Silverchain vs Australian Unity: fees and models compared
Last updated 21 August 2026
Provider fees verified from published pricing, August 2026 (Silverchain WA price list and Australian Unity price guide, both effective from 1 July 2026). Budget figures current as at 1 July 2026.
The short version
- Two of Australia’s biggest full-service in-home care brands, both with complete published Support at Home price lists - a genuinely clean like-for-like comparison.
- On the headline rates, Australian Unity is a little cheaper per hour: personal care $130.20 vs Silverchain’s $136.50; cleaning $121.70 vs $128 (Silverchain figures from its WA list).
- Ownership differs in kind: Silverchain is a not-for-profit with a long district-nursing heritage; Australian Unity is a member-owned mutual that acquired the myHomecare Group in 2024.
- Silverchain publishes state price lists for WA and SA (the group also operates services in QLD, NSW and VIC, and has absorbed the KinCare brand); Australian Unity claims national scale but doesn’t itemise states on its pricing guide - check availability for your suburb with both.
Side by side
| Silverchain | Australian Unity | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Full-service | Full-service |
| Ownership | Not-for-profit | Member-owned mutual |
| Care management fee | 10% of quarterly budget (government allocation); care management rate $175/hr, with “no out of pocket costs or co-contributions charged” for care management (WA list, 1 July 2026) | “A 10% care management fee is deducted from your quarterly budget”; care management activity rate $163.10/hr (weekdays 6am-6pm) |
| Other admin / loading fees | No separate package administration fee listed | No separate package administration fee specified |
| Personal care, weekday | $136.50/hr (6am-6pm, WA list) | $130.20/hr (weekday 6am-8pm) |
| Cleaning, weekday | $128/hr (general house cleaning/laundry, WA list) | $121.70/hr (domestic assistance/meal preparation) |
| Coverage | WA and SA state price lists published; the group also operates services in QLD, NSW and VIC. KinCare brand absorbed - kincare.com.au now redirects to silverchain.org.au | National scale after acquiring the myHomecare Group in 2024 - 29,000+ home care recipients, 3,600+ workers; states not itemised on the pricing guide |
| Distinctive features | Long-standing nursing specialisation (general nursing $238.50/hr on the WA list); pro-rata charging beyond the first hour; 48 hours’ cancellation notice | RN $224.40/hr, EN $207.90/hr, nursing assistant $131.40/hr; short services (30 minutes or less) at reduced rates; maximum single service duration 8 hours; 48 hours’ cancellation notice |
Silverchain’s figures above are from its WA price list; its SA list is published separately and rates may differ. If you were a KinCare client, Silverchain is now the brand behind those services. Confirm the price list for your own state before comparing.
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.
Silverchain
- Classification 5 · $10,182.38/qtr
- 10% care management = $1,018.24, leaving $9,164.14
- Then
- No separate administration fee listed - the full $9,164.14 goes to services at published rates
- In hours
- ≈ 67 hrs/qtr of personal care at $136.50/hr (WA list) - around 5 hours a week
Australian Unity
- Classification 5 · $10,182.38/qtr
- 10% care management = $1,018.24, leaving $9,164.14
- Then
- No separate administration fee specified - the full $9,164.14 goes to services at published rates
- In hours
- ≈ 70 hrs/qtr of personal care at $130.20/hr - a little over 5 hours a week
The structures are identical - 10% care management, no separate admin fee - so the comparison really is the hourly rates. At this level, Australian Unity’s lower personal care rate buys roughly three extra hours a quarter; on cleaning, its $121.70 vs Silverchain’s $128 tells a similar story. Both sit above the national median of around $115/hr for personal care and $110/hr for cleaning, which is common for large full-service providers. Your own means-tested contribution then applies per service - see what you’ll pay.
Every figure on this page was verified from Silverchain’s and Australian Unity’s published pricing in August 2026 (both lists effective from 1 July 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 Silverchain if…
- Nursing and clinical care are central to your plan - it’s the historic specialty, and care management is charged with no out-of-pocket co-contribution per its WA list.
- You live in WA or SA, where its published state price lists apply and its presence is deepest.
- You were a KinCare client and want continuity under the brand that absorbed it.
Choose Australian Unity if…
- The slightly lower hourly rates matter across a big roster of personal care and cleaning hours.
- You want short visits - its reduced rates for services of 30 minutes or less suit quick check-ins.
- You’d like the scale of a national mutual, including the myHomecare Group brands it now owns.
Neither answer is “better” - the fee shapes are the same, the rates are close, and the practical decider is usually which one services your suburb well and can offer the roster you want.
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
Why does Silverchain charge more per hour if both take the same 10%?
The 10% care management allocation is set by government and identical everywhere - see the care management fee, explained. Hourly service prices are set by each provider, and Silverchain’s WA rates run $6-7/hr higher on personal care and cleaning. Providers price differently for workforce, travel and service-model reasons; what matters for you is the total hours your budget buys for the services you actually use.
Will I pay a contribution on personal care with these providers?
Until 30 September 2026, personal care sits in the independence category, so a means-tested contribution applies (full pensioners 5%). From 1 October 2026 personal care is reclassified as clinical care and becomes free for everyone, automatically, with any provider - see free personal care from October 2026. Silverchain’s price list already notes the change.
What happened to KinCare?
The KinCare brand has been absorbed into Silverchain - kincare.com.au now redirects to silverchain.org.au (verified August 2026). Existing KinCare clients should have moved across; if that’s you and anything about fees changed in the process, check your service agreement and monthly statements, and query anything unclear.
Do either charge exit fees or minimum visit lengths?
Exit fees are banned under Support at Home for every provider. Neither publishes a general minimum visit length as at August 2026 - though Australian Unity prices short services (30 minutes or less) at reduced rates, and Silverchain charges pro-rata beyond the first hour. Both ask for 48 hours’ cancellation notice. Confirm the details in writing, and remember you can switch providers at any time.
Sources
- Silverchain - Support at Home price list, WA (effective 1 July 2026), silverchain.org.au (fees-and-charges SaH price list PDF), accessed August 2026.
- Silverchain - Support at Home contributions and fees, silverchain.org.au/getting-started/support-at-home/support-at-home-contributions-and-fees, accessed August 2026.
- KinCare - pricing page, kincare.com.au/pricing/ (redirects to silverchain.org.au), checked August 2026.
- Australian Unity - Support at Home pricing, australianunity.com.au/sah-pricing, accessed August 2026.
- Australian Unity - myHomecare, australianunity.com.au/assisted-living/home-services/myhomecare, accessed August 2026.