Additional Home Care Package Fees you need to be aware of

When you are in the position of choosing your Home Care Package provider, it can be overwhelming if you are trying to work out what the overall fees will be however are unsure of any costs that are required but are often additional. We wanted to provide you with an outline of some of the main fees it is important that you ask your provider about, and are aware of, so that you can make the best possible decision for you in your current situation.

First, though, we want to quickly cover how the fees generally work under a home care package. Home care packages are made up of two main fees: the basic daily fee, which is an amount everyone is asked to pay, and an income tested fee – which ia an additional amount that some people are required to pay. You can take the income assessment right here to find out if you would be required to pay the income tested fee: https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/how-much-will-i-pay

On top of these main fees, some providers charge additional fees and these can vary depending on which provider you select. Some of the additional fees you should ask about include:

1.       Set Up Fee: It is important to ascertain whether the provider you are choosing charges a setup fee, and if so, how much this is going to be.
2.       Care Service Providers Fees – It is important to ensure that you are not receiving additional charges for the care and services you are being provided with. For example if you engage a cleaner as part of your services, then it is important to ensure that they are being paid at market rate and that extra hasn’t been added on top of this (such as $55 per hour instead of $35) because that will mean that you have less funds available in your package for other services you may need
3.       Case Management/Admin Fee: It is important to know what you are paying for case management and administration fees. Some providers charge a large % of the overall home care package funds so it si important before you sign with your provider that you confirm that they will not be taking too much of your allocation.
4.       Surcharge for using staff not engaged through the provider: Some providers will charge an additional fee if you choose to use your own services so be careful of this because it will mean that you could lose some of your package to no benefit if you end up paying this fee.
5.       Exit Fee: Providers can charge you an exit fee if you choose to leave and move to a new provider and it can be up to a few thousand dollars. This amount comes off your home care package allocated funds so it is best to not have one or ensure that it is minimal.

If you would like to arrange a private and confidential discussion about your situation, where we can advise you on suitable fees for where you are at including what is the industry standard and best practice, call us now on . At Country Home Services, we are committed to ensuring that you are provided with the right Home Care Package which enables you to access as many services as possible with the budget that you have been allocated.