Two friends from the same bowls club both get a fortnightly clean through the government’s home care program. Joan, a part pensioner, was approved for a Home Care Package in 2023. Pat, also a part pensioner with a similar income, was approved in 2026. Pat pays noticeably more for the same clean.
Neither provider has made a mistake. Since 1 November 2025, home care has run under the Support at Home program, which replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care. It has new funding levels, a new way of charging contributions, and a “no worse off” rule that protects people like Joan who were already in the system. Here’s how it works, with the figures current as at October 2026.
What Support at Home replaced
Support at Home is the main government program for older Australians who need help to stay at home. It took over from:
- the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program, levels 1 to 4
- the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme.
The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), for people with lower, entry-level needs, carries on separately. The department announced in August 2026 that CHSP has been extended to 30 June 2029.
To get in, you need an aged care assessment. Our guide to the My Aged Care assessment walks through the process.
The eight funding levels
Your assessment places you in one of eight ongoing classifications. The higher your needs, the higher the classification. These are the budgets from 1 October 2026, which were increased to reflect the Nurses Award rise. They are normally indexed each July.
| Classification | Quarterly budget | Annual amount |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
People who were already on a Home Care Package moved across automatically to a “transitioned HCP” classification with the same funding as their old level. As at 1 October 2026, those budgets are $11,294.22 a year (HCP level 1), $19,860.56 (level 2), $43,233.21 (level 3) and $65,543.98 (level 4). If you’re reassessed, you move onto the new eight-level scale.
How the budget works
- Quarterly, not annual. Your budget is released in four quarterly amounts. You get the full quarter’s amount at the start of each quarter.
- Services Australia holds it. You don’t manage the money yourself. Your provider claims against it, and you get an itemised monthly statement.
- 10% goes to care management. One-tenth of each quarterly budget is set aside for your provider’s care management, such as planning and reviewing your care.
- Limited carry-over. You can carry unspent funds into the next quarter, up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is higher. This isn’t a savings account.
- Old HCP savings stay yours. Unspent HCP funds came with you. You can use them for approved assistive technology and home modifications, or for ongoing services once your quarterly budget runs out.
Providers set their own prices and must publish them. A higher price means fewer hours from the same budget, so comparing providers is worth the effort.
What you pay: three categories
This is the biggest change. Under HCP, you paid a daily fee. Under Support at Home, you pay a percentage of the price of each service you use, and the percentage depends on the type of service.
- Clinical supports: nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry, care management. No contribution for anyone.
- Independence: things like support to attend appointments, remedial massage and AT-HM equipment. A moderate contribution.
- Everyday living: cleaning, gardening and similar domestic help. The highest contribution.
The personal care change from 1 October 2026
Personal care, such as help with showering, dressing and toileting, began in the independence category. From 1 October 2026 it moved into clinical supports, so the government fully funds it. If personal care is in your support plan, you pay nothing for it. It still comes out of your budget, though, so there’s no extra funding. Services delivered before 1 October still attract a contribution even if they’re claimed later.
Standard contribution rates
Your rate within each category depends on an income and assets assessment by Services Australia. For full and part pensioners, it uses the information Services Australia already holds. These are the rates in the schedule from 20 September 2026:
| Your status | Clinical | Independence | Everyday living |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 0% | 5% | 17.5% |
| Part pensioner or self-funded Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder | 0% | 5% to 50% | 17.5% to 80% |
| Self-funded, no CSHC (or you don’t disclose your means) | 0% | 50% | 80% |
So if a clean costs $80 an hour, a full pensioner pays $14 and a self-funded retiree without a CSHC pays $64. Part pensioners pay somewhere in between, on a taper. As with the Age Pension, your home is exempt from the assets test. Our explainers on the Age Pension assets test and the family home and the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card show why your pension and card status matter here.
If you don’t give Services Australia your income and assets information, you’re charged at the maximum rate. If you’re entitled to a lower rate, fill in the forms.
The lifetime cap
Contributions under the standard rates are capped over your lifetime at $140,652.80, as at 20 September 2026. The cap is indexed every March and September. Once you reach it, you pay no more contributions for Support at Home services.
The no-worse-off rule
This explains Joan and Pat. If, on 12 September 2024, you were receiving a Home Care Package, waiting on the National Priority System, or approved as eligible for a package, you’re covered by the no-worse-off principle. You’ll pay the same as, or less than, you would have under the old HCP arrangements, even if you’re later reassessed to a higher classification.
| No-worse-off status | Clinical | Independence | Everyday living |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Part pensioner or CSHC holder | 0% | 0% to 25% | 0% to 25% |
| Self-funded retiree | 0% | 25% | 25% |
The old HCP lifetime cap of $88,934.57 (as at 20 September 2026, indexed) still applies to this group. If you were assessed as not having to pay HCP fees, you’ll never be asked to pay contributions under Support at Home.
The short-term pathways
As well as ongoing services, Support at Home has three short-term options, each funded separately. These figures are for people starting from 1 October 2026:
- Restorative Care Pathway: intensive allied health or nursing to help you regain function, for example after a fall or hospital stay. Funding is $6,179.40 per unit, usually over 16 weeks, with up to two units in 12 months.
- End-of-Life Pathway: for people with three months or less to live who want to stay at home. Funding is $25,736.57, budgeted over 12 weeks but usable for up to 16 weeks.
- Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme: upfront funding for equipment and home changes, so you don’t have to save from your ongoing budget.
AT-HM funding tiers
| Tier | Assistive technology | Home modifications |
|---|---|---|
| Low | $513 | $513 |
| Medium | $2,052 | $2,052 |
| High | $15,390 (more with a prescribed need) | $15,390 |
Funding is generally available for 12 months. Complex home modifications can get another 12 months if evidence is provided to Services Australia. AT-HM items attract the independence contribution rate, but prescription and wraparound services, such as an OT working out what you need, are free.
Our take
Support at Home is clearer than the old package system in some ways: budgets are visible, personal care is now free, and clinical care costs nothing. But for self-funded retirees, regular cleaning and gardening are now much dearer than many expected. For anyone who needs a lot of everyday help, that changes the sums on staying at home versus moving somewhere with services on site. We weigh that up in retirement village or ageing in place.
Before you choose a provider, use the My Aged Care fee estimator, compare price lists, and ask each provider how they’d spend your quarterly budget.
Official sources: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Support at Home program; My Aged Care: Support at Home costs and contributions; Schedule of contributions for Support at Home services (PDF); Support at Home classifications and budgets (PDF); My Aged Care: Personal care contribution changes.
FAQ
When did Support at Home start?
On 1 November 2025. It replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. People on a package moved across automatically.
Do full pensioners pay anything?
Under the standard rates, full pensioners pay nothing for clinical care (which now includes personal care), 5% for independence services and 17.5% for everyday living services. Full pensioners covered by the no-worse-off rule pay nothing at all.
Who is covered by the no-worse-off rule?
Anyone who, on 12 September 2024, was receiving a Home Care Package, was on the National Priority System, or had been approved as eligible for a package. They pay no more than they would have under the old HCP rules.
Is there a cap on what I’ll pay?
Yes. Under the standard rates, there’s a lifetime cap of $140,652.80 as at 20 September 2026. For people covered by the no-worse-off rule, the cap is $88,934.57. Both are indexed.
Can I save up my budget for something big?
Only a little. You can carry over up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is higher. Equipment and home modifications are funded separately through the AT-HM scheme.
This article is general information only and isn’t financial, legal or medical advice. Support at Home budgets, contribution rates and caps are indexed and change several times a year, so check current figures with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or at myagedcare.gov.au, and consider independent financial advice.
