Support at Home program (2026): funding, levels & how to apply
Support at Home is the Australian Government's single funding program for in-home aged care. It replaced Home Care Packages and the Short-Term Restorative Care program on 1 November 2025, and it will absorb the Commonwealth Home Support Programme from July 2027. If a parent or partner needs help to keep living at home safely, this is now the pathway that pays for it. This guide covers what the program is, who qualifies, the eight classification levels and their quarterly budgets, what services are actually funded, how much you contribute, how to apply through My Aged Care, and what happens if you were on a Home Care Package when the switch happened.
What Support at Home is and why it replaced Home Care Packages
Support at Home is the new national program that funds Australian Government-subsidised in-home aged care. It sits inside the new Aged Care Act 2024 and started on 1 November 2025. It replaced the four Home Care Package levels and the Short-Term Restorative Care program, and it will fold in the Commonwealth Home Support Programme by July 2027. The design goal is simpler: one program, one assessment, one national provider list, and quarterly budgets that stretch further because unspent funds now roll over. The old system had four fixed package levels, long queues (over 60,000 people at times), and a set of add-on programs that most families found confusing. Support at Home widens the ladder to eight classification levels, adds separate short-term pathways for restorative care and end-of-life care, and lets you use unspent quarterly funds later in the year. The Government publishes the rules through the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and services are booked and reviewed through the My Aged Care portal.
Who qualifies and how eligibility is decided
Support at Home is for older people who need help to keep living independently at home. In practice that means anyone over 65 (or over 50 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, or over 50 with a low income and homelessness risk) whose everyday tasks (showering, cooking, moving safely, managing medication, getting to appointments) have become harder. You do not need a diagnosis, and you do not need to wait for a crisis. Eligibility is decided by the Single Assessment System, which replaced the old split between the Regional Assessment Service and Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACAT/ACAS) on 1 July 2024. A trained assessor visits at home for about 60 to 90 minutes, works through your health, medications, home layout and goals, and recommends an ongoing classification level, a short-term pathway, or entry-level support through what was the Commonwealth Home Support Programme. You can self-refer through My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, be referred by a GP or hospital, or start online at myagedcare.gov.au.
The eight classification levels and how much funding they give
Support at Home has eight ongoing classification levels, each with a set quarterly budget the Government pays your provider on your behalf. Level 1 is the lightest support (roughly $10,000 to $11,000 a year, indexed) and is for people who need occasional help with cleaning, transport or shopping. Levels 2 to 4 broadly cover what used to be Home Care Package Levels 1 to 3. Levels 5 to 7 cover complex care that used to sit inside a Home Care Package Level 4 plus supplements, with the top-of-scale Level 8 funded at around $78,000 a year for people with the highest ongoing needs. On top of the ongoing level you may also be approved for two short-term pathways: a Restorative Care Pathway (up to 12 weeks of intensive allied health and reablement) and an End-of-Life Pathway (up to 16 weeks of extra funding, capped near $25,000, when a clinician confirms a prognosis of three months or less). Assistive technology and home modifications are funded through a separate scheme that sits alongside the ongoing budget.
What the program pays for
Services are grouped into three categories, and each has its own contribution rules (covered in the next section). The Clinical Care category covers nursing, allied health, care management, and clinical case coordination. The Independence category covers personal care (help with showering, dressing, toileting, transfers), respite in the home, social support, and transport to appointments. The Everyday Living category covers domestic help (cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, gardening), home maintenance, and meals. The separate Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme funds items like grab rails, ramps, shower chairs, hospital beds, and mobility aids, with different approval tiers depending on the cost and complexity of the item. Anything that is a person's normal cost of living (rent, groceries, utilities, personal entertainment, holidays) is specifically excluded. If a service is not on your care plan, your provider cannot bill it to your budget.
What you contribute and how the means test works
The biggest change in Support at Home is how contributions are calculated. The Australian Government pays 100 per cent of Clinical Care for everyone, regardless of income and assets. That is a major shift from Home Care Packages, where a means-tested care fee applied across the whole budget. Independence services are means-tested at a maximum contribution of 50 per cent for full pensioners and up to about 50 per cent for self-funded retirees, tapered by income and assets. Everyday Living services are means-tested at a maximum contribution of 17.5 per cent for full pensioners and up to 80 per cent for self-funded retirees. Services Australia runs the assessment (the same one used for residential aged care) and issues a contribution rate letter. There is a lifetime cap on contributions across in-home and residential aged care combined, indexed each year, so contributions stop once you hit the cap. The 'no worse off' guarantee (see below) protects most people who were already on Home Care Packages from paying more than they would have under the old rules.
