How Rates and Agreements Work Once You've Hired a Support Worker

Hiring a support worker is the easy part to picture. What actually keeps the arrangement running smoothly week to week (the rate, the agreement, what happens when a shift runs long) is the part most people haven't thought through until it comes up.

In short: your support worker sets their own hourly rate, that's what you pay, and a clear agreement about scope and hours is what keeps billing predictable once support is under way.

How the rate actually works

On CareVicinity, support workers are independent contractors, not employees allocated to you. That means the person you hire sets their own hourly rate - it isn't set by CareVicinity, and it isn't negotiated through a central office. The rate shown on a worker's profile is the rate you pay.

Care seekers pay no CareVicinity platform fee. CareVicinity charges the support worker a 12.5% platform fee, which is already deducted from their side - it's never added on top of the rate you see or agreed. If a worker's displayed rate is $50 an hour, that's what you pay; what they take home after the platform fee is a separate calculation that doesn't change your bill.

Why an agreement matters once support has started

A rate is a number. The agreement - a simple digital service agreement confirmed inside CareVicinity once you and your support worker settle on rate and scope - is what turns that number into a predictable weekly or fortnightly arrangement: what's included, how many hours, and what happens if something falls outside that scope. As care continues, you track your schedule, approve shifts, and view invoices through the same account.

Getting this right early avoids the two most common sources of friction later: a worker turning up expecting a different scope of work than the one you had in mind, or a bill that doesn't match what either of you remembers agreeing to.

What a clear agreement should cover

• The services included. Personal care, domestic assistance, transport - whatever you've actually agreed to, named specifically rather than left general.

• The hours and frequency. A fixed weekly pattern is easier to track than an open-ended "as needed" arrangement, even if the actual hours vary a little week to week.

• What happens outside the agreement. If you need an extra hour this week, or a different service entirely, that's outside what was agreed - worth a quick conversation before it happens, not after.

Changing an agreement as your needs change

Needs shift - more hours during a recovery period, fewer once things settle, a different service altogether. An agreement isn't a fixed contract you're stuck with; it's a working understanding you and your support worker can revisit and adjust directly, since you're dealing with the person providing the service, not a rostering office standing between you.

Keeping billing straightforward

Most billing confusion traces back to the same thing: a shift or service that fell outside what was actually agreed. Checking your invoice against your agreement - not just the total, but what it's for - is the fastest way to catch a mismatch early, before it becomes a bigger disagreement.

If you're coordinating support for someone else across multiple workers or providers, setting up agreements with support workers and providers covers the same agreement mechanics from a coordinator's perspective, including how shift approval against an agreement works on CareVicinityPRO.

FAQ

Does CareVicinity set the hourly rate? No. Support workers are independent contractors who set their own rates. The rate on a worker's profile is what you pay.

Do I pay a platform fee on top of the rate? No. Care seekers pay no CareVicinity platform fee. The 12.5% platform fee applies to the support worker and comes out of their payout - it's never added to your bill.

Can I change the agreed hours or services later? Yes. An agreement reflects what you've currently arranged, not a fixed contract - you can revisit it directly with your support worker as your needs change.

What if a shift runs longer than agreed, or covers something extra? That falls outside the original agreement, so it's worth a direct conversation with your support worker about it rather than assuming it's covered - the same way any other change to scope would be.

Where to start

If you haven't hired a support worker yet, how to hire an independent support worker through CareVicinity covers that first step. If you already have, a clear agreement from the outset is what makes everything after this point straightforward.