Domestic assistance
Domestic assistance helps a person maintain a safe and functional home through tasks such as cleaning, laundry, meal preparation and essential household routines. Funded support should relate to assessed disability or aged care needs rather than simply replacing ordinary household expenses.
Understanding domestic assistance
The purpose of domestic assistance is usually to make daily life safer and more manageable when disability, illness, frailty or caring circumstances limit a person’s ability to complete essential tasks. A useful arrangement begins with priorities: which tasks affect safety, nutrition, hygiene or the ability to remain at home, and which tasks the person wants to continue doing themselves. Providers should not assume a standard checklist suits every household.
Service scope varies. Some workers provide routine cleaning and laundry, while meal preparation, shopping support, garden maintenance or home organisation may sit under different service categories or require separate pricing. Heavy cleaning, repairs, pest treatment and specialist hazards may be excluded. Ask the provider to define what is included, what equipment or products they bring, and what must be supplied by the household.
Consistency and boundaries prevent misunderstandings. Agree rooms, tasks, frequency, access arrangements, pets, infection-control needs and how breakages or safety hazards are handled. Review the task plan if mobility, health, household composition or equipment changes. Domestic support should preserve choice and independence, not remove control over the person’s home.
What support may include
- Routine cleaning of essential living areas, kitchens and bathrooms.
- Laundry, linen changes and basic household organisation connected with daily living.
- Meal preparation or support to plan simple meals when included in the service scope.
- Shopping or household-task assistance where this is agreed and funded.
- Prompts, set-up or shared task completion that helps the person retain skills and routines.
Plan the support
- List priority tasks and define a realistic frequency instead of relying on a vague promise to clean the home.
- Identify allergies, chemical sensitivities, infection risks, pets, access instructions and equipment requirements.
- Clarify whether the worker supplies products and whether shopping, gardening or meal preparation cost extra.
- Agree how keys, alarm codes, valuables, accidental damage and unattended access will be managed.
Questions to ask providers
- Which household tasks are included, excluded or charged separately?
- Will the same worker attend, and what happens when that person is unavailable?
- What products and equipment do workers use, and can preferences or sensitivities be accommodated?
- How are property damage, safety hazards and privacy concerns reported?
- How do you support the person to participate in tasks when that is one of their goals?
Funding considerations
NDIS funding may cover household tasks that are reasonable and necessary because of disability, but it does not generally cover rent, groceries, cleaning products or ordinary costs everyone incurs. The plan and service agreement should identify the disability-related assistance being purchased.
Entry-level and more intensive aged care programs may include domestic assistance after assessment. Current eligibility, personal contributions and provider availability should be confirmed through My Aged Care.
Safeguards and records
- Confirm screening, identity checks, insurance and supervision for workers entering the home.
- Use written access and key-handling arrangements, especially when the person will not be present.
- Document chemical sensitivities, manual-handling risks and areas workers should not access.
- Keep receipts and authorisation rules clear if a worker handles shopping money or household purchases.
Official information
Find domestic assistance providers or browse all service guides.
Reading about Domestic assistance
- Personal care and daily living supports: what to ask a provider: Help with showering, dressing, meals and the household is personal. These are the questions that help you set routines, protect your dignity and keep control.
- Hiring an independent support worker: what to ask and check: Some people choose to work directly with an independent worker rather than a larger provider. Here is what to look at first, and what to put in writing.
- How to choose an NDIS provider: 12 questions to ask before you commit: A practical checklist for comparing providers, from how a service fits your plan to what happens when something goes wrong.