How to apply, step by step
Step one, register: call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm) or start online at myagedcare.gov.au. Have your Medicare number, a short list of the tasks that have become difficult, and your GP details ready. Step two, assessment: an assessor will book a home visit through the Single Assessment System, usually within two to six weeks. Have a family member or carer present if possible. Step three, outcome and classification: within two to four weeks you receive a written support plan that sets your classification level, any short-term pathways, and any assistive technology or home modification approvals. Step four, choose a provider: browse the national provider list on My Aged Care, compare prices (there are new price caps, so quotes should sit close together), and book an in-person meeting with two or three providers before you sign. Step five, sign a service agreement: it must set out services, prices, notice periods and how unspent budget is handled. Step six, start services and review: providers must reconcile your quarterly budget and offer a formal review at least once a year, or sooner if your needs change.
The Home Care Package transition and the 'no worse off' guarantee
If you were receiving a Home Care Package on 30 September 2025 or you were on the National Priority System, the Government's 'no worse off' guarantee applies. In practice that means three things. First, your classification carries across: a Home Care Package Level 1, 2, 3 or 4 is mapped to a comparable Support at Home classification (usually Levels 2 to 6) with a quarterly budget that is at least as large as your previous package. Second, your contribution rate is grandfathered: if you were paying a means-tested care fee under the old rules, you continue on those terms rather than the new contribution scheme, provided your circumstances do not change materially. Third, any unspent Home Care Package funds you built up before the transition remain available to you inside your Support at Home budget. You can also stay with your existing provider or move at any time, and your provider must have already reissued your service agreement to reflect the new program. If they have not, that is worth chasing.
Support at Home versus residential aged care
Support at Home funds care at home. Residential aged care funds a bed inside an aged care home. The two are separately funded, and both need an assessment through the Single Assessment System, but they are not mutually exclusive: you can use Support at Home for as long as it works, then move into a residential aged care home when it does not. The right pivot point is different for every family, but three signals usually tip the balance toward residential: overnight care needs that a rostered visit cannot meet safely, wandering or dementia-related risks that need a secure environment, or a primary carer who is themselves at breaking point. If you are weighing up the two, price the total cost of both options first (Support at Home at your classification level, plus your contribution, versus residential daily fees, means-tested care fee and accommodation payment) and factor in the emotional cost of moving. Our guides on aged care fees and the Refundable Accommodation Deposit break down the residential side of the equation.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Three mistakes come up over and over. First, waiting until a crisis to apply. Assessment times run two to six weeks and provider onboarding runs another two to four, so a family that starts after a hospital admission often faces a gap where nothing is funded. Register with My Aged Care as soon as everyday tasks start slipping, even if you are not sure you need help yet. Second, signing with the first provider who calls. There is a national price cap, but providers still charge different rates for the same services and vary widely on responsiveness. Meet at least two before you sign. Third, treating the quarterly budget as spare cash. Providers cannot bill anything that is not on your care plan, and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission audits both providers and care plans. Keep an itemised statement each quarter, check it against your plan, and query anything that does not fit. If a service is being pushed on you that you do not want, say no: your budget is yours to direct within the program rules.
Frequently asked questions
Authoritative sources
The figures and rules in this guide are drawn from the following official and independent sources. Open any link to verify the latest published numbers.
- Support at Home program — overview
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- Support at Home — for older people
My Aged Care
- Aged Care Act 2024
Federal Register of Legislation
- Support at Home — service requirements for providers
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
- Apply for an aged care assessment
My Aged Care
Related guides
About this guide
Written and reviewed by the Nursing Home Match editorial team. We update guides at least annually and verify every figure against the official sources listed above. This guide is general information, not personal, medical, financial or legal advice. Always confirm details on Medicare.gov Care Compare (United States) or My Aged Care (Australia), or speak to a qualified adviser before making decisions.