Client contributions and Support at Home

Article contents:
What are client contributions
Where to view client contributions
How client contribution charges are created
Populating client contributions
Invoicing timeframes
Client contribution exports
Reflecting Member payments in Lookout
FAQs

 

What are client contributions 

Client contributions will replace legacy contributions that Members have previously been required to pay under Home Care Packages (HCP).  These include the Basic Daily Care Fee (BDF) and assessed Income Tested Care Fees (ITF). 

Under Support at Home, client contributions will be tiered by service type (current at November 2025).  

Service type	Full pensioner	Part pensioner	Self-funded retiree
Clinical	0%	0%	0%
Independence	~5%	5 – 50%	Up to 50%
Everyday living	~17.5%	17.5 – 80%	Up to 80%

Contribution rates depend on Members individual financial circumstances (income, assets, pension status) and will be assessed by Services Australia.   

 

Where to view client contributions 

Once Services Australia have completed their assessment, they will advise both the Provider and Member via letter.  The information will also be updated in Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP).  If you have connected your Lookout instance with the ACPP via PRODA, these percentages will automatically flow into your instance as part of the overnight sync.   

You can view the current client contribution percentages on a Members Dashboard under Home support ongoing: 

To view historical client contribution percentages, select View in the Home support ongoing table.  They appear in the Funding sources tab:

 

How client contribution charges are created

If a Member is assessed as needing to contribute to their services, Lookout will use a combination of the known information (via the ACPP APIs).

 

Populating client contributions

When you complete a Billing run, each completed service will become a Lookout invoice and produce multiple attributes including:

• ‘Estimated’ government payment amount
• ‘Estimated’ client contribution amount

When the payment statement is received, these lines will be ‘confirmed’. Once confirmed and the payment statement is processed, client contribution lines will be visible in the Client contributions account (SAH) as transactions.

 

Invoicing timeframes

Lookout is unable to advise you when you should invoice Members. 

We have however identified that providers use different methods to manage Client Contributions, depending on their preferences, risk appetite, and whether they bill Members using estimates or actual amounts. Below is an overview of the three main approaches, including how they work and the pros and cons of each.

1. Estimates from the budget

Providers base contributions on the Member’s budget and forecast the annual amount.

How it works

• Review the Member’s budget to determine an estimated yearly contribution.
• Set up regular ongoing payments (e.g., via direct debit).
• Reconcile the account every 3–6 months and adjust if needed.

Pros

• Predictable and stable payment amounts.
• Smooth, ongoing direct debit arrangements.
• Higher confidence that Members will continue paying regularly.

Cons

• Requires periodic review to correct any over- or under-charging.

2. Using Service-Based Estimate Invoices

Client Contributions are estimated after each service is delivered.

How it works

• Service is delivered.
• An estimated contribution amount is calculated and invoiced.

Pros

• Greater confidence in Member payment, as invoices are issued more frequently.
• Earlier and more regular billing.

Cons

• Adjustments may be required once actual amounts from Services Australia are confirmed.
• Invoice amounts can vary each cycle.

3. Using Actual Amounts

Client Contributions are based solely on confirmed amounts from Services Australia.

How it works

• Service is delivered.
• Contribution amount is confirmed by Services Australia before invoicing.

Pros

• No adjustments are needed later.
• Billing reflects true, accurate amounts every time.

Cons

• Invoices may be issued in significant arrears.
• If multiple services are provided, a large deficit may accumulate before discovering a Member cannot or will not pay.
• Invoice amounts may vary each cycle.

 

Client contribution exports

Client contribution information, including both estimated and actual invoice lines, can be extracted using the Data Exporter. Relevant details are available in the Member Invoice and Helper Invoice tables, where client contribution attributes can be used to identify the required data.

Reports can then be formatted to meet your finance system’s requirements. For more information on Data exporter, please view our Data Exporter article.

For confirmed client contribution lines, the Transactions tables provide all finalised information and will continue to function as they do today.

 

Reflecting Member payments in Lookout

We are envisioning Lookout will reflect your finance system and show a Members account receivable position. For best practice:

• Leave outstanding contribution amount showing in Lookout
• Extract to your finance system and issue invoice to Member
• Receive payment from Member, document in finance system
• Extract payments from finance system, import to Members’ Client contribution account in Lookout
  • This can be done through an Account transaction import
  • You can create individual transactions in a Member’s account

 

FAQs

How can I extract information – Estimates from budget?

Information based on budget plans can be accessed through the Service Planning Summary, where all budget-related estimates are visible. These details can also be captured and reported using custom attributes if additional reporting or tracking is required.

 

Can I just use the Account balance for my monthly export?

You will run the risk of compounding your accounts receivable balance in your finance system and overcharging your Member.

 

Where can a Member view statements?

Members can view statements in within the Care app. To do so, log into the Care App and click your name in the top corner to open your account information and settings.

Scroll down to the Your loves ones section and select a name if more than one appears.

Now you are in the Member’s main profile section within the Care App, scroll to  Account and press/ click to open.

You will see near the top of the next loaded screen a button labelled Statements – click this.

Here, you will now see all of the Member’s monthly statements and can click on any to load and review.

 

When looking at Support at Home (transition) members, why do some show the client contribution amount as 0%, and some do not show it at all?

Some client contribution details are currently missing due to gaps in the data being returned through the current Services Australia process. Currently, Lookout is set up with the following logic:

• We check whether there are any current or upcoming client contributions for the funding source.
• If contribution information is returned, we display it.
• If no contribution information is returned, nothing is shown.