How we check if your aged-care price is fair
Under Support at Home, providers set their own prices and there is no legislated cap. So Wayly does not invent a fairness score. Instead, it compares the rate on your statement against the price ranges the Department of Health actually publishes, and shows you, in plain English, where your rate sits.
The short answer
We take the rate you were charged, find the Department of Health indicative range for that service, and tell you whether you are below, inside or above it, and by how much. In-range does not automatically mean fair, and above-range does not automatically mean a rip-off. It is a starting point for a better-informed conversation with your provider.
How the check works
- 1
You enter the service and the rate
Tell us the service (for example, personal care per hour) and the rate your provider charges on your Support at Home statement.
- 2
We match it to the Department of Health indicative range
We look up the published indicative price range for that exact service in the most recent Department of Health snapshot.
- 3
We show you where your rate sits
You see whether your rate is below, inside or above the range, and exactly how far it is from the nearest edge and the median.
- 4
We flag anything unusual
We run quality checks (an implausibly high or low rate, or a wrong unit) and count how many times the rate has risen in the last 12 months.
What your result means
Below the range
Your rate is under the published range. That is usually good news, but it is worth checking the unit is right (an hourly rate entered as a per-visit rate can look low).
Inside the range
Your rate sits within what most providers charged in the survey. In-range does not automatically mean the price is fair, only that it is typical.
Above the range
Your rate is higher than the published range. This does not automatically mean it is unreasonable, providers can set their own prices, but it is a fair reason to ask for a written explanation of how the rate was set.
The extra checks we run
Quality guards
If a rate looks implausibly low, more than double the top of the range, or like the wrong unit, we ask you to double-check before drawing any conclusion.
Rate-increase counter
Across your saved checks, we count genuine price rises in the last 12 months. The Department of Health has encouraged providers to limit increases to two per year.
Your share
Where we can, we show the participant contribution for that service based on pension status and classification, so you see what you would actually pay, not just the headline rate.
Where the numbers come from
- Under Support at Home, providers set their own prices, there is no legislated price cap in force.
- The Department of Health publishes indicative price ranges from a February 2025 survey of more than 300 Home Care Package providers.
- The planned 1 July 2026 national price caps have been deferred by the Australian Government indefinitely.
- Prices delivered outside standard business hours (evenings, weekends, public holidays) can sit above the indicative range.
- Nursing hourly prices include the everyday nursing consumables the nurse carries.
- The Department updates these ranges each quarter, and we refresh Wayly's reference within five working days of each publication.
Source: Department of Health, National Summary of Support at Home Prices; Minister for Aged Care media release, May 2026.
Common questions
Does Wayly give my provider a fairness score out of ten?
No. There is no single fairness score. We compare your provider's rate against the Department of Health's indicative price range for that service and show you whether it is below, inside or above the range, and how far. You decide what to do with that information.
Is an above-range price illegal or a rip-off?
Not necessarily. Providers set their own prices under Support at Home, and there is currently no legislated cap. An above-range price simply means it is higher than most providers charged in the survey. Under the Aged Care Act 2024 prices must be reasonable, so it is a good reason to ask your provider for a written explanation.
Does an in-range price mean I am getting a fair deal?
In-range means your rate is typical of what other providers charged. It is reassuring, but it is a market snapshot, not a guarantee that the price is fair for your specific circumstances.
Where do the indicative ranges come from?
From the Department of Health's National Summary of Support at Home Prices, based on a February 2025 survey of over 300 providers. The Department updates the ranges each quarter and we refresh our reference within five working days.
What about the price caps that were meant to start in 2026?
The Australian Government has deferred the planned 1 July 2026 national provider price caps indefinitely. Providers continue to set their own prices, and the Price Checker compares against the indicative ranges, not a cap.
Check your own provider’s rate
Enter a rate from your statement and see where it sits against the Department of Health indicative range, in seconds.
Open the Provider Price Checker