Last updated: 6 September 2026
As at 30 June 2026, 106,977 people were waiting for an ongoing Support at Home place, while 390,901 had one. The median wait from applying to services starting is about 10 months (297 days).
But the official waitlist no longer counts everyone who is waiting. Since the November 2025 reforms, people receiving interim funding — 60% of their approved budget — have been removed from the published list. Before the reforms, they stayed on it until their full package arrived.
An ABC Four Corners investigation broadcast on 17 August 2026 reported that, counted the way it was counted previously, the number waiting for their full approved funding was 153,909, not the 100,191 officially reported — a difference of 53,718 people. Aged Care Minister Sam Rae denied the method had changed, saying the waitlist "has always been manufactured, or calculated the way it currently is," and that people are on interim packages for an average of 10 weeks. The same investigation reported that 4,812 people died while waiting for their approved funding in 2024–25.
If you are on 60% interim funding, you are still waiting for the remaining 40% — but you may no longer appear on the published waitlist. That does not affect your entitlement. It does mean the public figures understate how many families are in your position.
You are not alone, and you have not been forgotten.
Being approved for Support at Home and then hearing nothing is one of the most common and most disorienting experiences in the aged care system. The letter says you've been approved. The clock says care is needed. The phone doesn't ring.
This guide explains exactly how the queue works, what your priority category means, what interim funding is, and what you can do to get practical help moving while you wait. For the full picture of how the program fits together, start with navigating Support at Home.
Approval means you have been assessed as eligible for Support at Home services. It does not mean funding has been allocated. Funding is released quarterly — in July, October, January, and April. How quickly you receive it depends on your priority category and overall demand at the time of allocation.
The Support at Home Priority System replaced the old Home Care Package National Priority System on 1 November 2025. The mechanics changed but the underlying reality did not: there is more assessed need than immediately available funding. The government releases funding progressively, and people in higher priority categories receive it first.
This is a systemic issue, not an administrative error. The escalation ladder covers what to do if your wait has been unreasonably long or your needs have significantly deteriorated since assessment.
Most families experience three separate waits. Understanding which one you are in tells you what action is available.
Typical timeline: 2–6 weeks after you call My Aged Care
After you register with My Aged Care, an assessment organisation contacts you to arrange an in-home assessment visit. How quickly this happens depends on your assessed urgency. If the situation is urgent — recent hospital discharge, safety risk at home, significant decline — say so clearly when you register. Urgency affects the timeline.
Typical timeline: Up to 2 weeks after the assessment visit
After the assessment, the assessor submits their findings and a delegate reviews and approves the classification recommendation. You then receive your Notice of Decision letter — which confirms your classification and starts your access approval date. The clock on your 56-day activation window does not start until this letter arrives.
Typical timeline: Varies significantly by priority category
This is the variable wait — the one that can stretch from weeks to months. Your priority category determines where you sit in the queue. Within your priority level, allocation is generally based on your access approval date. Interim funding at 60% of your budget is offered when wait times exceed expectations.
The Support at Home Priority System assigns each approved participant a priority category based on their assessed care needs, risk factors, and circumstances. There are four main categories for ongoing Support at Home services:
There are two different clocks here, and confusing them is why so many families feel misled.
Clock 1 — approval to funding. This is what the government publishes, and what the four categories below describe. It starts from the access approval date on your outcome letter.
Clock 2 — application to services actually starting. This is the whole journey, including the assessment queue before approval. The Department's own Wait Times Report put the median for ongoing Support at Home at 347 days — the longest of any service type it measured, against 15 days for the End-of-Life Pathway and around 3 months for assistive technology and home modifications.
Both numbers are accurate. They measure different things. If you have already been approved, Clock 1 is the one that applies to you — but these are estimates the government updates as demand changes, not commitments.
For people with immediate, high-risk care needs — typically recent hospital discharge, acute deterioration, or significant safety risk at home. Urgent priority is not offered interim funding; full funding is allocated within one month of your access approval date.
For people with significant care needs that are not immediately life-threatening. The published estimate for high priority came down to around 1 month at the June 2026 update, from 1–2 months earlier in the year.
For people with moderate-to-significant care needs falling between high and standard priority. The published estimate came down to 5–6 months at the June 2026 update, from 6–7 months earlier in the year.
For people with moderate care needs — the longest of the categories, and unchanged across recent updates. If your needs increase significantly while you are in the standard queue, contact My Aged Care: a Support Plan Review is how a reassessment starts. If a reassessment gives you a higher classification while you wait, your place in the queue still counts from your original approval date.
Source: myagedcare.gov.au, last updated 30 June 2026. These estimates are updated as new data becomes available — check directly for current figures.
