How to Choose Support at Home Providers: A Family Guide

Last reviewed: 1 November 2026.

Once the approval letter arrives, the next big job is choosing between Support at Home providers. It’s a decision many families make in a hurry, often on behalf of a parent, and it matters: all of a person’s Support at Home services come from one provider. This guide walks you through how to choose a home care provider calmly, using My Aged Care’s Find a provider tool, a short list of good questions, and a comparison table you can copy.

Talking to providers doesn’t commit you to anything, and you can say no to any provider. So take the time to compare.

Quick answer: choosing a provider in 6 steps

Step	What to do
1. Check the dates	Note the date on the funding letter. You have 56 days from that date to find a provider and sign a service agreement.
2. Search	Use My Aged Care’s Find a provider tool, ask your assessor for local referrals, or call 1800 200 422.
3. Shortlist	Save providers that offer the services you’ve been approved for, in your area.
4. Ask questions	Start with availability, then services and staff, costs and how they’ll keep the family in the loop.
5. Compare	Put your shortlist side by side using the table below.
6. Agree and share	Read the service agreement at home, sign when you’re comfortable, and give the provider the referral code.

If you haven’t been assessed yet, start with our guide to the My Aged Care assessment: how to apply.

Using My Aged Care’s Find a provider tool

Most people start with the Find a provider tool on the My Aged Care website. My Aged Care says the search filters start with your location and the services you’ve been approved for, so have the approval letter handy. You can also search for a provider by name if someone has recommended one.

From the search results you can add up to 16 providers to a shortlist and select up to three to compare. Your shortlist is saved in My Guide, so you can come back to it later.

All Support at Home providers must publish their full price list online, and each provider sets its own prices for services and care management. You can compare prices across providers in the Find a provider tool, so it’s a good first stop before you speak to anyone.

Prefer to talk it through? You can ask your assessor for a referral to local providers, or call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 (free, Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm). Our guide to the My Aged Care phone number and what to say can help you prepare.

Questions to ask Support at Home providers

Because one provider delivers all of a person’s Support at Home services, check that each provider can offer everything in the approved support plan. Write your questions down before you call, and consider bringing a family member, friend or carer to meetings. My Aged Care suggests bringing the Notice of Decision letter, the support plan and the income and means assessment outcome if you have it.

Availability (ask first)
– Can you start services for us, and roughly when?
– Do you cover our suburb?
– Can you provide every service in the support plan?

Services and staff
– Who will come to the home, and will it usually be the same people?
– What happens if a regular worker is sick or on leave?
– If needs change (for example, more personal care is needed), how do you handle that? Our guide to personal care from 1 October 2026 explains what’s changed.

Costs, including care management
– What are your prices for each service we need?
– How does care management work with you? For ongoing services, 10% of the quarterly budget goes towards care management and is allocated to the provider. You don’t pay a contribution towards care management.
– How will we see what’s been spent? (Providers must send a monthly statement, even in a month with no services.)

Family communication
– Who is our care partner, and how often will they be in touch? (Department guidance says care partners provide care management at least monthly and review the care plan at least once every 12 months, or sooner if things change.)
– Can a family member be kept informed? If someone helps make decisions, ask how the provider works with registered supporters, which replaced “representatives” on 1 November 2025.

Comparing Support at Home providers side by side

Copy this table into a notebook or spreadsheet and fill it in after each conversation.

	Provider A	Provider B	Provider C
Can start services (when?)
Covers our suburb
Offers every service in the support plan
Prices for the services we need
How care management works
Who our care partner is and how often they contact us
How the family is kept informed
Monthly statement explained clearly
Anything we’re unsure about
Gut feel (1–5)

It also helps to check the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission’s website, which publishes reports on providers’ care standards. Note that Star Ratings apply to residential aged care homes, so don’t expect to see them for home care.

