Key points

  • Support at Home commenced on 1 November 2025, and you choose your own provider
  • You can switch providers at any time, with no entry or exit fees
  • Home care providers do NOT have Star Ratings; that system is for residential aged care only
  • Compare providers using the My Aged Care “Find a provider” tool: compliance status, Quality Standards, and organisation details
  • Support at Home providers must be registered and must publish their prices
  • A care management fee is capped at 10% of your budget, so ask how each provider uses it
  • Use the 12-question checklist below before you commit to any provider
  • Complaints go to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

How Support at Home provider choice works

Support at Home started on 1 November 2025 and replaced the old Home Care Packages program for new participants. Once My Aged Care assesses you and assigns a classification, you choose which registered provider delivers your services.

You are not locked in. Under Support at Home you can change providers at any time, and there are no entry or exit fees for doing so. This guide is about your first selection, picking a provider when you are starting fresh. If you are an existing Home Care Package client moving across to Support at Home, see switching a Home Care Package to Support at Home, which covers that specific transition.

To be eligible for Support at Home you generally need to be 65 or older, or 50 or older if you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. For the full picture of how the program works, read the Support at Home Program complete guide.

Because you can move providers later, your first choice does not have to be perfect. But choosing well from the start saves you the disruption of changing carers and rebuilding a care plan, so it is worth doing the homework.

What you can actually compare

There is a common misconception that you can rank home care providers by a star score. You cannot. Here is what genuinely exists for comparing Support at Home providers, and what does not.

The My Aged Care “Find a provider” tool

The official tool for comparing providers is the My Aged Care “Find a provider” tool. It lets you search by location and service type, and for each provider it shows:

  • Compliance status: whether the provider is meeting its obligations, and whether any regulatory action has been taken against it
  • Adherence to the Aged Care Quality Standards: the standards every provider must meet, covering the care you receive, the dignity and respect shown to you, your involvement in decisions, and the provider’s governance
  • Organisation and finances details: who runs the provider, how long they have operated, and basic financial and structural information

Source: My Aged Care and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

Registered providers only

Support at Home services are delivered by registered providers. Registration means a provider has met the requirements to operate under the Aged Care Act and is subject to oversight by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. When you compare providers, you are comparing registered organisations, not informal arrangements.

Published prices

Support at Home providers must publish their prices. This is one of the most useful things you can compare, because hourly rates for the same service vary between providers, and small differences add up across a year of care. Ask for, or look up, each provider’s published price list and compare like for like: weekday personal care against weekday personal care, weekend rates against weekend rates. For current benchmarks, see our guide to Support at Home prices in 2026.

What does not exist: star ratings for home care

To be explicit: Star Ratings apply to residential aged care homes only. There are no Star Ratings for home care or Support at Home providers. If a website or salesperson implies a home care provider has a star rating, treat that as a red flag, because it does not reflect how the system actually works. Compare home care providers using the My Aged Care tool, their compliance status, and their published prices instead.

The 12-question checklist for a Support at Home provider

Ask every shortlisted provider the same questions. Asking identical questions makes the answers comparable, and how a provider responds tells you as much as what they say.

  1. How do you match carers to clients? Ask whether they consider personality, interests, gender preference, and the specific tasks you need help with, or whether they simply send whoever is available.

  2. What qualifications and checks do your workers have? Ask about relevant certificates (for example a Certificate III in Individual Support), police checks, and whether clinical work is done by registered nurses.

  3. Can I self-manage, or do I have to use provider management? Some people want more control over their schedule and workers, others prefer the provider to handle everything. Ask which models the provider supports. Our guide to self-managed vs provider-managed Support at Home explains the trade-offs.

  4. How much is your care management fee, and what does it cover? The care management fee is capped at 10% of your budget. Ask what you get for it: care plan development, coordination, reviews, and reporting. A provider charging the full 10% should be able to explain the value.

  5. What after-hours and emergency support do you provide? Ask what happens if a carer cannot make a visit, or if you need help on a weekend or public holiday, and whether there is a real person to call.

  6. Do you offer CALD and language matching? If English is not your first language, or cultural understanding matters to you, ask whether they have workers who speak your language and understand your background.

  7. How do you keep the same carers visiting me? Continuity matters for trust and quality. Ask how often clients see the same worker, and what happens when a regular carer is on leave.

  8. How does your complaints process work? Ask how you raise a concern, who handles it, and how quickly they respond. A provider confident in its service will explain this clearly.

  9. What happens to my unused budget at the end of a quarter? Support at Home budgets are quarterly, with a capped rollover. Ask how they track your spending and help you avoid losing funds you could have used.

  10. How quickly can you start, and what is your availability in my area? A provider may look good on paper but have no capacity near you. Ask about start times and whether they cover your suburb.

  11. Will I have a named contact? Ask whether you will have a consistent care manager or coordinator you can reach, rather than a different person each time.

  12. Can you give me a written care plan and price list before I sign? You should be able to review the plan and the costs in writing, with no pressure to commit on the spot.

Across aged care inquiries on Carevo, the most requested supports are personal care, domestic assistance and allied health, so pay particular attention to how each provider handles those services when you ask these questions. To estimate what your plan might cost before you talk to providers, you can estimate your Support at Home budget and contributions.

How to switch if it is not working

Choosing a provider is not a permanent decision. Under Support at Home you can change providers at any time, with no entry or exit fees. In practice you give notice to your current provider, choose a new registered provider, and your unspent budget follows you.

This post is about first-time selection. If your situation is specifically moving from an old Home Care Package into Support at Home, that transition has its own steps, covered in switching a Home Care Package to Support at Home.

If something goes wrong: complaints recourse

If you have a concern that your provider cannot or will not resolve, you can complain to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. The Commission is the independent regulator for aged care, including Support at Home. You can raise a complaint about the quality or safety of your care, and you can do so even if you have already left the provider.

For independent advice and advocacy at any point, including help comparing providers or understanding your rights, you can contact the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) on 1800 700 600.

Find and compare providers through Carevo

Carevo is a connection platform. We list registered providers so you can compare them neutrally on the things that matter, pricing, availability, and the services they deliver in your area. We do not deliver care ourselves and we do not employ carers; we connect you with vetted providers and help you ask the right questions.

With 2,619 providers in the directory across 1,797 suburbs, you can compare options near you in one place.

Call 1800 953 253 to compare Support at Home providers through Carevo, or connect with vetted providers online.