22/07/2026
Support at Home Pricing Documentation Checklist for 2026
What provider teams should check across Support at Home service agreements, published prices, monthly statements, price changes, and care management records.
Guide record
How this guide is reviewed
CaresLink reviews guides for plain language, practical operational use, and consistency with official sources linked on the page.
- Published
- 22/07/2026
- Reviewed
- 22 July 2026
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Support at Home providers must make prices reasonable, transparent, and clearly explained. The supporting information is spread across service agreements, published prices, monthly statements, individual budgets, and business records.
The official sources reviewed for this guide do not prescribe one universal form called a pricing discussion record. A short internal note can still help a team connect a conversation to the required service agreement and statement workflow.
What the official pricing guidance says
Discuss and agree service prices with the older person, except for care management, which is funded separately.
Put agreed service prices in the service agreement and update the agreement when prices change.
Explain and justify any difference between the published price and the price in the service agreement.
Publish and report current pricing information through the required provider channels.
Give each participant a monthly statement with the required budget, service, contribution, and charge information.
| Record surface | Official requirement or expectation | Practical file check |
|---|---|---|
| Service agreement | Include services, agreed prices, variation terms, and reasons for a higher price than the published price | Confirm the current signed version matches the active schedule |
| Published prices | Keep common prices current on My Aged Care and the provider website | Record the reporting period, update date, and owner |
| Monthly statement | Show the participant's budget, services or items delivered, and amounts charged | Reconcile the statement with delivery and claiming records |
| Pricing decisions | Be able to explain how delivery costs relate to the price charged | Keep approved price-setting inputs and decision records |
| Care management | Keep care management separate from direct service pricing and claim only delivered activities | Keep activity evidence with the care management workflow |
When an optional pricing discussion note helps
A separate note can be useful when a provider first explains prices, proposes a change, answers a statement question, or agrees a price that differs from its published common price. The note supports the evidence trail; it does not replace the service agreement, individual budget, monthly statement, invoice, or claim record.
Fields to consider in an internal note
Discussion date, channel, and staff owner.
Participant or representative involved, using only the identifiers your process needs.
Service item, current published price source, and the price discussed.
Reason for any difference between published and proposed prices.
Questions raised, information provided, and any language or communication support used.
Agreed next step, written confirmation date, and person responsible for follow-up.
Avoid collecting extra personal information simply because a template has space for it. Follow your privacy, access, and record-storage process.
Price caps remain deferred
The Australian Government announced in May 2026 that Support at Home price caps would be deferred. The June 2026 pricing FAQs still say providers set their own prices. Prices must remain reasonable, transparent, based on delivery costs, and published through the required channels.
Do not use an old price-cap date as a current deadline. Keep the source and checked date beside internal pricing guidance so staff can confirm the latest position before changing public or participant-facing wording.
Keep care management separate
Care management is funded through a 10% deduction from each older person's quarterly budget into a pooled care management account. Providers must not include care management activities in the unit price of other services.
Providers should claim only care management activities they deliver and keep accurate activity records. This is different from recording a direct service price discussion.
What evidence the Commission may examine
The Commission's updated pricing bulletin says it may examine the relationship between published and charged prices, reasons for differences, cost calculations, invoices, monthly statements, service agreements, individual budgets, pricing decision records, rosters, payroll records, and service delivery evidence.
That does not make every item a required field in one form. It means the records should tell a consistent story across operations, finance, and participant communication.
A simple provider workflow
Before a pricing conversation, confirm the current published price and service agreement version.
During the conversation, use plain language and record questions that need follow-up.
After agreement, update the service agreement and related budget or schedule records.
Reconcile monthly statements with delivery, contribution, invoice, and claiming information.
After a price change, update publishing and reporting records within the applicable timeframe.
CaresLink's price discussion record is an editable operational starting point only. Provider teams should check the current Department guidance, ACQSC bulletin, Aged Care Rules, software settings, finance process, and their own professional advice before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
Is a standalone Support at Home pricing discussion form mandatory?
The official sources reviewed for this guide do not prescribe one universal form with that name. Required pricing information appears across service agreements, published prices, monthly statements, budgets, and supporting records. An internal discussion note can help connect those records.
Can the agreed price differ from the provider's published price?
The ACQSC bulletin says a difference must be explained and justified in the service agreement. The price must still be reasonable and based on delivery costs.
Did Support at Home price caps start in July 2026?
No. The government announced that implementation would be deferred. Check the latest Department pricing resources before using a price-cap date in staff or participant material.
Is the 10% care management account part of the direct service price?
No. Care management is funded separately. Providers must not include care management activities in direct service prices and should keep records of the activities delivered.
How long should pricing records be kept?
Retention depends on the record type and the rules that apply to it. Do not assume one retention period applies to every pricing note. Confirm the applicable Aged Care Rules and your organisation's records policy.
Where can I get an editable pricing discussion record?
CaresLink provides a free operational template linked below. Adapt it to your service agreement, pricing, privacy, finance, and record-storage workflow before use.
Disclaimer
These resources are provided for general operational documentation and educational purposes only. They do not constitute legal, clinical, medical, compliance, or professional advice. Organisations should review and adapt all documents according to their own policies, procedures, registration requirements, funding arrangements, and regulatory obligations.
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