Key messages
- The Department of Health has updated the fee policy and schedule of fees for the Home and Community Care Program for Younger People (HACC PYP).
- From 1 July 2026 concession card status has replaced income as the basis for determining the fee a consumer can be charged for services.
- Inability to pay a fee cannot be used as a basis for refusing a service to people who are assessed as eligible and requiring a service.
Home and Community Care Program for Younger People (HACC PYP) fees policy principles
The HACC PYP fees policy provides a consistent framework within which providers are to operate when making decisions about charging fees to consumers for HACC PYP services.
- Application: HACC PYP providers are not required to charge fees for HACC PYP services, however, where a provider does charge fees, they must only do so in accordance with this policy.
- Providers that charge fees are encouraged to reduce or waive fees for consumers facing financial hardship or other access barriers. Providers are also encouraged to reduce or waive fees for short (e.g., follow-up) appointments.
- Providers are encouraged to cap fees for consumers frequently utilising a given service. For example, for a consumer requiring five nursing hours per week for several weeks, providers may elect to only charge the consumer for two sessions per week.
- Inability to pay a fee cannot be used as a basis for refusing a service to people who are assessed as eligible and requiring a service.
- Schedule of fees: The fees schedule set by the department is to be followed by all providers that choose to charge fees for HACC PYP services; providers are not permitted to charge fees for HACC PYP services that are greater than those specified by the department.
- Consumer concession card status has replaced income as the basis for determining the fee payable by the consumer.
- The department has standardised fees at the same maximum amount for similar services delivered across the HACC PYP and the Community Health Program (CHP) (e.g., allied health services will have identical fees in HACC PYP and CHP).
- Providers may set low or medium fees at or below the maximum amounts set by the department and based on the consumer’s designated fee group but cannot set low or medium fees higher than the maximum prescribed by the department.
- The department has set all fee maximums at whole dollar amounts and providers are encouraged (but not required) to set their fees at whole dollar amounts.
- Provider fee transparency: Providers must clearly document and publish their fee schedules. All service fees should be publicly available, listed on the provider’s website, and displayed at service sites so that consumers are aware of the fee they may be charged. Publicly available fee schedules promote transparency and consistency and ensure consumers can make informed decisions about their care.
- Reporting fee data: Providers must report to the department on fees charged to consumers for HACC PYP activities. HACC PYP fee data is to be provided to the department upon request; at a minimum, providers should record how many hours of services are delivered to fee-paying consumers in the financial year.
- Full fee-paying consumers: Services delivered to consumers, where the consumer is charged a fee higher than the maximum fee set by the department (i.e., higher than the medium fee maximum), must not be reported as service hours under HACC PYP. If a consumer is paying a fee higher than the maximum set by the department, that service is being provided in a ‘private’ or ‘fee for service’ capacity, and does not count towards performance targets for Victorian Government funded activity.
HACC PYP schedule of fees
Fees are charged per visit/session unless otherwise specified.
Table 1: Schedule of fees
| Service | Low fee (maximum) | Medium fee (maximum) |
| Nursing | $14 | $28 |
| Allied Health | $14 | $28 |
| Community Care | $14 | $28 |
| Property Maintenance | $14 plus cost of materials | $28 plus cost of materials |
| Planned Activity Group | $10 plus cost of meal if provided | $20 plus cost of meal if provided |
| Delivered Meals | Nil | Nil |
| Access and Support | Nil | Nil |
| Assessment | Nil | Nil |
| Flexible Service Response – Social Support; Outreach | Nil | Nil |
| Volunteer-led activities | Nil | Nil |
| Linkages – Case Management | Nil | Nil |
| Linkages – Brokerage | Fee should be charged based on the relevant HACC PYP activity provided. For example, if additional Community Care hours are purchased and delivered using brokerage funding, the fee charged should be aligned with the provider’s Community Care fee. Refer to the HACC PYP Guidelines and Linkages Guidance May 2026 for further detail. | |
Table 2: Fee group determination
HACC PYP consumers | Private / fee-for-service consumers | ||
| Low fee | Medium fee | Set by provider | |
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Valid concession cards
Consumers holding any of the following concession cards are eligible to pay the low fee:
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Health Care Card
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
- Victorian Seniors Card
- DVA Veteran Gold Card
- DVA Veteran White Card
- Foster Child Health Care Card
- Carer Allowance Health Care Card
- Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card
Updated