By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last reviewed: 9 October 2026
Last updated: 9 October 2026
Home Care Packages have been replaced. On 1 November 2025, Support at Home took over from the Home Care Package Program, and everyone who had a package was moved across automatically. This page explains what changed. It's part of our guide to Support at Home.
Searching for a level? The amounts for each Home Care Package level are on our fact sheet, with the budget for every Support at Home classification.
If you already had a package, two protections apply, with two different cut-off dates:
So someone first approved for a package in early 2025 kept their funding level, but not the old contribution rules. The date that counts is the first approval, not when the package started: someone approved in August 2024 who only got a package in 2025 is still covered. And if nobody has been assessed yet, there's no package to apply for: if the assessment approves ongoing help at home, it gives a Support at Home classification instead.
[My Aged Care, FAQ, Support at Home costs and contributions and Changes to contributions; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Support at Home program – classifications and budgets, October 2026; Support at Home program manual v4.4, s1.3.1 and s9.4.1]
Support at Home pays for services that help an older person keep living at home. That includes nursing, physiotherapy, help with showering and dressing, cleaning, gardening, meal preparation and delivery, transport and respite. The assessment decides which services someone is approved for, and their classification sets the quarterly budget for ongoing services.
What you pay towards each service depends on its contribution category:
Every ongoing service is paid from the quarterly budget, even those with no contribution. Personal care, for example, has no contribution from 1 October 2026 if it's in the support plan and funding is available. But the Department says it “will continue to be funded from a participant's available Support at Home budget”, so it frees up no money for other services. Equipment and home modifications under the AT-HM scheme are different: they have their own separate funding.
Take Classification 3. After 10% is set aside for care management, about $391 a week is left for services. At the Department's national median weekday prices, $110 an hour for house cleaning and $115 for personal care, that buys about 3.5 hours a week of either.
Contributions don't stretch this: the full price of each service, including your share, comes out of the budget. The medians are from November and December 2025, so your provider's prices may differ. Our Home Care Package fact sheet has the budget for every classification.
[Department, Support at Home participant contributions and Personal care contributions; My Aged Care, Support at Home costs and contributions; Department, National summary of Support at Home prices, November to December 2025, published 19 May 2026; program manual v4.4, s9.2]
Apply through My Aged Care, online or by calling 1800 200 422. If the person is eligible, an assessor meets them in person, usually at home, and uses the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) to record how they manage. A delegate then decides, and a Notice of Decision sets out the classification and priority category.
Applying online takes 15 to 20 minutes and needs the person's Medicare card. A family member can apply for them, with their permission. The assessment is free and usually happens within 5 to 40 days, depending on how urgent the needs are. From 1 April to 30 June 2026, the national median wait from referral to assessment was 26 days. Our step-by-step guide to the aged care assessment covers the visit.
The classification comes from three things named in the Aged Care Rules 2025: a functional independence score, a needs met score, and whether there are significant compounding factors. On 6 October 2026 the Department published decision trees, a guideline and technical details showing how the inputs combine. Our guides to the Integrated Assessment Tool and how the classification decision is made explain the inputs.
An assessor can only record what they hear and see. The Inspector-General of Aged Care's July 2026 submission to a Senate inquiry says: “The Inspector-General has repeatedly heard that many assessors consider that older people often understate their need for assistance or overstate their capacity for self-reliance.”
The assessor's user guide treats supervision and prompting as help: a person with dementia “may be physically able to shower but may require prompting by their carer.” And whether a need is being met is answered as if no aged care services were in place.
Our advice: before the visit, write down an ordinary week, including the help family gives and the bad days. A supporter can give the assessor information beforehand. Afterwards, the assessment organisation reviews everything, which can take up to 2 weeks.
[My Aged Care, assessment pages and FAQ; Aged Care Rules 2025, s81-10; Department, Support at Home resources, 6 October 2026; IAT user guide v2.6; Inspector-General of Aged Care, Senate submission, July 2026, p 25]
If an assessment is coming up
It's easy to forget things on the day. Our free tool turns what you see day to day into a written statement, built only from your answers, to give to the assessor. It works for a first assessment or a reassessment, and we'll email you a copy.
