By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last updated: 19 May 2026
Most families who self-manage don’t do it to save money. They do it because the worker their provider sent kept changing — and their parent kept having to explain their routine to a stranger, every time.
That’s the real reason to find your own worker: consistency. The person you choose is the person who shows up. Not whoever is available that week.
This guide covers where to find workers, what your provider needs to do before anyone can start, and what it costs. If you’re still deciding whether self-management is right for you, start with our self-managed vs provider-managed comparison first. If you’ve decided and need the full setup process, see how to self-manage a home care package step by step.
Under the Support at Home program, self-management means you nominate workers — but your registered provider still formally engages them. You do not pay workers directly from your budget. The provider is the intermediary: it pays the worker, deducts the cost from your quarterly budget, and remains responsible for ensuring compliance.
This is worth understanding before you start searching. The model is not “hire anyone you like and get reimbursed.” It is “find someone suitable, bring them to your provider, and your provider engages them on your behalf.” The Department of Health and Aged Care’s services under Support at Home guidance is explicit: your provider “still needs to engage the worker to deliver services on your behalf” and “remains responsible for the care and services delivered.”
The practical sequence is: (1) tell your provider you want to self-manage and find a worker, (2) search for workers, (3) confirm a worker you like, (4) your provider checks their compliance, (5) your provider formally engages them, (6) care starts. Steps 1 and 4 are the ones families most often skip — both cause problems downstream.
For a full walkthrough of this process including the notification steps, see our self-management setup guide.
Two platforms account for the majority of independent aged care worker searches in Australia: Mable and Hireup. Both are compatible with Support at Home self-management and have large worker pools across most Australian postcodes.
Mable is a marketplace where independent support workers set their own profiles and hourly rates. You search for workers in your area by service type, availability, language, and interests. Workers on Mable are independent contractors — they set their own rates and schedule.
Key facts about Mable as of May 2026:
After you match with a worker on Mable, bring the match to your provider. Your provider then formally engages the worker through the proper channels before care starts.
Hireup expanded into aged care in mid-2025, drawing on its decade of experience in disability support. Unlike Mable, Hireup workers are employees of Hireup — not independent contractors. This means Hireup itself is responsible for payroll, insurance, and compliance for its workers, which changes how the engagement works with your provider.
Key facts about Hireup as of May 2026:
Start with Mable if your priority is the widest choice and the ability to negotiate rates. Mable’s marketplace model means you can find a worker at a lower rate than a traditional agency — which directly translates to more care hours from the same budget. If you find someone through another channel (a community referral, a family contact), you can also bring them to Mable to go through the verification process, rather than requiring them to join independently.
Use Hireup if consistency of training and employment-backed accountability matter more than rate flexibility. Because Hireup workers are employees rather than independent contractors, Hireup carries the insurance and compliance obligations — which can simplify the conversation with your provider about how the worker is engaged.
One practical step: ask your provider which platform they have experience with before you start searching. A provider who already knows the Mable or Hireup engagement process will move faster than one encountering it for the first time.
Either way: using a platform does not bypass your provider’s compliance responsibilities. Your provider still formally engages the worker before care starts.
Our Support at Home funding guide breaks down the 10% care management fee, how the third-party overhead is calculated, and what your quarterly budget actually covers.
Yes. You can approach workers through word of mouth, community networks, local advertising, or other means. The platform is not required — what matters is that the worker can meet the compliance requirements your provider needs to verify.
Common routes families use outside Mable and Hireup:
One important restriction: your spouse or partner cannot be paid as your support worker under Support at Home. Other family members may be possible in limited circumstances — check with your provider before assuming this is available.
If you find a worker outside a platform, ask your provider early what screening they will need to verify. The required checks include an NDIS Worker Screening Check or a current police certificate. Your provider cannot start services with a worker whose compliance it has not verified. Getting the paperwork in order before the conversation with your provider will speed the process significantly.
Before you invest time connecting with workers, confirm three things with your provider first.
1. Your provider genuinely supports self-management. Not all providers do — and discovering this after you’ve found a worker you like is frustrating. Ask directly: “Will you formally engage a third-party worker I find myself under the Support at Home self-management model?” Get confirmation before you start searching.
