By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last updated: May 2026
Key facts at a glance
Not yet on Support at Home?
To access personal care funding — including the free personal care from October 2026 — you first need to be registered with My Aged Care and receive a Support at Home assessment. The sooner you register, the sooner your place in the queue starts. How to prepare for your aged care assessment →
Since Support at Home launched on 1 November 2025, personal care has sat in the Independence service category. Under Independence, participants pay a co-contribution toward the cost of each service — the percentage varies based on pension status and means testing, but it applies to everyone except those with hardship arrangements in place.
From 1 October 2026, personal care moves to the Clinical supports category. Clinical supports are fully funded by the government. Participants pay nothing for them, regardless of pension status or income. Nursing, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy have always been in the Clinical category. Personal care is joining them.
The Government announced this change on 22 April 2026, committing $1 billion over four years to fund it. The announcement followed months of feedback from older Australians, families, and providers that daily personal care tasks were becoming unaffordable for some people — and that some participants were reducing or forgoing care because of the cost.
"Showering, dressing, continence care — these aren't optional extras."
— Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae, 22 April 2026
The change is confirmed and proceeding. It is independent of any other Support at Home reforms.
The Australian Government has confirmed that three specific service types are included in the reclassification:
The official service list from My Aged Care specifies showering, dressing, and non-clinical continence management as the services moving to fully funded. These are tasks that were classified as personal care under the Independence category from 1 November 2025.
Other independence services — such as social support, transport, and respite care — are not included in this reclassification. They remain in the Independence category with co-contributions still applying.
Important: "Non-clinical" continence management
The reclassification covers non-clinical continence management — help with changing incontinence aids and managing continence at home. Clinical continence support (provided by a nurse or allied health professional as part of a clinical care plan) was already in the Clinical category. If you are unsure which applies to your situation, ask your provider.
To benefit from the change, two things must be true:
How much this change matters to you depends on when you were approved for aged care services:
Approved on or before 12 September 2024
You have no-worse-off protections. Your personal care was effectively already funded at HCP-equivalent rates. The October 2026 change formally brings your personal care into the Clinical category, but the practical impact on your out-of-pocket costs may be limited depending on your existing arrangements. Confirm with your provider how the change applies to your specific situation.
Approved after 12 September 2024 but before 1 November 2025
You are on transitional fee arrangements. Personal care has attracted co-contributions under your terms. From 1 October 2026, personal care becomes fully funded — this removes your co-contribution for showering, dressing, and continence management.
Approved from 1 November 2025
You are on the full Support at Home fee arrangements and are currently paying a co-contribution for personal care. This group is most directly affected by the change. From 1 October 2026, your personal care co-contribution drops to zero.
If you were on a Home Care Package before 1 November 2025 and transitioned automatically to Support at Home, you are in the first group above.
Under the Support at Home Independence category, co-contribution rates are means-tested. Full pensioners pay the lowest rate; self-funded retirees pay the highest. The range for Independence services runs from 5% to 50% of the provider's price for each service.
From 1 October 2026, the co-contribution for personal care services drops to zero for all participant types. The government pays the full provider price.
The practical saving depends on how many hours of personal care you receive, your provider's pricing, and your current contribution rate. A self-funded retiree receiving regular showering and dressing assistance will see a more significant change than a full pensioner at the 5% rate.
What this change does for your Support at Home budget
Before 1 October 2026, your personal care co-contribution is paid out of pocket — it does not draw from your quarterly Support at Home budget. From 1 October 2026, personal care is funded from the government's Clinical supports allocation.
This means your quarterly budget — which covers Independence and Everyday Living services — is effectively freed up for other services such as domestic assistance, transport, social support, and home modifications. The same hours of personal care now cost you nothing and draw nothing from your independence or everyday living budget.
For a precise picture of what your provider charges for personal care and what you are currently contributing, check your most recent monthly statement or contact your provider directly. You can also use the Support at Home fee calculator to estimate your contribution rates across service categories.
