At Like Family, our mission has always been to connect people in need with locals who care. Since 2016, we’ve provided over 1.2 million hours of social support, helping thousands of Australians achieve greater independence and build lasting relationships.
This incredible journey has been made possible by our dedicated network of thousands of active Social Carers, who consistently go above and beyond to help our Members achieve their goals.
To continue providing valuable services to members and reward our Social Carers, we’d like to inform you that on 1 September 2024 we will be increasing our pricing.
Why are we increasing our pricing?
Each year in September, we update our Social Carer rates to ensure they are compensated fairly. From 1 September 2024, we are increasing Social Carer pay rates by $2 for 1:1 support to help with the increased cost of living.
During our price review, we also recognised the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits and the Fair Work Commission's recent 3.75% award wage increase.
What does this mean for you?
As a valued member we also want to make sure that your pricing stays fair, that's why we are only increasing our member prices by 3.6%. This means that the $2 increase in 1:1 support is passed straight to Social Carers.
Additionally, our new rates are 15.6% below NDIS rates, ensuring that you can continue to make the most out of your NDIS budget.
What’s changing?
Our new pricing will come into effect on 1 September 2024 and we are committed to maintaining these prices for 12 months.
Bookings for August will be charged at the current rates.
For Members with recurring bookings, we will be updating your dashboard over the coming weeks to reflect the new prices. From 1 September, your dashboard will show the correct amounts for all future bookings.
1-on-1 booking
1-on-1 booking refers to support involving 1 Social Carer and 1 Member.
| Service | Member hourly rate | Social Carer hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | $57.00 | $43.00 |
| Weekends & public holidays | $79.00 | $60.00 |
Group bookings
1-on-2 bookings refers to support involving 1 Social Carer and 2 Members.
| Service | Hourly rate per Member | Social Carer hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1:2 support weekdays | $33.78 | $52.00 |
| 1:2 support weekends | $47.54 | $73.00 |
1-on-3 bookings refers to support involving 1 Social Carer and 3 Members.
| Service | Hourly rate per Member | Social Carer hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1:3 support weekdays | $22.52 | $55.00 |
| 1:3 support weekends | $31.69 | $80.00 |
Sleepover support
Sleepover support, or overnight care, is a 10-hour booking consisting of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep plus 2 hours of active care.
| Service | Member rate (per night) | Social Carer rate (per night) |
|---|---|---|
| Sleepover support | $286.00 | $220.00 |
Transport costs
If a Social Carer uses their own car to take a Member somewhere during a booking, the cost of transport will continue to be $1.00 per kilometre in line with the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2023-24.
| Service | Member rate per km | Social Carer rate per km |
|---|---|---|
| Transport during booking | $1.00 | $0.90 |
What's staying the same?
- Affordable Rates: Our rates will stay well below the NDIS price limits for social supports, giving you more time with your Social Carers and flexibility with your budget.
- Simple, Transparent and Flat Hourly Rates: We will continue to charge flat hourly rates, eliminating the need to negotiate prices with your Social Carer.
- No Credit Card Fees: We will not charge credit card fees, so you won’t face any surprise costs.
- Minimum Booking Length: The minimum booking length remains 1 hour for face-to-face support and 30 minutes for video and phone bookings.
- Fair Compensation: We will continue to compensate our Social Carers for their valuable work fairly.
Where does my money go?
We believe in being transparent about how your money is spent. Here’s a breakdown of how the difference between Member rates and Social Carer rates is used:
- Our Staff: We handle invoicing and Social Carer recruitment to save you the stress.
- Insurance: We provide Public Liability and Group Personal Accident Insurance to give our Social Carers peace of mind during bookings.
- Operating Costs: This includes payment processing, which cannot be covered by your NDIS funding.
We’d love to hear your feedback
We are committed to ensuring everyone can access the social support they need, regardless of their funding situation.
If you have any questions or feedback about our new pricing, head to our Help Centre to submit an online form or contact our Customer Care team.
We thank you for your continued support,
Mat and Jenna
Founders, Like Family