Support at Home budget calculator
Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. Eight classifications set how much government funding you receive each year. Pick a classification to see what it is actually worth after care management.
Your classification is assigned by a government assessment, not chosen. If you have not been assessed yet, this shows what each level is worth.
Budgets as at 1 July 2026, indexed each 1 July. Your exact budget is confirmed by My Aged Care after assessment.
What you might contribute
Your contribution depends on the type of service, not just your means:
- Clinical care (nursing, allied health): No contribution. Clinical care such as nursing and allied health is fully government funded.
- Independence (personal care, transport): Starts at 5% for full pensioners. Your exact rate is set by Services Australia based on income and assets.
- Everyday living (cleaning, gardening, meals): Starts at 17.5% for full pensioners. Your exact rate is set by Services Australia based on income and assets.
From 1 October 2026, the government has announced personal care services will be fully funded with no participant contribution. A lifetime cap of $137,917.01 applies to non-clinical contributions (lower if you are protected by no-worse-off arrangements from the old Home Care Package program).
Price caps on what providers can charge were deferred in May 2026, which means prices still vary a lot between providers. Comparing before you commit matters more right now, not less.
All eight Support at Home classifications, in full
Figures as at 1 July 2026, indexed each July. Budgets are paid quarterly. Care management is capped at 10% of the budget, so the final column is what is actually left to spend on hours of care.
| Classification | Annual budget | Per quarter | Care management (max) | Left for services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classification 1 | $11,010 | $2,753 | $1,101 | $9,909 |
| Classification 2 | $16,451 | $4,113 | $1,645 | $14,806 |
| Classification 3 | $22,537 | $5,634 | $2,254 | $20,283 |
| Classification 4 | $30,469 | $7,617 | $3,047 | $27,422 |
| Classification 5 | $40,730 | $10,182 | $4,073 | $36,657 |
| Classification 6 | $49,365 | $12,341 | $4,937 | $44,429 |
| Classification 7 | $59,660 | $14,915 | $5,966 | $53,694 |
| Classification 8 | $80,137 | $20,034 | $8,014 | $72,123 |
A worked example
Say your assessment puts you at classification 4, an annual budget of $30,469. That is about $7,617 a quarter. Your provider may take up to $3,047 a year for care management, leaving roughly $27,422 for actual services.
What that buys depends entirely on the provider’s hourly rates, and because price caps were deferred, those rates vary widely. At $75 an hour that budget is roughly 365 hours a year, about seven hours a week. At $95 an hour it is closer to 288 hours, or five and a half hours a week. Same funding, nearly two hours a week of difference. That gap is the single strongest argument for comparing providers before you sign.
Hourly rates above are illustrative examples to show how sensitive your hours are to price, not quoted rates from any provider. Always ask for a provider’s current price list in writing.
How your contribution is worked out
Your budget is the government’s contribution. Separately, you may pay a share of the cost of some services, set by Services Australia from your income and assets. The split is by service type, not by provider: clinical care no contribution. clinical care such as nursing and allied health is fully government funded., independence services starts at 5% for full pensioners. your exact rate is set by services australia based on income and assets., and everyday living services starts at 17.5% for full pensioners. your exact rate is set by services australia based on income and assets.. Full pensioners sit at the bottom of those ranges and self-funded retirees at the top.
Two protections matter. A lifetime cap of $137,917.01 applies to non-clinical contributions across your whole time in aged care, including any later move into a residential home. And from 1 October 2026, personal care becomes fully funded with no contribution at all.
The full Support at Home guide · How much aged care costs overall · Residential room deposit calculator