I get asked this question more than any other, so let me answer it honestly — with my own real numbers, not the hype you see online.
The short answer: the same hour you'd be paid roughly $35–40 for as an employee can bill around $58–73 as your own business. That's a real difference, and it's the whole reason going out on your own can change your income without changing your hours.
And there's the part nobody puts on a nice graphic: weekends and public holidays pay more. For everyday support work, a Saturday can bill around $90+/hr for social/community support, and Sundays usually more again — because the NDIS price guide reflects when the support actually happens. So your average depends on the days you work, and working a few weekends genuinely lifts it.
But let me unpack that properly, because "bill" and "keep" are two very different things.
My own numbers, straight from my invoices
I run a support business in St Helens, a small town on the east coast of Tasmania. Over a recent six-month stretch I brought in about $47,000 in care-client revenue. That was part-time — roughly 23 hours a week, a few days a week, on my own terms, fitting around my family.
Broken down, that's about $75 an hour on average. And sustained over a year, it works out to roughly $90,000.
Now, I want to be straight with you: that's gross, not take-home. It's the money that comes in before my own costs — insurance, superannuation, admin, tax. When you're self-employed, there's no employer covering those for you. I'll get to that.
Why the same hour pays so differently
When you're an employee, your boss pays you a wage — say $36–40 an hour for a level of support work. They keep the rest, and they cover your super, your insurance, your admin.
When you run it yourself as a sole trader, you're charging for the service delivered, not a roster position. The same support hour, billed by you as your own business, is worth more. You're not taking the same money and keeping all of it — you're charging a fuller rate and then shouldering the costs that come with being your own boss.
The message isn't "work more hours." It's own the margin on the hours you already have. That's the real shift.
The honest side of "keep"
Because I want you to go in with open eyes, here's what comes off that gross figure:
- Super — there's no employer paying it. You put away your own (currently around 12%, but check the current rate).
- Insurance — public liability is a must, and you'll want income protection and business-use car cover.
- Admin and tax — invoicing, records, and setting money aside.
That's why I always say: the numbers are an example, not a promise, and see your accountant before you set your rates.
- Rates change — the official figures move. Always check the current NDIS pricing, My Aged Care, and the ATO before you bank on a number.
The "other business costs" nobody puts on a graphic
"Gross" is the word I keep using, and here's what that really means. Before it's take-home, you cover your own running costs:
- Car & running costs — petrol, rego, servicing, insurance for a vehicle used for work. For a home-visit care business the car is your main tool and often your biggest cost.
- Insurance — public liability, and income/professional protection as you grow. Non-negotiable when you're in people's homes.
- Super — you're self-employed, so you're responsible for your own superannuation.
- Tax & admin — income tax, GST (once you pass the threshold), bookkeeping and invoicing time. You're not on a PAYG payroll.
- Checks & training — the police check, worker screening, first aid and (soon) aged-care competency training.
So when I say I billed around $75/hr, that's gross. After the car, insurance, super, tax and the time it takes to run the admin, the number that lands in your pocket is lower. The reason it can still beat an hourly wage is that you own the margin on every hour — but you also carry the costs. That trade-off is exactly what the training walks you through honestly, so you price it right from day one.
Is this a realistic target, or a fantasy?
Neither — it's honest work done properly. The $100k figure I talk about is a target, not a guarantee, and it's built on trust and a fair rate, not a race to burnout. If you're in regional or rural Australia, the opportunity is real: the big providers are everywhere, but people want someone consistent, local, and reliable — and that's exactly what a local sole trader provides.
That gap is why this work is one of the best-kept opportunities in the country right now. Government-funded, growing, and impossible to send overseas or automate away.
Where to go from here
If you'd like the honest picture of how to set up, what to charge, and the real first steps, I've put together a free training that walks you through it — no hype, just what I've learned.
Download my free training — it'll show you the first three steps to a part-time care business that fits around your family.
This is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Figures change and are shown as an example, not a promise — verify current official information and see your accountant.