2. What screening evidence your provider needs. Ask what documentation they require to verify a worker’s compliance — NDIS Worker Screening Check, police check, qualifications for personal care. Knowing this upfront means you can ask workers about their credentials early, rather than finding out at the end that the paperwork isn’t in order.
3. Whether your current service agreement allows self-management. If you’re already with a provider and want to add self-managed workers, check your service agreement. You may need a variation. Our agreement checker can help you identify clauses worth querying before you sign or vary an agreement.
If you’re choosing a new provider specifically to support self-management, look for providers who describe themselves as “self-management friendly” or “low-fee.” These providers have typically built their model around participants who manage their own workers, rather than treating it as an exception.
Before you agree to any worker arrangement, know this number: a $60/hr worker can cost your quarterly budget up to $66/hr. Here’s why.
Fee 1 — The care management fee (10%): 10% of your quarterly budget is deducted for care management before you spend a dollar on services. This applies regardless of whether you self-manage — it does not go away because you’re finding your own workers. Source: Department of Health and Aged Care, self-management by Support at Home participants page, May 2026.
Fee 2 — The third-party overhead (up to 10% of the worker’s rate): When you use a worker you found yourself, your provider can charge an additional overhead of up to 10% of that worker’s hourly rate. This is on top of Fee 1 and covers the provider’s cost of engaging and paying the worker. So: $60/hr worker + 10% overhead = $66/hr charged to your budget.
Not every provider charges the full 10% overhead — some charge less, some charge nothing. This is one of the most commonly missed numbers in self-management planning. Ask your provider specifically what overhead they charge on third-party workers before you agree to anything.
Even with both fees, self-management typically delivers more care hours than a fully-managed provider whose staff rates and admin costs are often higher. But the savings are smaller than they look if you don’t account for the overhead. Run the numbers before you commit.
For a full breakdown of how your quarterly budget is structured, see our Support at Home funding guide.
Navigator’s monthly statement review catches overcharges before the quarter ends, when there’s still time to act on them.
See how Navigator protects your budgetA provider can decline to engage a third-party worker if they cannot meet their regulatory obligations with that worker. This is a legitimate reason — not an unreasonable obstruction. The most common causes are that the worker’s screening documentation is incomplete or out of date, or that the worker cannot be verified as qualified for the type of care required (personal care, for example, requires formal qualifications).
If your provider declines and the reason is compliance-related, ask specifically what documentation is missing. Often this is fixable — the worker can obtain the relevant check, or you can find a worker who already has their credentials in order.
If your provider declines without a clear compliance reason, or if your provider is not willing to support self-management at all, you have the right to switch providers. Switching providers under Support at Home is a formal process — you need to give notice and your new provider needs to be agreed before you exit. My Aged Care (1800 200 422) can help you understand the process and identify providers in your area who actively support self-management.
If you have an unresolved dispute with your provider about self-management, the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) provides free, independent advocacy. Call 1800 700 600.
Yes. Both Mable and Hireup are active worker platforms compatible with Support at Home self-management. Your registered provider still needs to formally engage any worker you find — you cannot pay workers directly from your budget. The worker is paid through your provider's payment system.
Your provider is responsible for verifying that any third-party worker meets all regulatory requirements — including the NDIS Worker Screening Check or equivalent — before they can start. Even in self-management, the provider cannot agree to a worker arrangement they cannot verify as compliant. Source: Department of Health and Aged Care, services-under-support-at-home, May 2026.
When you use a third-party worker you found yourself, your provider can charge an overhead of up to 10% of the actual cost of that worker's service. This is separate from the 10% care management fee already deducted from your quarterly budget. So if your worker charges $60/hr, your budget is charged up to $66/hr. Not every provider charges the full 10% — ask before you commit.
In limited circumstances, yes — but your provider must verify that the person meets all aged care worker screening requirements and agrees to be formally engaged through the provider's payment system. Family members who are your spouse or partner cannot be paid as support workers under Support at Home. Source: Department of Health and Aged Care program manual, December 2025.
A provider can decline a third-party worker arrangement if they cannot meet their regulatory obligations with that worker. If this happens, ask the provider to explain specifically why. If you believe the refusal is unreasonable, you have the right to switch to a different provider who will support self-management. Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 for guidance.
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This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Verified against the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.