Plenty of tradies assume government funding means government paperwork and glacial payment terms, so they never look at aged care. Consider a two-person home maintenance business in Newcastle: half its invoices are paid on the spot, the other half take thirty to sixty days. The owner wants aged care clients, but one question stops him: who pays me, and how long do I wait?

This example is illustrative, created to show how the local partner model works in practice.

Under Support at Home, which replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025, money doesn't move the way a normal trade invoice does.

How the funding flows

Support at Home funding is government money, allocated to each participant across eight funding classifications and released in quarterly budgets. Only a registered provider, registered with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission in the relevant categories, can claim that funding.

So the chain is: government → registered provider → your business.

Invoicing through the partner arrangement

You don't chase individual households for payment, and you don't wrestle with government claiming portals: you deliver the work and invoice through the partnership.

This isn't labour hire. Self-managing clients choose their own workers and suppliers, so they're choosing your business, by name.

Why payment reliability matters

Work delivered but not paid is a loan you're making involuntarily. For sole traders and small crews, one slow-paying segment can dictate whether you take on staff, buy equipment or turn down other work. The claiming risk, the paperwork risk and the audit risk sit with the registered provider, not with you.

Partner with Care handles claiming against client budgets, compliance with the Aged Care Act and strengthened Quality Standards, and all government-facing administration. Your job stays the same: doing excellent work for people who chose you.

What you need in place

You'll still run your business the way you always have: your ABN, your insurance, your invoicing rhythm. The partnership adds documents and checks; once complete, new partners are typically live in around two weeks. Established providers can activate clients in hours.

Government price arrangements apply under Support at Home, so check current Department of Health, Disability and Ageing guidance. More at become a partner and why us.