When wait times for ongoing funding are longer than expected, the government may offer interim funding — 60% of your approved classification budget — so you can begin receiving critical services while you wait for full allocation.
Interim funding is genuinely useful. It lets you sign a service agreement and start critical services rather than waiting with nothing. But three consequences catch families out.
Your 56-day clock starts
You have 56 days from the date of your letter to enter into a service agreement and start services. You can request a 28-day extension from My Aged Care. If you do not start within that period, the funding is withdrawn and allocated to the next person.
The remaining 40% is not backdated
When your full allocation arrives, your budget increases from that day forward. You do not receive the difference for the months you spent on 60%.
You may no longer be counted as waiting
Since November 2025, people on interim funding have been removed from the published waitlist. Your entitlement to the remaining 40% is unaffected — but if you are wondering why the official numbers look better than what you are experiencing, this is part of the reason.
Waiting for Support at Home funding does not mean waiting for all care. Several options are available while the queue moves.
Ask My Aged Care about CHSP
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme provides entry-level support — cleaning, meals, transport, social support, personal care — and continues as a separate program: in August 2026 the government extended CHSP to 30 June 2029. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and specifically ask whether CHSP is available in your area while you wait for Support at Home funding. See the first 72 hours guide (agedcareactionplan.au/guides/first-72-hours) for what CHSP covers. Not every operator will mention it unprompted.
Research and shortlist providers now
Use the waiting period to compare at least 3 registered providers. Get their fee percentages, service lists, and worker availability in your area in writing. When funding is allocated, you want to be able to sign an agreement within days — not start the provider search from scratch. See the guide to choosing a provider for what to ask.
Check your account status is 'seeking services'
Log into your My Aged Care Online Account and confirm your status shows 'seeking services' — not 'not seeking services.' If it shows 'not seeking services,' you will not be offered funding when it becomes available, regardless of your priority category.
Keep records if your needs change
If your health or care situation deteriorates significantly while you are in the queue, contact My Aged Care to discuss whether a priority reassessment is warranted. Document specific incidents — falls, hospitalisations, increased dependence — with dates. This is what supports a reassessment request.
Contact OPAN if the wait is unreasonably long
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) provides free, independent advocacy for people in the aged care system. If you believe your priority category does not reflect your needs, or if your wait has been significantly longer than the published estimates, OPAN can help you raise this formally. Call 1800 700 600.
If you were on the National Priority System waiting for a Home Care Package before 1 November 2025, you automatically transitioned to the Support at Home Priority System. You kept your place in the queue — you were not pushed to the back.
When funding becomes available, you will receive a Support at Home classification equivalent to the Home Care Package level you were approved for. A new assessment is only required if your care needs have changed significantly and you want to be considered for a higher classification level.
"Hi, I'm calling to check the status of my Support at Home application. My reference number is [number]. I was approved on [date] and I want to confirm my priority category and ask for an estimated timeline for funding allocation. Can you also confirm whether the Commonwealth Home Support Programme has anything available in my area in the meantime?"
If your care needs have significantly deteriorated since your original assessment — a fall, a hospitalisation, a carer no longer being available — contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask specifically about a priority reassessment or urgent reallocation.
If you are in hospital right now, ask the hospital social worker about Transition Care — a separate program providing up to 12 weeks of post-discharge support that bypasses the standard Support at Home queue. This must be arranged while you are still an admitted patient.
If My Aged Care is not responding to your urgency, the escalation ladder sets out the formal steps — including OPAN advocacy (1800 700 600) and, if necessary, the ACQSC (1800 951 822).
It depends on your priority category. As at 30 June 2026: urgent within 1 month, high around 1 month, medium around 5–6 months, and standard around 7–8 months. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current figures. If waits exceed expectations, interim funding at 60% of your budget is offered while you wait for full allocation — note the remaining 40% is not backdated.
Interim funding is 60% of your approved classification budget. You don't apply — My Aged Care contacts you if eligible. You can sign a service agreement and begin services. The remaining 40% is allocated when available and is not backdated.
Ask about CHSP services in the short term. Shortlist at least 3 providers. Keep records of your needs — if your situation deteriorates, request a priority reassessment. Confirm your status is 'seeking services' in your My Aged Care Online Account.
It replaced the old National Priority System on 1 November 2025. Funding is allocated by priority category — urgent, high, medium, or standard — not purely by date. Urgent needs are always prioritised. Within each level, allocation is generally by approval date.
Yes, in many cases. CHSP continues as a separate program: in August 2026 the government extended CHSP to 30 June 2029. Ask My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 whether CHSP is available in your area. It's often the fastest way to get practical help while the Support at Home queue moves.
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.