The same hour of home cleaning can cost $66 with one provider and $140 with another. That's the range Gary Hardgrave raised on 4BC when he spoke with Trilogy Care CEO Luke Traini about Support at Home pricing. It matches what Home Care Prices found in published provider prices in July 2026.
Luke explained why prices differ so much, what it means for the hours of care older Australians receive, and how families can make sure a budget goes as far as it can.
Why are home care prices rising under Support at Home?
When Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025, the way providers set their prices changed. As Luke explained:
"On November 1st they did say to all providers, take all of your costs and your margins and put it in the hourly rate that you charge your clients."
Under the old model, providers charged a percentage fee. Now every hour of service carries a share of the provider's office costs, administration and profit. Luke said the administration the program requires adds to that, and together those pressures are pushing some prices to extremes.
Why does the same service cost different amounts?
A big part of the answer is how care is arranged. Support at Home offers two main ways to receive care:
- Self-managed: you choose the providers and support workers you want, often from your local community.
- Full service: you sign up with one provider, which arranges your care and charges from its own price list.
Luke said the second model is where the price differences show up most:
"The other one is where you sign up with a provider and you have to use their price list, and that's actually where we're seeing the large discrepancy."
What you pay decides how many hours of care you get
Your Support at Home budget is fixed, so a higher hourly price means fewer hours across the year. Luke put it simply:
"What you pay directly relates to the number of hours of care that you ultimately get across the year, which is the really important part here."
There's also a cost to the older person. Newer clients pay a contribution, the share of each service they pay from their own pocket, based on an assessment of their income and assets. Using cleaning as an example, Luke said clients pay "a minimum of 17.5%" of the cost themselves.
Will price caps bring prices down?
Price caps set a maximum that providers can charge. They were due to start on 1 July 2026, but in May the government put them on hold indefinitely. Luke is concerned caps could have the opposite effect, as he believes happened in the NDIS, where providers moved their prices up to the cap. He believes choice and competition do more to keep prices fair:
"Just having competition, it's just really good for keeping everybody accountable in the delivery of care to older Australians."
How can I compare Support at Home prices?
Every registered provider has to publish its prices on its own website, but comparing price lists one site at a time takes effort. Trilogy Care built Home Care Prices to bring that information together in one place. Enter your suburb or postcode and the service you need, and you'll see what providers near you charge. Home Care Prices is a comparison site for Support at Home prices, operated by Trilogy Care, a registered Support at Home provider. It compares published prices only and does not rank providers or judge quality. Our guide on how to compare Support at Home providers covers what else to look for.
Luke said the aim is for families to have the information before they sign up:
"We'd hate someone to get sticker shock when they get their first statement and find out that their cleaner is more expensive than their accountant."
Can I switch Support at Home providers?
Yes. Your budget belongs to you, not your provider, and Luke said changing providers is easier than many families expect:
"Moving providers, if that's something that you choose to do for a better service or a better price, is actually very easy and it just takes a couple of simple steps with My Aged Care."
With Trilogy Care, there are no exit fees and no notice periods. Self-managed clients can keep their existing carers, as long as those workers meet our compliance requirements. Read our guide to switching Support at Home providers.
Compare prices, then talk it through
Start by comparing prices in your area at homecareprices.com.au, or see what your budget could cover with the Trilogy Care pricing calculator. If you'd like to talk through your options for Mum, Dad or yourself, call Trilogy Care on 1300 459 190.
