Update (June 2026): Price caps were scheduled to start on 1 July 2026 but the Australian Government deferred them in May 2026, citing volatile costs across the sector. No new start date has been confirmed. The bans on entry and exit fees still apply, and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission now has the power to order refunds where a provider has overcharged. Separately, from 1 October 2026 personal care becomes fully government funded (no participant contribution). This page explains how the caps will work once introduced and what protects you in the meantime.

Key points

  • Government-set price caps were due to start on 1 July 2026 but have been deferred, with no confirmed new date
  • Once introduced, providers will set their own prices but cannot exceed the published cap for any service category
  • All administrative costs must be included in service prices; no separate entry, exit, or admin fees are permitted (this rule already applies)
  • This is a major change from the old HCP system where providers could charge 35-45% of your budget in admin and management fees
  • Price caps will be published by the Department of Health and Aged Care and reviewed regularly
  • If your provider is charging unreasonable fees, you have the right to report them and may be entitled to a refund

What Are Support at Home Price Caps?

The Australian Government legislated mandatory price caps across all Support at Home services, originally scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2026. In May 2026 the government deferred that start date, citing unstable costs across the sector, and has not yet confirmed when caps will apply. When they do, the caps will set the absolute maximum amount a provider can charge you (and the government) for each service.

In the meantime, two protections already apply: providers cannot charge separate entry or exit fees, and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can order refunds where a provider has overcharged.

Price caps are not fixed prices. They are ceilings. Providers are free to charge less than the cap, and many will, because lower prices help them attract and retain participants. But no registered provider can legally charge more than the published cap for any service.

This is one of the most consumer-friendly reforms in the history of Australian aged care. For a broader overview of the Support at Home program, see our complete guide.

How Price Caps Work in Practice

The Basic Mechanism

  1. The Department of Health and Aged Care publishes a price cap schedule listing maximum prices for every service type
  2. Providers set their own prices at or below the cap
  3. When you receive a service, the total cost (your co-contribution plus the government subsidy) cannot exceed the cap
  4. Providers must display their prices transparently so you can compare them before choosing

What the Caps Cover

Price caps apply to all three service categories under Support at Home:

Clinical care services (fully government funded, no participant contribution)

  • Nursing (registered nurse visits, wound care, medication management)
  • Allied health (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, podiatry, dietetics)
  • Mental health support
  • Personal care (showering, dressing, grooming, continence assistance). From 1 October 2026 personal care moves into clinical supports and is fully government funded, so you pay no contribution toward it.

Independence services

  • Assistive technology and equipment
  • Home modifications
  • Reablement and restorative care programs

Everyday living services

  • Domestic assistance (cleaning, laundry, meal preparation)
  • Social support and community access
  • Transport
  • Meals and nutrition services
  • Respite care

Each specific service within these categories has its own cap. For example, the cap for a registered nurse visit is different from the cap for a personal care hour, which is different from the cap for a physiotherapy session.

The Critical Rule: All-Inclusive Pricing

This is the single biggest change from the old system and the one most likely to affect your day-to-day experience.

Under Support at Home price caps, all administrative and overhead costs must be included in the service price.

This means providers cannot charge:

  • Entry fees when you join their service
  • Exit fees when you leave
  • Administration fees as a line item on your statement
  • Case management fees as a separate charge
  • Package management fees deducted from your budget
  • Documentation or reporting fees
  • Coordination fees for organising your services

All of these costs must be built into the per-unit price of each service. If a provider charges $98 per hour for personal care, that $98 must cover everything: the support worker’s wages, training, insurance, administration, scheduling, quality assurance, and all other overhead. This matters most for the services people request most often through Carevo, which are personal care, domestic assistance and allied health, since those are the line items where bundled admin fees used to add up fastest.

Why This Matters

Under the old Home Care Packages system, providers could charge administration fees of 15-20% and case management fees of another 15-25% directly from your package budget. A Level 4 HCP worth $57,140 per year could have $20,000 to $25,000 taken in fees before a single hour of care was delivered.

This was legal, disclosed in your Home Care Agreement, and extremely common. Some participants were left with barely half their package available for actual services.

The all-inclusive pricing model under Support at Home eliminates this entirely. Every dollar of your budget goes toward services at listed prices. No hidden deductions, no percentage skimmed off the top.

