What happens if you miss the 56-day deadline — and how to recover

Have you lost your funding for good?

That funding has gone to the next person waiting. But you can re-join the waiting list, and your place will be backdated to the date you were first approved. So your wait so far still counts. You won't need a new assessment unless your needs have changed.

The waiting list is officially called the Support at Home Priority System. The rule about your place is in the Support at Home Program Manual, the government's guide for providers. Section 6.9 says: “People who re-join the Support at Home Priority System will have their date of entry recorded as the date they were originally approved for Support at Home.”

If your 56 days haven't run out yet, read our guide to the 56-day window instead.

How do you get funding again?

Two steps. First, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask to re-join the Support at Home Priority System. Second, check that Services Australia has your income and assets details. If you're on the Age Pension or a similar payment, there's usually nothing to do. Then wait for a new funding letter.

Step 1: Call My Aged Care and re-join. If your deadline passed only in the last few days, first ask whether you can still get the 28-day extension. If you can't, or your deadline passed earlier, tell them your funding was withdrawn after the deadline. Ask them to confirm your place is backdated to your original approval date.

Step 2: Check your income and assets details. Services Australia uses them to work out what you pay towards your services. If they don't have your details, you can be asked to pay the highest rate. Do you get the Age Pension, or another Centrelink or Veterans' Affairs payment based on your income and assets? Then there's usually nothing to do. If you don't, or you're not sure, call Services Australia on 1800 227 475.

The letter that tells you what you'll pay lasts 120 days. If yours is older than that, ask Services Australia whether you need a new one. This step doesn't have to hold up your start. You and your provider can agree a temporary amount for you to pay until Services Australia tells you your rate.

Can you still ask for the 28-day extension after the deadline?

The official guides we checked don't say. The Program Manual says funding is withdrawn once 56 days pass without an extension, so a late request may not be possible. If your deadline has only just passed, call My Aged Care now and ask. If it's too late, ask to re-join the waiting list.

Next time, ask for the extension before your 56 days are up. It gives you 84 days in all.

How long will you wait after you re-join?

It depends on your priority category and how many people are waiting. The categories are urgent, high, medium and standard. Yours was set at your assessment. Because your place is backdated to your original approval date, your wait so far still counts. When you call, ask how long you're likely to wait.

To see how priority categories and waiting work, read our guide to Support at Home waiting times.

Has your health got worse, or can your carer no longer do as much? Then you can ask for a reassessment when you call My Aged Care. A higher priority category can mean a shorter wait.

What help can you get while you wait?

Three things can help. You can ask My Aged Care about the Commonwealth Home Support Program. It's the government's entry-level help at home. You may be given interim funding, which is 60% of your full funding. And you can pay for private help while you wait.

The Commonwealth Home Support Program is continuing, and the government is extending its funding to 30 June 2029. Ask My Aged Care whether you can get help from the program while you wait. The program has its own fees.

Interim funding is 60% of your full funding. The other 40% comes when it's available. Interim funding comes with its own letter, and the 56 days count from that letter.

What do you need to do when the new letter comes?

Act straight away. Your new 56 days count from the date on the new letter. In that time you need to choose a provider, sign an agreement and have your first service. The provider must also tell Services Australia you've started, within the same 56 days.

1. Read the date on the letter. Count forward 56 days, including weekends and public holidays.
2. Have your shortlist ready. Our guide to choosing a home care provider can help.
3. Before you start calling providers, decide whether you'll manage your own services or have a provider manage them.
4. Sign your service agreement, and make sure the first service happens within the 56 days.
5. Ask the provider to confirm they've told Services Australia you've started, before your deadline.
6. Not on track? Ask My Aged Care for the 28-day extension well before your 56 days are up.

The same 56-day rule applies to the new letter. If you miss that deadline too, you'll have to wait for funding again.

Should you wait for the perfect provider?

No. You can change providers later, and providers can't charge you to join or leave. But once funding is withdrawn, you have to wait for it again. A good provider who can start in time is better than a perfect one who can't.

Thinking of managing your own services? Decide before the new letter comes. Once services start, read our guide to Support at Home funding to see what your quarterly budget covers.

Sources: Support at Home Program Manual, version 4.4 (September 2026); My Aged Care, Assessment outcome: Support at Home; Services Australia form SA456. Checked October 2026.