Prepare for the assessment — free →New to these terms? See the full glossary →
Two letters, and each starts its own clock. The Notice of Decision comes first: it gives the classification and priority category, and starts 28 days to ask for a review. The funding assignment letter comes later, when funding is allocated. It starts 56 days to find a provider, enter a service agreement and start services.
| Letter | When it arrives | What it tells you | Deadline it starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notice of Decision (the assessment outcome letter) | After the assessment, once a delegate has decided | Approved services, classification, priority category, reasons, review rights and the support plan | 28 days from receiving it to ask for a review, in writing |
| Funding assignment letter | Later, when funding is allocated through the Support at Home Priority System | That funding has been allocated, with the referral code a provider needs | 56 days from the date funding was allocated to enter a service agreement and start services (a 28-day extension can be requested) |
Note: if funding is allocated in two steps, the 56 days start with the first (interim) allocation.
The gap between the letters depends on the priority category. My Aged Care's estimates, last updated 30 June 2026: urgent, within 1 month; high, 1 month; medium, 5 to 6 months; standard, 7 to 8 months. The wait counts from the access approval start date in the assessment outcome letter.
When waits run longer than expected, interim funding may be allocated first: 60% of the approved budget. It comes with its own letter, and the 56 days start from that allocation, so don't wait for the rest before finding a provider. The remaining funding is added later and isn't backdated. Interim funding isn't used in the urgent category, which gets full funding within a month.
Miss the 56 days (84 with the extension) and the funding is withdrawn. The provider must also give Services Australia the start information within those same 56 days (84 with the extension), or the funding is withdrawn, so don't leave it to the last week. You can re-join the queue through My Aged Care, and your place is recorded from the date you were first approved. Put both deadlines in a calendar the day each letter arrives. Count the 28 days from the day you receive the Notice of Decision. Count the 56 days from the date funding was allocated, shown on the funding assignment letter (not the day it arrives). Our guides to Support at Home waiting times and the 56 days to start services cover each stage.
[My Aged Care, Assessment outcome: Support at Home; Department, Funding classifications for Support at Home; program manual v4.4, s6.8.1 and s6.9]
Support at Home replaced the Home Care Package Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme, and the new Aged Care Act 2024 started the same day. Package holders were approved for Support at Home automatically, and Short-Term Restorative Care became the Restorative Care Pathway.
On CHSP? The Commonwealth Home Support Program, for people with low-level needs, is still a separate program. In August 2026, the Department announced it has been extended to 30 June 2029. If needs have grown, ask My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 about an assessment for Support at Home.
[My Aged Care, FAQ; Aged Care Assessment Manual, s1.5; program manual v4.4, s6.9.1; Department, Support at Home news, 21 August 2026]
It's 12 September 2024. The No Worse Off Principle covers anyone who, on or before that date, was receiving a Home Care Package, was on the National Priority System, or had been assessed as eligible for a package. They contribute the same or less than under their package, and keep the lower lifetime cap. Later approvals follow the standard rules.
Funding and fees follow different dates, so there are three groups:
The caps differ by about $51,718, as at 20 September 2026. Not sure which group applies? Ask the provider to confirm the first approval date. The program manual tells providers that, for most people, a first approval date on or before 12 September 2024 means the grandfathered contribution arrangements apply. Services Australia sets the actual rates and writes to you.
Our guide to Support at Home contribution rates explains the standard rates. This is general information: My Aged Care's fee estimator gives an estimate, and a licensed aged care financial adviser can help with bigger decisions.
[Program manual v4.4, s9.4.1; Department, Support at Home participant contributions, 1 October 2026; My Aged Care, Support at Home costs and contributions and Changes to contributions while accessing Support at Home]
The funding carried over. Every package became a Transitioned HCP Level with equivalent funding, and unspent package funds were kept. The structure is new: eight classifications, quarterly budgets, one provider, contributions charged per service, and 10% of every ongoing budget set aside for care management.