How This Compares to the Old HCP Fee System

AspectOld HCP SystemSupport at Home (once caps apply)
Provider pricingProviders set their own prices with limited oversightProviders set prices up to government-mandated caps
Admin feesUp to 15-20% of package deducted separatelyMust be included in service prices; no separate charge
Case management feesUp to 15-25% of package deducted separatelyMust be included in service prices; no separate charge
Exit feesPermitted (typically $200-$500)Not permitted
Price transparencyLimited; often buried in agreementsRequired; must be clearly displayed and comparable
Overcharging protectionWeak; no price capsStrong; government caps with enforcement
Percentage of budget reaching servicesOften 55-70% after feesClose to 100% (minus your co-contributions)

The difference is substantial. If you were on a Level 3 HCP under the old system, you might have had $37,650 in annual funding but only $22,000 to $26,000 available for actual services after fees. Under Support at Home, the equivalent funding goes directly to services at transparent, capped prices.

Understanding the Price Cap Schedule

The Department of Health and Aged Care publishes the full price cap schedule on their website. Here is how to read it.

Structure of the Schedule

The schedule lists:

  • Service category (clinical, independence, everyday living)
  • Service type (e.g., personal care, nursing, physiotherapy)
  • Unit of measurement (per hour, per session, per item)
  • Maximum price (the cap amount, GST inclusive where applicable)
  • Geographic loading (higher caps for regional, rural, and remote areas)

Geographic Variations

Price caps are not uniform across Australia. Providers in regional, rural, and remote areas face higher costs for staffing, travel, and supplies. The price cap schedule accounts for this with geographic loadings that increase the cap in areas with higher delivery costs.

The geographic zones used are:

  • Metropolitan (major cities)
  • Regional (inner and outer regional)
  • Rural (areas outside regional centres)
  • Remote and very remote

A personal care hour capped at $98 in metropolitan Sydney might be capped at $115 in a regional town and $135 in a remote area. The exact amounts depend on the published schedule.

How Caps Are Reviewed

Price caps are reviewed regularly by the Department, taking into account:

  • Changes in the cost of delivering services (wages, insurance, fuel)
  • Inflation and indexation factors
  • Feedback from providers and participants
  • Market analysis of actual service prices

When caps are updated, the new amounts are published in advance so providers and participants have time to adjust.

How to Check If Your Provider Is Compliant

Step 1: Get the Current Price Cap Schedule

Visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website and download the current price cap schedule. This is a public document available to everyone.

Step 2: Review Your Budget Statement

Your provider must give you regular budget statements showing each service you received, the price charged, and whether it was paid by you (co-contribution) or the government (subsidy).

Step 3: Compare Line by Line

For each service on your statement, compare the price charged against the cap in the schedule. Make sure you are comparing the right service type and geographic zone.

What to look for:

  • Any service price that exceeds the published cap
  • Any line items for administration, case management, or coordination fees (these should not exist)
  • Any entry or exit fees
  • Any charges labelled as “overhead,” “management,” or similar terms that are not a specific service

Step 4: Ask Questions

If anything looks unclear, ask your provider in writing:

  • “Can you confirm that this price is within the published price cap?”
  • “Are there any fees charged to my budget that are not listed as a service on my statement?”
  • “Is the administration cost included in your service prices?”

A compliant provider will be able to answer these questions clearly and point you to their published price list.

What to Do If You Are Being Overcharged

Raise It With Your Provider

Start by raising the issue directly. It may be a billing error or a misunderstanding about which cap applies (for example, if the wrong geographic zone was used). Give them a chance to investigate and correct it.

Put your concern in writing (email is fine) so there is a record. Ask for a written response.

Request a Refund

If a provider has charged above the cap, you are entitled to a refund for the difference. This applies whether the overcharge was from your co-contribution or from the government subsidy (which reduces your available budget).

Report to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

If your provider does not correct the issue or you believe the overcharging was deliberate, report it to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission on 1800 951 822 or at agedcarequality.gov.au.

The Commission has the authority to:

  • Investigate the provider’s pricing practices
  • Require the provider to refund overcharges
  • Issue compliance notices
  • Impose sanctions on providers who breach price caps

Contact OPAN for Advocacy

The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) on 1800 700 600 provides free advocacy support. An advocate can help you navigate the complaint process and communicate with your provider or the Commission on your behalf.

Consider Switching Providers

You can change your Support at Home provider at any time with no exit fees. Unspent funds transfer to your new provider. If your current provider is not pricing transparently or is resistant to correcting errors, it may be time to look elsewhere.

Carevo can help you compare providers and find one that is transparent about their pricing and compliant with the price cap rules.

