# CarePlan.au

> Independent, practical help with Australia's aged care system (Support at Home): free plain-English guides checked against official sources, free tools, and paid personal help from Colin Dixon in Mallacoota, Victoria. Not a government agency and not a registered aged care provider.

All guides last reviewed 22/10/2026. Each guide page lists its official sources.

## Guides

- [Support at Home in plain English](https://careplan.au/guides/support-at-home-explained/): Support at Home is the government program that pays for help at home for older Australians. An assessment through My Aged Care decides your classification, from 1 to 8, which sets a quarterly budget of about $2,750 to $20,000. The provider keeps 10% for care management, and most people pay a share of each service depending on their pension. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [How to apply for an aged care assessment, step by step](https://careplan.au/guides/apply-for-an-aged-care-assessment/): Apply through My Aged Care, online or by calling 1800 200 422. The online form takes about 15 to 20 minutes and you'll need a Medicare card. You can apply for yourself or for someone else with their permission. An assessor then contacts you to arrange a visit, which decides what help is approved and at what level. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [Self-managing: what you can do, and what your provider still has to do](https://careplan.au/guides/self-management/): Self-managing means you organise some of your own care, such as choosing local workers and setting their hours, while a registered provider still holds the budget and its legal duties. The provider keeps 10% for care management either way, and can add no more than 10% overhead to a self-managed third-party worker's invoice. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [Finding and engaging an independent worker](https://careplan.au/guides/finding-workers/): Look locally first: neighbours, the pharmacy, community groups and word of mouth. Before they start, check their ABN, a police certificate no older than three years or an NDIS screening clearance, and their insurance. Then agree the work and the rate in writing, and ask your provider to approve the arrangement. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [Personal alarms for older people, and how Support at Home can pay](https://careplan.au/guides/personal-alarms/): A personal alarm lets an older person call for help with one button, at home or, with a mobile alarm, anywhere there's coverage. Under Support at Home, personal alarms and falls detection devices can be funded through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme, usually with a written recommendation from a GP or occupational therapist. In Victoria, Personal Alert Victoria provides a free monitored alarm for eligible people. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [Reading your monthly statement and the fees on it](https://careplan.au/guides/fees-and-statements/): Your monthly statement shows the opening balance, the 10% care management deduction, each service and its price, your contribution and the closing balance. Care management is fixed at 10%, and self-managed third-party overheads are capped at 10%. Hourly prices aren't capped, so compare them, and ask about any line you don't understand. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [Invoices that get paid the first time](https://careplan.au/guides/invoices-that-get-paid/): Put each visit on its own line with the date, the official service type, what you did, the hours, rate and amount. Call it "Invoice" if you're not registered for GST, include your ABN and bank details, and don't bill travel to and from the client separately. Most rejections come from vague descriptions, travel lines, maths errors and out-of-date insurance. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [How to get approved as an independent worker with a Support at Home provider](https://careplan.au/guides/getting-approved-by-a-provider/): You don't need to join a platform to work for someone on Support at Home. Their provider must register you as a supplier first. Expect to provide an ABN, a police certificate no older than three years or an NDIS screening clearance, public liability insurance and a service agreement, plus a Certificate III or IV if you'll give personal care. Register before your first visit, or your invoices can't be paid. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [When an invoice is rejected or a payment is late](https://careplan.au/guides/rejected-and-late/): Ask the provider, in writing, exactly what needs to change, and check the client's budget hasn't run out. Fix the invoice once and resend it with a clear replacement number. Follow up after a week, and if it's still stuck use the provider's complaints process, then OPAN (1800 700 600), then the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (1800 951 822). (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [How to spot a scam before it costs you](https://careplan.au/guides/spotting-scams/): Be suspicious of any message that rushes you, asks for a code, a password or your bank balance, or asks you to pay by bank transfer. Stop, and check by contacting the company yourself using details from its official website. If you've already paid or shared details, call your bank straight away, then IDCARE on 1800 595 160, and report it at scamwatch.gov.au. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [Finding an occupational therapist by video when you live in the country](https://careplan.au/guides/finding-an-occupational-therapist-by-video/): If there's no occupational therapist near you, look further afield and ask for video sessions. Allied health under Support at Home can be delivered by telehealth, and it's a clinical support, so there's no contribution to pay. Posting a short job ad with your needs, rather than ringing around, can get you several replies within hours. (Checked 22/10/2026.)
- [Use free AI to run your worker business](https://careplan.au/guides/free-ai-for-care-workers/): Free AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Copilot can turn your weekly notes into a tidy timesheet and a provider-ready invoice, check the invoice before you send it, and write polite payment reminders. The free AI Care Worker Kit has copy and paste prompts, templates and plain-English guides. Use client codes instead of names, never paste Medicare numbers or health details, and check every number yourself. (Checked 22/10/2026.)

## Tools

- [What could I get?](https://careplan.au/tools/what-can-i-get/): likely Support at Home budget, contributions and next steps from four questions.
- [Invoice checker](https://careplan.au/tools/invoice-checker/): checks an aged care worker's invoice for ABN, GST wording, maths and common rejection reasons.
- [Claims tracker](https://careplan.au/tools/claims-tracker/): tracks invoices and claims until paid and writes follow-up emails.

## Personal help

- [Get personal help](https://careplan.au/help/): hands-on help with aged care admin. First 20 minutes free, then $88 an hour. Ask whether your provider can fund this help; it is not automatically funded by Support at Home.