Support at Home, explained
The program that replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. What it funds, who qualifies, and what you actually pay.
What changed on 1 November 2025
Support at Home replaced two programs at once: Home Care Packages, and Short-Term Restorative Care. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme was not part of that change and still runs separately, and we deliver it too. It joins Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
If you only need a hand with a couple of things rather than a full package, CHSP is probably the conversation to have, and the wait is much shorter.
Three things are different in practice. Funding now comes in eight classifications instead of four package levels, which means the gap between "a bit of help" and "a lot of help" is filled in rather than being a cliff. Budgets are released quarterly. And what you contribute now depends on the type of service, not just on your income.
The eight classifications
Four package levels became eight. The old levels mapped roughly onto the middle of that range, which is why the new structure gives more room at both ends.
classifications, running from basic care needs at the lowest up to high care needs at the highest. Your assessment decides which one you get.
budgets, rather than monthly. Each classification carries a set quarterly and annual amount.
assessed or approved on or before this date and the "no worse off" principle covers you. Costs stay the same or go down, never up.
the usual wait from assessment to a package being assigned, and it can run longer.
Budget amounts are set by the government and are indexed, so rather than print figures that go stale, we will give you the current amount for your classification when we talk. You can also see it in your My Aged Care account, and it appears in your agreement before you sign. What we charge for each service is published in full on our pricing page.
The three service categories
Every service sits in one of three buckets, and the bucket determines what you contribute.
Clinical supports
Nursing, allied health, care management and restorative care management. The government funds these in full, whatever your income, which is a genuine change from how Home Care Packages worked. Our in-home nursing and allied health services sit here.
No cost to youIndependence
The services that keep you doing things for yourself: personal care, transport, respite, and social support. These carry a moderate participant contribution.
Contribution appliesEveryday living
Cleaning, laundry, meals, gardening and home maintenance. These carry the highest contribution, on the reasoning that they are costs most households have whether or not anyone needs care. Our domestic assistance, meals and home maintenance services sit here.
Contribution appliesWhat you contribute
Contribution rates are worked out from your income and your Age Pension status. Full pensioners pay the least, part pensioners sit in the middle, and self-funded retirees pay the most. The rate is applied per category, so someone paying a high rate on cleaning still pays nothing for nursing.
There is a lifetime cap on contributions, and it is indexed. Your specific rate is calculated by Services Australia, not by us, and it is written into your agreement before you sign. If a provider cannot tell you what you will pay before you commit, that is worth noticing.
If you already had a Home Care Package
You moved across automatically on 1 November 2025. No reapplication, no new assessment, and your unspent funds came with you.
If you were assessed or approved on or before 12 September 2024, the "no worse off" principle applies: your out-of-pocket costs stay the same or go down, never up. If you were paying nothing before, you pay nothing now, even if your classification increases.
Unspent funds and carrying over
Unspent Home Care Package funds were retained in full through the transition. Going forward, you can carry over a portion of an unused quarterly budget into the next quarter rather than losing it, which takes some of the pressure off using everything before an arbitrary date. The exact carry-over limit is set by the program and we will confirm the current figure with you.
Three short-term pathways
Funding that sits outside your ongoing services budget, for things that are one-off or time-limited.
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
Separate funding for equipment and modifications, so you do not have to save up from your ongoing services budget to get a shower rail or a ramp fitted.
Restorative Care Pathway
Replaces Short-Term Restorative Care. Intensive allied health and nursing for a defined period, aimed at getting function back after a fall, an illness or a hospital stay.
End of Life Pathway
Additional funding for people with a prognosis of three months or less, so care can be scaled up quickly at home.
How to get assessed
Everything starts with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, or at myagedcare.gov.au. They arrange an assessment under the Single Assessment System. An assessor, usually a nurse or another health professional, comes to your home and works through what you can manage and what has become difficult. It takes around one to three hours.
Have a think beforehand about the bad days rather than the good ones. People routinely undersell how much they are struggling in front of an assessor, then get a classification that does not reflect the help they need. If it helps, ask a family member to sit in.
The wait, and what to do about it
From assessment to a package being assigned is commonly three to six months, sometimes longer. That wait is the single most difficult part of the system and there is no way to skip it.
What you can do is start privately in the meantime. Plenty of our clients begin with a fortnightly clean or a weekly shower visit paid for directly, then shift onto their package when it arrives. The carer does not change, the routine does not restart, and the family stops having to cover the gap themselves.
Choosing us as your provider
People First Healthcare is an approved aged care provider, My Aged Care provider ID 38676. Once your package is assigned you nominate us with your referral code and we set up your agreement from there.
We deliver aged care and Support at Home services across Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Our head office is at Essendon Fields in Victoria, with a community centre at Roxburgh Park and an office and community centre at Fairfield in New South Wales. The care itself happens in your own home.
You are not locked in. A Support at Home package belongs to you, not to the provider holding it, and you can move it if the service is not right. That applies to us as much as anyone else.
Call 1800 434 002 and tell us where you are up to, whether that is an approved package, a wait for assessment, or no idea where to start. There is no charge for that conversation.
Common questions
What is the Support at Home program?
Support at Home is the Australian Government program that funds aged care services in your own home. It started on 1 November 2025 and replaced both Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care. Instead of four package levels there are now eight classifications, and funding is released as a quarterly budget rather than a monthly one.
What happened to Home Care Packages?
They ended on 1 November 2025 and became Support at Home. If you already had a package you were moved across automatically, without reapplying and without a new assessment. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme is a separate thing and has not moved yet; it joins Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
Am I eligible for Support at Home?
Generally you need to be 65 or older, or 50 or older if you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, living at home rather than in residential aged care, and an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Eligibility is decided by an assessment arranged through My Aged Care, not by us or any other provider.
How do I apply for Support at Home?
Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or apply through myagedcare.gov.au. They arrange an assessment under the Single Assessment System, usually done at home by a nurse or another health professional and taking around one to three hours. After that you are given a classification and a support plan, and you choose a provider.
How long is the wait for a Support at Home package?
Commonly three to six months from assessment to a package being assigned, and it can run longer. You do not have to wait doing nothing. Many people start privately funded services in the meantime and move onto the package when it arrives, keeping the same carers.
What do I have to pay under Support at Home?
Clinical services such as nursing and allied health are fully funded by the government and carry no participant contribution. Independence services and everyday living services do carry a contribution, and the rate depends on your income and your Age Pension status. Full pensioners contribute the least. Your exact rate is set when your package is assigned and appears in your agreement before you sign anything.
Will I be worse off after the change?
If you were assessed or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024 you are covered by the no worse off principle, which means your out-of-pocket costs stay the same or go down. If you paid no fees before, you pay none now, even if your classification goes up.
Can I change providers if I am already with someone else?
Yes. Your package belongs to you, not to your provider, and you can move it. You give your current provider notice under your existing agreement, tell My Aged Care, and your new provider sets up a new agreement. Any unspent funds move with you.
Talk to an approved provider
Tell us where you're up to and we'll explain your options. Prefer to talk? Call 1800 434 002.