team to understand what matters to you and how your funded supports can best be delivered. Access to NDIS-funded services requires an approved NDIS plan with relevant funding available for the supports being provided.
Care that follows your support plan
WattleCare Services is registered for Category 4 (personal and care support in the home or community) and Category 5 (nursing and transition care).
We provide approved Support at Home services according to each participant's assessed needs, goals and available funding.
Our current services include personal care, nursing and other care and support within our registered service scope.
We will always be clear about the services we can provide, the price of those services and whether we have the right workforce available to meet your needs safely.
Short-term Support at Home pathways
Restorative Care Pathway
The Restorative Care Pathway provides short-term, goal-based allied health and/or nursing support to help eligible participants maintain or regain function and independence.
Funding for an episode is separate from ongoing Support at Home funding and is generally available for up to 16 weeks.
End-of-Life Pathway
The End-of-Life Pathway provides additional Support at Home funding for eligible older people nearing the end of life who want to remain at home.
It is designed to complement, rather than replace, specialist state or territory palliative care services.
There is no single contribution rate for everyone
Your contribution may depend on:
- The type of Support at Home service you receive
- Your income and assets
- Whether special contribution arrangements apply to you
- When you first started receiving aged care, which sets the contribution rules that apply to you
- Whether you were receiving, or approved for, a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024
Services Australia determines the applicable income and assets assessment. WattleCare Services does not set this rate.
Financial hardship assistance may also be available for eligible participants.
You do not need to understand the funding system before asking for help.
Tell us where you are up to.
You might already have a Support Plan and funding available, be waiting for funding, or still be trying to understand what happens after your My Aged Care assessment.
We can explain WattleCare Services' prices and services, help you understand what information we need and talk through the next step.
If another service or funding pathway is better placed to help, we will tell you.
