By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last updated: 30 April 2026
Your Support at Home approval letter has a date on it. That date is day zero. From that moment, you have 56 days to sign a service agreement with a provider and start receiving services.
Most families don’t read it that way. They read it as “we’ve been approved” — and then spend weeks researching providers, comparing options, waiting for callbacks. The funding feels secure. It isn’t.
Under the Support at Home program rules, if you haven’t signed a service agreement and started services within 56 days of that letter date, the Department of Health and Aged Care withdraws your funding allocation and gives it to the next person on the waitlist. You go back to the start of the priority queue.
This isn’t a warning buried in fine print. It’s the operating rule of the program. Understanding it changes how you approach the next 56 days.
Two things must happen before the deadline:
1. Sign a service agreement with a provider. This is a formal written agreement setting out what services will be delivered, how often, and at what cost. No agreement means no activated funding.
2. Start receiving services. Signing the agreement alone isn’t enough. Services must actually begin within the 56-day window.
Both requirements come from the Department of Health and Aged Care’s published program rules. The trigger date is the date on your funding allocation letter — not the date you called My Aged Care, not the date of your assessment.
Your funding is withdrawn. It is reallocated to the next person on the Support at Home Priority System.
You do not lose access to the program permanently. You can call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask to re-enter the priority queue. But you lose your place — and the wait for a new funding allocation is significant.
According to My Aged Care’s published wait time data, the wait for reallocation ranges from around 45 days if you were assessed as high priority, to over 300 days if you were standard priority. For most families, missing the deadline means starting the process again and waiting close to a year.
The families who read this page before the deadline are in a different position to those who discover the rule after it has already applied.
If 56 days isn’t enough to find a suitable provider, you can request a 28-day extension. One extension. The process:
1. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422
2. Tell them you need more time to find a provider
3. They will grant the extension — extending your window to 84 days from the letter date
You must request this extension before your 56-day deadline expires. An extension cannot be granted after funding has already been withdrawn.
If you are within two weeks of your deadline and haven’t signed an agreement yet, call My Aged Care now and request the extension. Don’t wait to see if you’ll make it.
Step 1 — Check the letter date today. Find your funding allocation letter and confirm the date. Count 56 days forward. Write that date down. That is your hard deadline.
Step 2 — Decide whether you’ll self-manage or use a provider-managed arrangement. If you’re unsure, self-managed vs provider-managed care covers the decision framework. You need a direction before you can choose a provider.
Step 3 — Contact providers and request a service agreement. Most providers can turn this around within a week. If a provider tells you their earliest intake is after your deadline, move to the next provider — don’t wait. Use the guidance in how to choose a home care provider to shortlist quickly.
Step 4 — Sign the agreement and confirm the start date. The start date must fall within your 56-day window. Once signed, your funding is activated.
Step 5 — Attend your first service. Services must begin — not just be scheduled — within the window.
The most common mistake: families spend the 56 days trying to find the perfect provider. Provider choice matters, but it’s not irreversible. You can switch providers after activation without losing your funding classification. What you cannot recover is an expired funding allocation.
A reasonable provider whose agreement you sign on day 50 is better than the ideal provider whose agreement you sign on day 57.
Once your services begin, your quarterly budget is available for the support services listed in your Notice of Decision. Your quarterly services budget is separate from the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT–HM) scheme, which has its own approval process and funding pool of up to $15,000.
Understanding what your quarterly budget actually covers — including the 10% care management fee that comes off the top before any services are delivered — is the next thing to get clear on. Support at Home funding explained covers this in detail.
For a broader overview of how the program works, Navigating Support at Home is the place to start.
It is the period from the date of your Support at Home funding allocation letter within which you must sign a service agreement with a provider and start receiving services. If you don’t, your funding is withdrawn and reallocated to the next person on the waitlist.
Your funding allocation is withdrawn and given to the next person on the Support at Home Priority System. Depending on your priority level, the wait for a new allocation ranges from around 45 days if you were assessed as high priority, to over 300 days if you were standard priority. You can rejoin the priority system by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
Yes — once. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 before your deadline and request a 28-day extension. This extends your window to 84 days from the letter date. The extension must be requested before the original 56 days expire.
Both are required. You must sign the service agreement and start services within the 56-day window. Signing alone does not activate your funding.
Yes. Activating with a provider is not a permanent commitment. Your funding classification stays with you, not your provider. You can switch providers after activation. See our guide on how to switch home care providers for the steps involved.
The Activation Guide walks through provider selection, what to look for in a service agreement, the questions to ask before you sign, and how to confirm your services start on time. Built for families in the 56-day window.
It is the period from the date of your Support at Home funding allocation letter within which you must sign a service agreement with a provider and start receiving services. If you don’t, your funding is withdrawn and reallocated to the next person on the waitlist.
Your funding allocation is withdrawn and given to the next person on the Support at Home Priority System. Depending on your priority level, the wait for a new allocation ranges from around 45 days if you were assessed as high priority, to over 300 days if you were standard priority. You can rejoin the priority system by calling My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
Yes — once. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 before your deadline and request a 28-day extension. This extends your window to 84 days from the letter date. The extension must be requested before the original 56 days expire.
Both are required. You must sign the service agreement and start services within the 56-day window. Signing alone does not activate your funding.
Yes. Activating with a provider is not a permanent commitment. Your funding classification stays with you, not your provider. You can switch providers after activation. See our guide on how to switch home care providers for the steps involved.
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This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Verified against the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.