Last updated: 8 October 2026
The 56-day activation window does not start when you are approved. It starts later, and it is easy to miss.
Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. After the assessment, a Notice of Decision arrives from My Aged Care with the classification and priority category. Families read the classification number, feel relieved that something has been approved, and assume the next step will come to them.
The approval is not the start of the clock. Funding is assigned later, through the Support at Home Priority System, and a second letter arrives: the funding assignment letter, with your referral code. The 56 days run from that letter. If services have not started by then, the funding is withdrawn and goes to the next person in the queue. You would need to call My Aged Care to rejoin it. Your place is based on your original approval date, and you won't need a new assessment unless your needs have changed.
Support at Home is the Australian Government's program for funding care and support services for older Australians living at home. It replaced the Home Care Package program on 1 November 2025.
The program funds three categories of support:
Nursing, wound care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and other health services. The government covers the full cost for all participants regardless of income or assets.
Transport, social support, mobility aids, and personal care delivered before 1 October 2026. Your contribution rate is based on your income, assets, and pension status as assessed by Services Australia.
Domestic assistance (cleaning, laundry, gardening) and meal preparation. The same means-based structure as Independence support, with higher percentage rates.
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. It is still paid from your Support at Home budget, so removing the contribution does not free up budget for other services. If services are starting now, ask your provider how personal care will appear on your statements from that date.
Your classification determines your quarterly budget. There are eight classifications, assessed using the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT). Your Notice of Decision (the assessment outcome letter) states your classification number. These figures apply from 1 October 2026 and are indexed in July each year — recheck after July 2027.
| Classification | Quarterly budget | Annual budget |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,757.89 | $11,031.56 |
| 2 | $4,120.89 | $16,483.55 |
| 3 | $5,645.23 | $22,580.93 |
| 4 | $7,632.04 | $30,528.15 |
| 5 | $10,202.32 | $40,809.27 |
| 6 | $12,365.48 | $49,461.91 |
| 7 | $14,944.20 | $59,776.80 |
| 8 | $20,073.50 | $80,294.00 |
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Support at Home program – classifications and budgets, October 2026. These figures include 10% allocated to care management — your usable budget for direct services is the remaining 90%.
Unused funds carry over between quarters, capped at $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget after care management (whichever is greater). If you believe your classification is wrong, ask for a review in writing within 28 days of receiving your Notice of Decision (by email to agedcarereviews@health.gov.au, or by post). See how your aged care assessment works for what assessors look for under the IAT.
Beyond the eight standard classifications, the program has three short-term pathways (amounts for people starting from 1 October 2026):
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM): Separate needs-based funding in three tiers, up to $15,390 at the high tier, with more available for equipment with a prescribed need. Does not draw from your quarterly classification budget.
Restorative Care Pathway: $6,179.40 a unit (up to two units, $12,358.80, in 12 months) for up to 16 weeks of intensive allied health or nursing, to help regain function and delay the need for long-term care.
End-of-Life Pathway: $25,736.57 over 12 weeks, usable over up to 16 weeks. You can be referred even if not already in the Support at Home program.
These pathways are not automatically offered. If any are relevant, raise them with your assessor or My Aged Care directly.
If services have not started within 56 days of your funding assignment letter (84 with an extension), the funding is withdrawn: not paused, not deferred. It goes to the next person in the Support at Home Priority System. To get funding again, you need to call My Aged Care and rejoin the queue — see what happens if you miss the deadline for the full recovery process.
What counts as activation: Signing a service agreement with a registered Support at Home provider and starting at least one service. Your provider must also notify Services Australia that you have started, within the same window, so ask them to confirm it has been lodged.
What doesn't count: Phone calls to providers, initial conversations, requesting information. The agreement must be signed and services must have started.
If you need more time: A 28-day extension is available. Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 before your 56-day window closes — not on day 55. The extension is not automatic.
Start contacting providers in your first week after your funding assignment letter arrives. The process of finding a provider, reviewing a service agreement, and commencing services typically takes several weeks. Starting late means arriving at the deadline with no margin.
For a deeper walkthrough — including how to request the 28-day extension, what counts as "activated" in practice, and what to do if you're already close to the deadline — see the 56-day activation window.
Your quarterly budget is government-funded, but you contribute toward the cost of some services. The amount is personal — based on your income, assets, and pension status, determined through a Services Australia assessment.
Clinical care: Zero co-contribution for everyone. Nursing, wound care, physiotherapy, OT. Government funded in full regardless of your financial situation.
Independence support: Means-tested. Full pensioners pay the lowest rate; self-funded retirees without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card pay the highest.
Everyday living: Highest co-contribution. Same means-based structure as Independence support, with higher percentage rates.
The lifetime cap on non-clinical co-contributions is combined across home care and residential aged care. The current cap depends on when you entered the system:
New entrants (approved from 1 November 2025): $140,652.80 — the indexed figure as at 20 September 2026.
Grandfathered participants ('no worse off', approved on or before 12 September 2024): $88,934.57 — the indexed figure as at 20 September 2026.
Both caps are indexed on 20 March and 20 September annually. Once you reach your cap, you pay nothing for non-clinical services.
