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Who Pays for Care?

Last updated on September 28, 2020

In B.C., some publicly subsidized home and community care services are provided free of charge. For others, the cost is shared between the Ministry of Health and you, the person receiving services. The amount you are required to pay is called the client rate.

Your client rate may be based on your income or set as a fixed rate, depending on the home and community care service you receive.

If payment of your assessed client rate would cause you or your family serious financial hardship, you may apply to your health authority for a temporary reduction of your client rate. For more information on eligibility and how to apply for a temporary reduction of your client rate, please see:

For more information on the costs for the different home and community care service options, please see the "Is there a cost...?" section for each service option using the links, below:

Statutory Authority for Charging Client Rates

The statutory authority for charging client rates is set out in the Continuing Care Fees Regulation and/or the Hospital Insurance Act Regulations (Division 8). For more information, please see:

Provincial Home and Community Care Policy for Charging Client Rates

The provincial home and community care policy on client rates can be found in Chapter 7 of the Home and Community Care Policy Manual. 

Publicly Subsidized or Private Pay

To learn more about the differences between private pay options and publicly subsidized home and community care services offered through B.C.’s health authorities, see: