Support at Home, explained

On 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages as the way the Australian Government funds care in your own home. If the new system feels confusing, that is not you; it genuinely changed almost everything: budgets, fees, contributions and the rules providers work under.

The one-paragraph version

After a government assessment, you are assigned one of eight classifications. Each classification carries an annual budget, from $11,010 (classification 1) to $80,137 (classification 8), paid quarterly. You choose a provider, and they deliver services against that budget. The provider can keep up to 10% of the budget for care management. Depending on the type of service and your means, you may contribute towards some services. Your budget follows you if you switch providers, and exit fees are banned.

The eight classifications

Budgets as at 1 July 2026: classification 1: $11,010, classification 2: $16,451, classification 3: $22,537, classification 4: $30,469, classification 5: $40,730, classification 6: $49,365, classification 7: $59,660, classification 8: $80,137. Try the budget calculator to see what your level is worth after care management.

What you contribute

• Clinical care (nursing, physiotherapy and other allied health): fully government funded, no contribution.
• Independence services (personal care, transport): contributions start at 5% for full pensioners; Services Australia sets your exact rate from income and assets.
• Everyday living (cleaning, gardening, meals): contributions start at 17.5% on the same means-tested basis.

The government has announced personal care will be fully funded from 1 October 2026. A lifetime cap of $137,917 applies to non-clinical contributions. If you moved across from a Home Care Package, no-worse-off protections apply and your cap is lower.

The price cap deferral matters more than it sounds

Price caps on what providers can charge per service were due on 1 July 2026 and were deferred in May 2026. Until caps arrive, providers set their own prices, and the difference between an efficient provider and an expensive one on the same classification can be thousands of dollars of care hours per year. Right now, comparing providers is the single highest-value hour a family can spend.

Where to start

1. Not assessed yet? Apply through My Aged Care first; nothing is funded until assessment.
2. While you wait, shortlist providers servicing your suburb: browse home care providers or request a free shortlist.
3. Already with a provider who is underdelivering? Read switching home care providers. Your budget moves with you.