Last updated: 25 September 2026
Support at Home launched on 1 November 2025. It replaced the Home Care Packages program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. If someone was receiving a Home Care Package before that date, they moved across automatically.
The funding model works differently from the old system — and whether you pay anything at all now depends on which type of service you're accessing, not just how much you earn.
Support at Home is the Australian Government's main program for funding in-home aged care for older Australians who want to remain living at home. It provides a quarterly budget based on assessed care needs, which can be spent on approved services from a registered provider.
To access it, a person needs to be assessed through My Aged Care. The assessment determines which of eight funding classifications they receive — each with a different quarterly budget. The classification is based on care needs, not income.
The Home Care Package program had four levels. Support at Home has eight classifications — more granular, designed to better match funding to actual need. Several other things changed at the same time:
Quarterly budgets replaced annual budgets. Funding is now released in four instalments throughout the year. 10% of every quarterly budget is set aside for care management. The service list is explicit — providers must publish their prices, and national price caps were due to start on 1 July 2026 but were paused in May 2026. Co-contributions are now tied to service category, not just income.
The package management fee — previously charged by many providers — was abolished when Support at Home launched.
Under Support at Home, every service is grouped into one of three categories. The category determines whether you pay anything at all, and how much.
Services in this category are fully funded by the Australian Government for all participants. You pay nothing regardless of your income or assets.
This includes nursing care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, podiatry, psychology, social work, continence support, and nutritional management.
From 1 October 2026, personal care joins this category for contribution purposes. It is still paid from your budget. See below.
You pay a contribution based on your income and assets as assessed by Services Australia. The contribution rate ranges from 5% (lower income) to 50% (higher income/assets). Personal care delivered before 1 October 2026 sits in this category.
Also includes: transport, social support, respite.
Domestic and household tasks like gardening and cleaning fall in the everyday-living category, which attracts the highest participant contribution rates.
Includes: domestic cleaning, gardening, meal preparation, shopping.
This changes things for many people currently on Support at Home.
From 1 October 2026, personal care moves into the Clinical Supports contribution category. If it is approved in your support plan and there is funding available, you pay no contribution for it, whatever your income.
Personal care delivered before 1 October 2026 sits in the Independence category and may attract a contribution depending on your income. From 1 October 2026 the contribution ends for approved personal care, but it is still paid from your quarterly budget, so it does not free up budget for other services. Personal care covers showering, non-clinical continence management, dressing, eating, personal hygiene and help taking your own medication.
To pay no contribution for personal care, two conditions must be met: the personal care service type must be approved in the person's support plan, and available Support at Home funding must exist. For people already receiving personal care, the reclassification applies automatically. For people who haven't had personal care formally approved in their plan, a support plan review will be needed first.
The change does not apply to personal care services delivered before 1 October 2026.
The starting point is My Aged Care — either by calling 1800 200 422 or registering online at myagedcare.gov.au. An assessor will conduct an in-home assessment using the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT). The assessment determines the classification.
After assessment, the person receives a Notice of Decision and has 28 days to challenge the classification if they believe it doesn't reflect their needs.
Once a classification is in place, the person finds a registered provider, signs a service agreement, and their quarterly budget begins. The provider claims payments from Services Australia after services are delivered.
In addition to ongoing classifications, Support at Home has three short-term pathways (amounts for people starting from 1 October 2026):
The Restorative Care Pathway provides $6,179.40 a unit (up to two units, $12,358.80, in 12 months) for intensive allied health or nursing over up to 16 weeks, to help regain function and delay the need for long-term care.
The End-of-Life Pathway provides $25,736.57 over 12 weeks (usable over up to 16 weeks) for people with 3 months or less to live who want to stay at home.
The Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme provides separate needs-based funding for equipment, aids and home modifications — in three tiers of $513, $2,052 and $15,390, each for 12 months, with more for equipment with a prescribed need — which does not draw from the quarterly classification budget.
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) continues separately: in August 2026 the government extended CHSP to 30 June 2029. People currently receiving entry-level support through CHSP — meals, transport, some domestic help — do not need to take any action at this stage. CHSP and Support at Home operate as separate programs.
No one will pay more than $140,653 in out-of-pocket costs for non-clinical care across their lifetime — whether receiving care at home or in residential aged care. This cap applies to Independence and Everyday Living contributions. Clinical services are fully government-funded and do not count toward the cap.
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.
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Got your funding assignment letter? Your 56 days count from the date on it.
In that time you need to choose a provider, sign an agreement and have services start. You can ask My Aged Care for 28 more days. Our free provider guide shows what to ask and what to check before you sign. Independent — no sales calls.
Read the free provider guide →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.