| Home Care Packages (to 31 October 2025) | Support at Home (from 1 November 2025) | |
|---|---|---|
| Funding tiers | Level 1 to Level 4 | Classification 1 to 8, or Transitioned HCP Level 1 to 4 for people who had a package |
| How funding is set | An annual package amount | A quarterly budget: the annual amount split into four |
| If you already had a package | Your approved level | Equivalent funding at a Transitioned HCP Level, approved automatically |
| What you pay | An income-tested care fee, if Services Australia assessed you as having to pay one | No income-tested care fee. You pay contributions only for the services you receive, each set as a percentage of its price |
| Unspent money | Unspent package funds, which could be held by your provider | Unspent HCP funds held on 31 October 2025 were kept, with no carryover limit. New unspent budget carries over each quarter up to $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget after care management, whichever is higher |
| Lifetime cap on contributions | The Home Care Package lifetime cap | Kept if approved on or before 12 September 2024. Otherwise the standard Support at Home cap |
Unspent HCP funds can pay for extra services once a quarter's budget is used up, or for approved equipment and home modifications. New unspent budget only carries over up to $1,000 or 10% of the budget left after care management, whichever is higher, so it can't be saved up year after year.
Home Care Packages had four levels. Support at Home has eight classifications for ongoing services: the more care someone needs, the higher the classification and the bigger the quarterly budget. People who had a package hold a Transitioned HCP Level instead, with funding equivalent to their old level.
Our fact sheet lists the Home Care Package level amounts and every classification budget.
One step makes a real difference. Moving from Classification 3 to Classification 4 adds about $7,947 a year, for as long as the person stays there. Budgets can change, usually each July with indexation (they also rose on 1 October 2026), so the gap moves too. The usual routes to a different classification are a review, if the decision was wrong, or a reassessment, if needs have changed.
[Department, Support at Home program – classifications and budgets, October 2026; gap computed from the annual amounts]
They changed shape. Providers can't charge separate package management, administration or travel fees: those costs must sit inside each service's price. A fixed 10% of every ongoing quarterly budget goes to care management. And the income-tested care fee has gone: you pay a contribution on each service instead.
Care management is the planning and coordinating of services. The 10% is set aside from every ongoing budget, including for people who self-manage, and pooled across the provider's clients. You pay no contribution towards it, and the monthly statement shows it as hours or units, not dollars.
Prices aren't capped. In May 2026 the Government paused its plans for Support at Home price caps, so each provider sets its own prices. They must be reasonable and published on My Aged Care, which makes the hourly price the number to compare. Look up two or three providers before you sign, and check the service agreement lists a price for every service. There are no entry or exit fees. Our guide to home care package management fees covers what you can check on a statement.
[Program manual v4.4, s8.8.2, s9.4, s10.3 and s17.2; Department, Consumer protections for Support at Home prices, May 2026, and news, 20 May 2026]
Nobody had to reapply or be reassessed. Package holders were approved for Support at Home automatically, kept their funding as a Transitioned HCP Level, and kept any unspent package funds. What may have changed is how prices and fees work, and the contribution rates for anyone approved after 12 September 2024.
Not below the Transitioned HCP Level. The Aged Care Assessment Manual says the transitional level can be kept even when a new assessment gives a classification with less funding. It tells assessors to keep it when that's better for the person. A reassessment replaces it only with a high enough classification:
| Current level | Moves to a classification if the result is |
|---|---|
| Transitioned HCP Level 1 | Classification 2 or higher |
| Transitioned HCP Level 2 | Classification 3 or higher |
| Transitioned HCP Level 3 | Classification 6 or higher |
| Transitioned HCP Level 4 | Classification 8 |
Until someone is reassessed, any service on the Support at Home service list that meets their needs. After a reassessment, the new Notice of Decision and support plan list the approved services. Package holders can also use unspent HCP funds on equipment and home modifications from the AT-HM list.
Worth checking now: the person's first approval date, care management on each monthly statement, and agreed prices against published ones. Providers must deliver care management at least once a month alongside other services. If you self-manage, our guide to self-managing under Support at Home explains how it works now.
[Aged Care Assessment Manual, s1.5.1 to s1.5.3; program manual v4.4, s10.2.1 and s13.2.1; Aged Care Rules 2025, s148-45(2)]
There's a limit on the total anyone pays in contributions. It's $88,934.57 for people who were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024, and $140,652.80 for everyone else. Both are as at 20 September 2026, and both are indexed twice a year, in March and September.
The cap counts contributions across Support at Home and the non-clinical care contribution in an aged care home, so contributions paid at home still count after a move. The grandfathered group keeps the lower Home Care Package cap there too.
