Australian Unity vs Bolton Clarke: fees and models compared
Last updated 20 August 2026
Provider fees verified from published pricing, accessed August 2026 (Bolton Clarke list effective 1 July 2026). Budget figures current as at 1 July 2026.
The short version
- Two big national full-service brands, both with fully published price schedules - but different kinds of organisation: Australian Unity is a member-owned mutual, Bolton Clarke a not-for-profit.
- On published weekday rates, Bolton Clarke is modestly cheaper: personal care $126/hr vs $130.20/hr, cleaning $112/hr vs $121.70/hr, care management $155/hr vs $163.10/hr. The gap is real but small - a few hours a quarter, not a different world.
- Scale is Australian Unity’s story: its 2024 acquisition of the myHomecare Group made it one of the biggest home care operators in the country, with 29,000+ home care recipients.
- Neither charges a separate package administration fee. Australian Unity offers reduced rates for short services of 30 minutes or less; Bolton Clarke publishes capped admin fees for assistive technology and home modifications.
Side by side
| Australian Unity | Bolton Clarke | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Full-service | Full-service |
| Ownership | Member-owned mutual | Not-for-profit |
| Care management fee | 10% care management fee deducted from your quarterly budget; care management activity rate $163.10/hr (weekdays 6am-6pm) | 10% of quarterly budget (the government allocation); care management rate $155/hr for ongoing services ($185/hr restorative and end-of-life) |
| Other admin / loading fees | No separate package administration fee specified | No separate package administration fee. Assistive technology admin 10% capped at $500; home modifications 15% capped at $1,500 |
| Personal care, weekday | $130.20/hr (weekday 6am-8pm) | $126/hr |
| Cleaning, weekday | $121.70/hr (domestic assistance and meal preparation) | $112/hr (general house cleaning, laundry, shopping) |
| Coverage | National scale following the 2024 acquisition of the myHomecare Group - 29,000+ home care recipients, 3,600+ workers (states not itemised on its pricing guide) | QLD, NSW, SA, VIC, WA |
| Distinctive features | Short services of 30 minutes or less at reduced rates; maximum single service duration 8 hours; RN $224.40/hr, EN $207.90/hr, nursing assistant $131.40/hr; 48 hours cancellation notice; myHomecare brands being consolidated under Australian Unity | 24/7 nursing heritage (RSL Care and RDNS legacy); overnight respite offered (minimum 10 hours); group social support minimum 6 hours; RN $189/hr, EN $157/hr; Australia’s largest independent not-for-profit in-home care provider |
Weekday standard rates shown; evening, weekend and public holiday rates are higher on both lists. Australian Unity’s pricing guide does not itemise state-by-state coverage - check availability at your postcode with the provider. “Not published” means the figure does not appear on the provider’s published pricing as at August 2026.
What the fee structures mean in practice
Here is one worked example at Classification 5, which has a quarterly budget of $10,182.38 in 2026-27. With both providers, the government’s 10% care management allocation comes off first: $1,018.24, leaving a service pool of $9,164.14 for the quarter. Care management is clinical care, so it costs you nothing personally.
Australian Unity
- Classification 5 · $10,182.38/qtr
- 10% care management = $1,018.24 - about 6.2 hours of care-management activity at $163.10/hr
- Service pool
- $9,164.14 a quarter
- In hours
- ≈ 70 hrs/qtr of personal care at $130.20/hr - around 5.4 hours a week
Bolton Clarke
- Classification 5 · $10,182.38/qtr
- 10% care management = $1,018.24 - about 6.6 hours of care-partner time at $155/hr
- Service pool
- $9,164.14 a quarter
- In hours
- ≈ 72 hrs/qtr of personal care at $126/hr - around 5.5 hours a week
With no separate admin fees on either side, the published rates translate directly into hours: roughly two more hours of personal care a quarter at Bolton Clarke, and a wider gap on cleaning ($112 vs $121.70 an hour buys about four extra hours a quarter if your budget went mostly to domestic help). If you often book short visits - a 20-minute medication prompt, say - Australian Unity’s reduced rates for services of 30 minutes or less could claw some of that back; ask for those rates in writing. Your own means-tested contribution applies per service the same way with either provider - see what you’ll pay.
Every figure on this page comes from Australian Unity’s and Bolton Clarke’s published pricing, verified in August 2026. Providers adjust prices often, and the government publishes a quarterly National Summary of Support at Home Prices for benchmarking. Ask each provider for its current price list in writing before signing a service agreement.
Which suits you?
Choose Australian Unity if…
- You value the scale and continuity of one of Australia’s largest home care operators - useful if you may move house, or want one brand across health and care services.
- Your week includes short, frequent visits, where its reduced rates for 30-minute services can work in your favour.
- You’re already a myHomecare Group client - your provider is becoming Australian Unity, so staying may be the path of least disruption.
Choose Bolton Clarke if…
- You want the lower published hourly rates, particularly on cleaning and nursing, so the same budget buys more hours.
- Overnight respite or group social support matter - both sit on its published list with clear minimums.
- You’d like published, capped admin fees on assistive technology and home modifications, so there are no surprises on bigger purchases.
Neither answer is “better”. The rate gap is modest, both publish everything, and both are large, established organisations - so the deciding factors are usually availability at your postcode, the local team, and the service mix you actually use. Get a quote from each for your real weekly pattern before choosing.
Not sure which fits your situation?
Tell us your classification, postcode and the services you use most, and we can help you compare these two - and any others servicing your area - for your situation.
Common questions
What does Australian Unity’s myHomecare acquisition mean for me?
Australian Unity acquired the myHomecare Group in 2024, and its brands (including Let’s Get Care on the self-managed side) are being consolidated under Australian Unity. For existing myHomecare clients, services continue - but check your monthly statements against Australian Unity’s published pricing as the transition completes. If anything changes that doesn’t suit you, you can switch providers at any time without exit fees.
Does “member-owned mutual” versus “not-for-profit” change anything for me?
Not in your fees or rights - both types of organisation charge against your budget the same way, and the same Support at Home rules, contribution rates and consumer protections apply. It mainly describes who the organisation answers to: a mutual is owned by its members, a not-for-profit reinvests surpluses into its mission. Judge each on published prices, availability and the quality of the local team.
Why do their nursing rates differ so much?
Registered nurse visits are $189/hr at Bolton Clarke and $224.40/hr at Australian Unity on their published lists - a bigger gap than on personal care. If clinical care is a large part of your plan, that difference compounds quickly. Remember clinical care is free for everyone (no contribution), but it still draws down your quarterly budget, so the rate affects how far your funding stretches.
Do either charge exit fees or minimum visit lengths?
Exit fees are banned under Support at Home for every provider. Australian Unity asks for 48 hours cancellation notice and caps single services at 8 hours; Bolton Clarke publishes minimums on some services (10 hours overnight respite, 6 hours group social support). Ask both to confirm minimums and cancellation terms in writing before you sign a service agreement.
Sources
- Australian Unity - Support at Home pricing, australianunity.com.au/sah-pricing, accessed August 2026.
- Australian Unity - myHomecare (home services), australianunity.com.au/assisted-living/home-services/myhomecare, accessed August 2026.
- Bolton Clarke - Support at Home pricing (effective 1 July 2026), boltonclarke.com.au/support-at-home/support-at-home-program/sah-pricing/, accessed August 2026.