The service agreement checklist

A service agreement is a legal document that sets out the services you’ll receive, who will provide them and how much they’ll cost. Services can’t start until it’s agreed. Before signing:

• Take it home and read it without time pressure.
• Check every approved service is listed, along with who will deliver it.
• Check the prices match what you were told. Prices must be reasonable and transparent, and providers can’t charge new prices without your agreement.
• Check how care management and monthly statements are described.
• Write down anything you don’t understand and ask before you sign.
• Once you’ve chosen, give the provider the referral code from the Notice of Decision letter. This lets them see the assessment and support plan.

Timing: the 56 days

Once funding is available, you have 56 calendar days from the date on the letter to find a provider and sign a service agreement. If you need more time, you can ask My Aged Care for another 28 days.

Support at Home funding works in quarterly budgets. Our guide to Support at Home funding and key deadlines sets out the dates to watch.

What you’ll pay

Your parent’s contribution depends on the type of service and their income and assets. My Aged Care lists these rates:

Income and assets outcome	Clinical supports	Independence	Everyday living
Full pensioner	0%	5%	17.5%
Part pensioner or self-funded Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder	0%	5% to 50%	17.5% to 80%
Self-funded, no Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, or means not disclosed	0%	50%	80%

Clinical supports such as nursing have no contribution, and from 1 October 2026 approved personal care has no out-of-pocket cost. Because each provider sets its own prices, the same service can use up a different amount of the budget with different providers. The Support at Home fee estimator on My Aged Care can help you work out an estimate.

Contributions are worked out through an income and assets assessment. If your parent gets the Age Pension or another means-tested Centrelink or DVA payment, they usually don’t need to fill in a form; just keep their details up to date through myGov or on 132 300. Otherwise, the form is SA456.

If you’re unhappy with a provider

You have the right to change providers. If you’re comfortable, My Aged Care suggests speaking to your current provider first. If you’d rather not, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

For complaints, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission says the first step is to raise concerns with the provider if you can. If that doesn’t work or doesn’t feel right, contact the Commission on 1800 951 822. Its complaint services are free, and you can ask for your details to be kept confidential. The same rights apply whether care is at home or in an aged care home.

The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) offers free, independent advocacy and can help raise concerns on your behalf. Call 1800 700 600 or visit opan.org.au.

Questions families ask

How do I find a provider on My Aged Care?

Use the Find a provider tool on the My Aged Care website. Filters start with your location and approved services, and you can shortlist up to 16 providers and compare up to three. You can also call 1800 200 422 or ask your assessor for local referrals.

Can we use more than one Support at Home provider?

No. All Support at Home services come from a single provider, so check they can deliver everything in the support plan.

Does talking to a provider lock us in?

No. Talking to providers doesn’t commit you, and you can say no to any provider. Services only start once a service agreement is agreed.

What if we run out of time to choose?

You have 56 days from the date on the funding letter. You can ask My Aged Care for another 28 days to find a provider.

Can we change providers later?

Yes. You have the right to change providers. Speak to your current provider first if you’re comfortable, or call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

Make the choice easier

Keeping track of calls, prices and gut feelings across several providers is hard work, especially when you’re juggling it for a parent. Aged Care Next Steps is LaunchUP’s planning tool for families. Stage 1 is free, and the full plan includes a provider shortlist and side-by-side comparison so the whole family can see where things stand. Start your free plan. You can also explore more options for staying in your home.

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General information only, not financial, legal or health advice. LaunchUP is not paid by aged care providers and isn’t affiliated with My Aged Care or the Australian Government.

Sources checked 31 October and 1 November 2026: My Aged Care – Support at Home costs and contributions; My Aged Care – Connecting with Support at Home providers; My Aged Care – How to choose a provider; My Aged Care – How to change providers; My Aged Care – Questions about managing services; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing – Guidance for Support at Home care partners; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing – Guidance for providers on service agreements; Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission – Finding quality care; Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission – Do you have a concern or complaint?; OPAN – Support at Home.