If you were on a Home Care Package before November 2025
Under the old Home Care Package system, personal care was funded from your package pool — there was no separate co-contribution for it. If you are in the no-worse-off group (approved on or before 12 September 2024), you were not paying a co-contribution for personal care under your transitional arrangements either. For this group, the October 2026 change has less practical day-to-day impact than for participants who came onto Support at Home from 1 November 2025 onwards.
For most participants, the change applies automatically on 1 October 2026 — you do not need to reapply, request a reassessment, or contact My Aged Care. However, there are a few things worth checking before the date arrives.
Confirm personal care is in your support plan
Check your current support plan to confirm the personal care service type is approved. If it is not, you will not automatically benefit from the change. Ask your provider or contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to check. Note that adding a new service type to your plan will likely require a reassessment — this is not a simple admin change. See our assessment preparation guide for what to expect.
Ask your provider how they will apply the change
Providers are required to update their billing from 1 October 2026. Ask your provider to confirm when and how the change will appear on your statements. If you receive your first October statement and the co-contribution for personal care has not been removed, raise it with your provider immediately.
Review your service mix if appropriate
Because personal care no longer draws from your Independence budget, you may have more funding available for other services. This is worth reviewing with your provider or a care coordinator — particularly if you have been managing within a tight budget or forgoing other services due to cost.
The October 2026 reclassification is specific to personal care. The rest of the Support at Home fee structure continues to apply.
New to Support at Home? For a full comparison of how Support at Home differs from the old Home Care Package system — read the Support at Home vs Home Care Package guide.
Do I need to do anything to get the free personal care from October 2026?
If personal care is already approved as a service type in your support plan, the change applies automatically from 1 October 2026. You do not need to call My Aged Care or request a reassessment. If you are not sure whether personal care is in your plan, ask your provider.
Personal care isn't currently in my support plan. Can I get it added before October?
Yes. Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to discuss whether your assessed needs include personal care. If it is appropriate for your situation, it can be added to your support plan. Whether adding it before or after October 2026 makes a difference to your out-of-pocket costs depends on your current fee arrangements — your provider or a care coordinator can advise.
Will this change affect my quarterly budget?
Personal care funded under the Clinical category does not draw from your quarterly Independence or Everyday Living budget. This means your budget for other services may effectively go further from October 2026 — particularly if you have been using your Independence budget to offset personal care costs.
I'm a self-funded retiree. How much could I save?
Self-funded retirees currently pay the highest co-contribution rate for Independence services — up to 50% of the provider's price for each session of personal care. The exact saving depends on your provider's pricing and how many hours of personal care you receive each week. Your provider can give you a specific figure based on your current service schedule.
Does this apply to residential aged care as well?
The My Aged Care announcement confirms this reform applies to participants living in their own home or in residential aged care who are on Support at Home. If you or a family member is in a residential aged care facility under Support at Home arrangements, confirm with the facility how the change applies to their billing.
What about services that start before October 2026?
The change does not apply to services delivered before 1 October 2026. Personal care received before that date continues under the existing Independence co-contribution arrangements.
What if my provider keeps charging me a co-contribution for personal care after 1 October?
From 1 October 2026, providers are required to remove the co-contribution for personal care. If your October statement still shows a charge for showering, dressing, or continence management, raise it with your provider first. If it is not resolved, you can contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) on 1800 951 822.
I was on a Home Care Package before November 2025. Does this apply to me?
If you transitioned to Support at Home from a Home Care Package and are in the no-worse-off group (approved on or before 12 September 2024), your personal care has been protected under transitional arrangements. The October 2026 change formally brings personal care into the Clinical category. Confirm with your provider how this affects your specific billing arrangements.
Support at Home vs Home Care Package: What changed and what stayed the same
A complete comparison of the two systems for families navigating the transition.
Support at Home classifications: what each level means in hours of care
How the eight classification levels translate to real services and weekly hours.
How to prepare for your aged care assessment
What assessors look for and how to make sure the outcome reflects real need.
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