Price caps were due to start on 1 July 2026, but in May 2026 the Government paused them. Providers continue to set their own prices. They must publish their prices and cannot charge entry, exit, or separate administration fees. The Department now publishes a national summary of the prices providers charge, with the median and range for each service: use it to check how your provider compares. Ask your provider for their current service rates and whether they have changed recently.
Our guide to home care package management fees explains what's fixed, what varies between providers and what to check before you sign.
See Support at Home contribution rates explained for the full breakdown by service type and pension status.
| Feature | Home Care Package (pre Nov 2025) | Support at Home (current) |
|---|---|---|
| Funding levels | 4 levels | 8 classifications |
| Maximum annual funding | ~$63,440 (Level 4) | $80,294 (Classification 8) |
| Care and package management | Set by each provider, capped from 1 January 2023 at 20% (care) and 15% (package) of the package level | Care management is a fixed 10% of the quarterly budget; no separate package management or admin fees |
| Activation deadline | 56 days from package assignment to sign an agreement (28-day extension available) | 56 days from the funding assignment letter to sign an agreement and start services (28-day extension available) |
| Personal care costs | Co-contribution applied | No contribution from 1 Oct 2026 if approved and funded; still paid from the budget |
| Price caps | None | Paused in May 2026. Providers must publish prices. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can require a provider to refund overcharges. |
| Unspent funds rollover | Accumulated indefinitely | Capped each quarter at $1,000 or 10% of the budget after care management |
For people who transitioned from HCP, see Moving from Home Care Package to Support at Home for the specific changes that apply to your situation, and our home care package fact sheet for the budget for each Transitioned HCP Level.
These steps in order. Do not skip to step 3.
Confirm your funding assignment date
Find the funding assignment letter. It arrives after your approval, once funding is assigned through the priority system, and it includes your referral code. The date of that letter starts your 56-day clock. If you can't find it, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to confirm your classification, the date your funding was assigned, and how many days remain.
Decide whether to use a provider or self-manage
Most people use a registered Support at Home provider. This is the simpler path, especially initially. Self-management gives more direct control but involves more administrative responsibility.
Contact at least three providers
Use the Find a Provider tool at myagedcare.gov.au to compare the prices each provider publishes for the services you need. Ask each: how do you set your prices, and how often do you change them? How quickly can you start services?
Review the service agreement before signing
Confirm every service has a price, and any price above the provider's published price is explained. No entry fee, exit fee, or separate administration fee. A clear process for raising concerns. Services listed match what was agreed verbally.
Commence services and confirm activation
Once your agreement is signed and your first service has occurred, your activation is complete. Contact My Aged Care if you don't receive written confirmation within two weeks.
See how to choose a Support at Home provider for the six questions that matter most in provider conversations. If you're considering self-management instead of full provider coordination, the self-managing your home care package guide covers how that works in practice.
The Aged Care Act 2024 includes a Statement of Rights that applies to every person receiving Support at Home.
The right to information: Your provider must explain in plain language what services you'll receive, what they cost, and how your budget is spent. Your provider gives you a monthly statement so you can track spending. If your statement is unclear, you are entitled to an explanation.
The right to choose and change your provider: You can change providers at any time. Your service agreement specifies the notice period. A provider cannot penalise you for leaving.
The right to complain free from reprisal: You can raise concerns with your provider, with the ACQSC (1800 951 822), or with OPAN (1800 700 600 — free, independent advocacy) without risk of your services being reduced or ended.
The right to a care plan built around your goals: Your provider must develop a care plan that reflects what matters to you, not just what services they offer.
If any of these rights have been breached, the escalation process explains what to do and in what order.
Your funding allocation is withdrawn and given to the next person in the Support at Home priority system. Your approval doesn't lapse — you remain eligible — but you need to call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to re-enter the queue. Depending on your priority category, wait times vary. Contact My Aged Care as soon as you realise you've missed the window.
Yes. A 28-day extension is available. Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 before your 56-day window ends. The extension is not automatic and there is no guarantee — contact them early, not on day 55.
Yes, at any time. Your service agreement specifies the notice period required. Read it before initiating a transfer so you can arrange a new provider before giving notice to the existing one, avoiding a gap in services.
Classification 3 gives you $5,645.23 per quarter ($22,580.93 annually). Whether that covers your needs depends on the services you require and provider pricing. If your situation changed significantly since your assessment, or you feel the classification is too low, you have the right to request a review through My Aged Care.
They should — but follow up in writing before and after that date. Ask your provider to confirm your service agreement and monthly statement reflect that approved personal care carries no contribution from 1 October 2026 (it is still paid from your budget, so it still appears on your statement). If your statement shows a personal care contribution for care delivered after that date, raise it immediately in writing and escalate to the ACQSC if unresolved.
When you transitioned on 1 November 2025, you received a transitioned HCP level equivalent to your previous package — not a new Support at Home classification. A new classification is assigned only if you are reassessed. If your needs have increased since your last assessment, request a reassessment through My Aged Care.
OPAN is the Older Persons Advocacy Network — a free, independent advocacy service. Call 1800 700 600 if you're having difficulty with your provider, feel your rights haven't been respected, or aren't sure how to raise a concern. OPAN is not part of the government and is on your side.
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.