Cost and funding
What the government pays for, and what it does not
The assessment
How many hours you get
An Ontario Health atHome care coordinator assesses the person, usually with a standardised interRAI assessment, at home or at the bedside. That decides how many hours are approved and for which services: commonly 3 to 10 a week, most often about 6, with more for palliative clients and in the weeks after a hospital discharge. Funded care carries no charge and no means test.
What a typical week looks like
Someone needing help most days needs about 21 hours a week. Funded hours cover roughly 6. The rest is the part families arrange and pay for, and it is the reason most people end up here.
Coverage
Which services the province will and will not fund
Compiled from what Ontario Health atHome funds through an approved care plan. Approval always depends on the assessment, so treat this as what to expect rather than what you are owed.
- Personal support
Ontario Health atHome funds PSW visits, typically a few hours a week.
- Home nursing
Nursing visits are funded when ordered through a care coordinator.
- Palliative care at home
Palliative clients are prioritised and receive more funded hours than most.
- Post-hospital care
Funded short-term after discharge, then usually reduced or ended.
- Dementia care
Funded as personal support; dementia-specific training is not guaranteed.
- Respite care
A limited respite allotment exists; it rarely covers a full break.
- Homemaking and meals
Homemaking alone is rarely funded unless bundled with personal care.
- Physiotherapy at home
A limited number of funded visits are available after discharge.
- Occupational therapy
Assessments are often funded; recommended equipment usually is not.
- Companionship
Almost never publicly funded. Some community agencies run subsidised visiting programs.
- Live-in and 24-hour care
Not publicly funded. Live-in is billed daily; 24-hour shift care is billed hourly.
- Transportation and appointments
Not funded. Some municipalities run subsidised senior transit programs.
- Foot care
Rarely funded. Diabetes-related foot care may be covered in some circumstances.
Funded visits are scheduled to the agency's route rather than to the hour help is needed, which is why families often buy private hours even where the service itself is covered. How the assessment works
Money back
Credits and benefits that reduce what you pay
None of these are automatic, and most are claimed a year in arrears, so families routinely miss them in the first year, which is the most expensive one.
Medical Expense Tax Credit
Attendant care and nursing can qualify as eligible medical expenses. Ask the agency to itemise attendant care separately from housekeeping from the first invoice, because the eligible portion differs and reconstructing it a year later is often impossible.
CRA: eligible medical expenses →Ontario Seniors Care at Home Tax Credit
A refundable Ontario credit for eligible medical expenses, income-tested. Refundable matters: it can pay out even when no tax is owing. Confirm the current rate and cap before budgeting around it.
Disability Tax Credit
If the person qualifies it opens access to other programs, but claiming the DTC alongside full attendant care costs has limits. This is the one worth an accountant's hour.
Veterans Independence Program
Contributes to housekeeping, grounds maintenance and personal care. Eligibility is not limited to service-related disability, and many eligible families never apply. Worth a call even if you assume the answer is no.
Veterans Affairs Canada →Get the invoices right from day one
The single most valuable thing you can do in week one is ask the agency for invoices that separate attendant care from homemaking and name the person receiving care. Amounts and caps change every year and most are income-tested, so we do not print them here. Confirm the current figures with the CRA or an accountant.
If you want the numbers
Work out the unfunded part of the week
Most families do not need this to make a decision, so it sits at the end. Three questions, and a monthly range to budget against at real GTA rates.
Estimated private cost
15 unfunded hours a week at $32–$45 an hour
The week you are paying for
A rough figure, not a quote. Evenings, weekends and holidays usually cost 15 to 25 per cent more, and nursing visits are billed separately at $65–$110 a visit, so treat this as the floor. How we compile rates