Once the cap is reached, no further Support at Home contributions are payable. In an aged care home, a person who has reached it pays nothing more towards non-clinical care, but every resident still pays a basic daily fee, and they may also pay towards accommodation and a hotelling contribution. Services Australia writes to you and the provider when you reach it. The next indexation is due on 20 March 2027.
[My Aged Care, Changes to contributions while accessing Support at Home; Department, Support at Home participant contributions, 1 October 2026; program manual v4.4, s9.4.1.1 and s9.4.3]
Ask for a review in writing within 28 days of receiving the Notice of Decision, and say why you think the decision is wrong. You can email agedcarereviews@health.gov.au, post a letter, or use the Department's internal review form. If needs have changed since the assessment, ask My Aged Care (1800 200 422) or the provider about a reassessment instead.
If the 28 days have passed, ask anyway and explain why: the Department can allow more time. A family member or registered supporter can write for you. The Department must acknowledge the request within 14 days and decide within 90 days. If it hasn't decided by then, the original decision stands. The reviewer can keep, change or replace the decision, and considers new evidence, such as a letter from the person's GP. After that, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal, which charges a fee.
Two other processes are not reviews. A Support Plan Review can adjust services but can't approve a higher classification: only a reassessment can. And a reassessment looks at needs as they are now, so its result isn't backdated. Build a review request around specific examples: what happened, when, and what help was needed. Our guide to appealing an aged care classification takes you through it.
[Aged Care Assessment Manual, s1.5.2 and s11.2; My Aged Care, Understanding your rights and how to raise concerns and Receiving your assessment outcome]
It depends on your stage. Not assessed yet: apply through My Aged Care and prepare for the visit. Approved and waiting: watch for the funding assignment letter and use the wait to compare providers. Already receiving services: check each statement and know who to call if something isn't right.
Only as a name. Since 1 November 2025, Support at Home has replaced Home Care Packages, and people who had a package now hold a Transitioned HCP Level under Support at Home, at the same funding level. Anyone approved for ongoing help at home now gets one of eight Support at Home classifications, not a package. Our fact sheet lists the amounts for each level.
No. Package holders were approved for Support at Home automatically and kept their funding and any unspent funds. Do check the person's first approval date. If it was on or before 12 September 2024, the No Worse Off Principle keeps contributions the same or lower than under the package. If it was later, standard contribution rates apply. Your provider can confirm the date.
Levels 1 to 4 were the Home Care Package funding tiers. Classifications 1 to 8 are the Support at Home tiers for ongoing services: the more care someone needs, the higher the classification and the bigger the quarterly budget. People who had a package hold a Transitioned HCP Level, with equivalent funding, unless a reassessment gives them a classification with more funding.
A classification. Home Care Packages aren't offered any more. If you're approved for ongoing help at home, your Notice of Decision gives one of eight Support at Home classifications and a priority category. You can also be approved for short-term help, such as the Restorative Care Pathway. To start, apply online through My Aged Care or call 1800 200 422.
Neither applies under Support at Home. My Aged Care says you only pay contributions for the services you receive, and the program manual says the income-tested care fee ended. Each contribution is set as a percentage of the service's price. Clinical supports have no contribution, but are still paid from the budget. If you were approved for a package on or before 12 September 2024, you pay the same or less than under your package.
Not directly. The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) is still a separate program. In August 2026, the Department announced it has been extended to 30 June 2029. If needs have grown beyond what CHSP provides, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask about an assessment for Support at Home.
Not below your Transitioned HCP Level. The Aged Care Assessment Manual tells assessors to keep the transitional level when it's better for the person. You move to a Support at Home classification only if the reassessment gives one with more funding: for example, Classification 6 or higher for someone on Transitioned HCP Level 3. If needs have grown, ask My Aged Care (1800 200 422) or the provider about a reassessment.
A level sets how much funding there is, not a fixed list of services. Someone on Transitioned HCP Level 1 who hasn't been reassessed can use any service on the Support at Home service list that meets their needs, paid from the quarterly budget. After a reassessment, the new support plan lists the approved services. Our fact sheet gives the amount for each level.
Needs gone up? A reassessment can change the level.
If more help is needed than the budget covers, a reassessment looks at the level again (officially, the classification). Our free tool helps you write down what really happens at home, so the assessor hears the full picture. Independent — no sales calls.
Prepare for the reassessment — free →This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Support at Home operates under the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.