Common Provider Practices to Watch For

While most providers will comply with the new rules, some practices to watch for include:

Bundling Services to Obscure Pricing

A provider might bundle multiple services into a single “package price” that makes it hard to see whether individual components are within their respective caps. You have the right to see itemised pricing for each service.

Charging for Services Not Delivered

Check that the hours and services on your statement match what you actually received. If your statement shows 4 hours of personal care in a week but you only received 3, raise it immediately.

Creative Fee Labelling

Watch for charges with unusual names that are effectively administration fees by another label. If a charge does not correspond to a specific service you received, question it.

Reducing Service Quality to Maintain Margins

Some providers may respond to price caps by reducing the quality or duration of services. If your care worker is arriving late, leaving early, or rushing through tasks, this is a quality concern you can raise with the Commission.

What Price Caps Mean for Provider Competition

Price caps create a competitive environment where providers compete on quality and value rather than simply charging whatever the market will bear. Here is what this means for you:

More transparent comparison shopping. When all providers are working within the same caps, you can compare their actual prices and the quality of their services more easily.

Incentive to charge below the cap. Providers who charge less than the cap for equivalent quality services will attract more participants. This creates downward pressure on prices.

Focus on service quality. With pricing limited, providers need to differentiate themselves through the quality of their care, the reliability of their workers, and the responsiveness of their organisation.

Easier switching. Transparent pricing and no exit fees mean you can move to a better provider without financial penalty if you are unhappy.

How to Compare Providers on Price

When choosing a provider under Support at Home, use this approach:

  1. Get the price list from each provider you are considering. They are required to make this available.
  2. Compare prices for the services you actually use. Do not just look at one service; compare across all the services in your care plan.
  3. Check that prices include everything. Ask each provider to confirm there are no additional charges beyond the listed service prices.
  4. Consider quality alongside price. The cheapest provider is not always the best. Look at reviews, ask for references, and check their compliance history.
  5. Use Carevo to compare. Our platform makes it easy to browse providers and their pricing in your area. Families using Carevo can compare across 2,619 aged care providers in the directory, so it is straightforward to line up several quotes for the services you actually use.

For more on the Support at Home program structure, visit our Support at Home program page.

Frequently Misunderstood Points

Price caps are not the price you pay. The cap is the maximum total cost of a service (your co-contribution plus the government subsidy). Your out-of-pocket cost depends on your means assessment and the service category. To get a sense of the numbers for your situation, you can estimate your Support at Home budget and contributions before you commit to a provider.

Caps are not fixed forever. They are reviewed and updated. Do not assume today’s cap will apply next year.

Lower prices are allowed and encouraged. Providers can and should compete on price. If one provider charges $98 per hour for personal care and another charges $85, both are compliant, but the second offers better value (assuming equivalent quality).

Geographic loading is legitimate. Higher prices in regional and remote areas reflect genuine cost differences. A remote provider charging more than a city provider is not necessarily overcharging.

Price caps apply to all participants equally. Whether you are a new entrant or a transitioned HCP recipient, the price caps are the same.

Key Dates and Resources

  • 1 July 2026: Original start date for mandatory price caps, now deferred (announced May 2026). No new date confirmed
  • 1 October 2026: Personal care becomes fully government funded (moves to clinical supports, no participant contribution)
  • Now in force: Bans on separate entry and exit fees, plus the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s power to order refunds for overcharging
  • Price cap schedule: Will be published on the Department of Health and Aged Care website (health.gov.au) once caps commence
  • Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission: 1800 951 822 or agedcarequality.gov.au
  • My Aged Care: 1800 200 422 or myagedcare.gov.au
  • OPAN (free advocacy): 1800 700 600

How Carevo Can Help

Carevo connects you with Support at Home providers who are transparent about their pricing and committed to compliance with the new price cap rules.

Through our platform, you can:

  • Browse providers in your area and compare their services
  • See provider pricing information upfront
  • Read reviews from other participants
  • Switch providers easily if you are unhappy with your current arrangement

Visit Carevo to start comparing providers, or read our complete guide to Support at Home for a full overview of the program.

Summary

Price caps were set to be a turning point for aged care pricing in Australia, but their 1 July 2026 start was deferred in May 2026 and no new date has been confirmed. When they do arrive, they will put a hard limit on what providers can charge, on top of the ban on separate administration and management fees that already applies.

Even now, more of your funding goes to actual services than under the old HCP system, providers cannot charge entry or exit fees, and you have real recourse (including refunds) if a provider overcharges.

Take the time to understand the caps, check your statements, and compare providers. The system is designed to work in your favour, but only if you know what to look for.