1. What Is the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)?
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme, almost always shortened to CHSP, is the entry level of Australia's aged care system. It exists for the large group of older people who are managing well overall but have started to struggle with one or two specific tasks — keeping the house clean, getting to medical appointments, preparing meals safely, or maintaining the garden.
Unlike the Support at Home program, the CHSP does not give you a personal budget or a funding classification. Instead, the Australian Government funds approved CHSP providers directly, through grant agreements, to deliver set services in their local area. You choose from the services a provider is funded to offer, and you pay a small contribution toward each one. Around 1,400 providers — many of them local councils, community organisations, and not-for-profits — deliver CHSP services across Australia.
Since 1 November 2025 the CHSP has operated under the Aged Care Act 2024, with strengthened quality and regulatory requirements, but the day-to-day experience for clients did not change: same providers, same services, same small contributions.
2. Who Is CHSP For?
CHSP is designed for older people who need low-level, ongoing support to live independently. To be eligible you must be:
- Aged 65 years or over, or
- An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person aged 50 years or over, or
- Aged 50 years or over and homeless, or at risk of homelessness,
and be assessed as needing entry-level help. The CHSP also funds planned respite services, which support the carers of eligible older people. If an assessment finds your needs are higher or more complex — daily personal care, regular nursing, dementia behaviour support — you will be directed to a Support at Home classification instead, because that program is built for coordinated, higher-intensity care.
3. What Services Does CHSP Fund?
Most CHSP clients use just one or two of the following services:
- Domestic assistance: Cleaning, laundry, and general help around the house.
- Transport: Rides to appointments, shopping, and social activities.
- Meals and food services: Delivered meals (such as Meals on Wheels), centre-based meals, and help with food preparation.
- Personal care: Help with showering, dressing, and grooming.
- Home maintenance and modifications: Gardening, minor repairs, and safety installations such as grab rails and ramps.
- Social support: Group activities, day programs, and one-to-one companionship visits.
- Nursing and allied health: Basic nursing care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, and dietetics.
- Planned respite: In-home, centre-based, or cottage respite that gives family carers a regular break.
4. What Does CHSP Cost?
There is no means test for CHSP — your income and assets are not assessed. Instead, each provider has a client contribution policy and will ask you to contribute an amount you can afford toward each service you receive, with the government subsidy covering the rest. Contributions are modest and vary by provider and service type: a delivered meal, an hour of domestic help, and a transport trip are each priced differently, so ask the provider for their contribution schedule before services start. Fees should never be a barrier — a provider cannot refuse you a service simply because you cannot afford the contribution, and special arrangements exist for people experiencing financial hardship.
5. CHSP and the Support at Home Transition
When Support at Home commenced on 1 November 2025, it replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care — but deliberately not the CHSP. The government extended CHSP funding for two further years, through to 30 June 2027, and has stated that the CHSP will transition into Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027. The pause gives the entry-level system time to be redesigned carefully and gives the hundreds of thousands of CHSP clients continuity with the local providers they already know.
For current CHSP clients, the practical position is simple: nothing changes today. Your services continue, your provider stays the same, and when transition arrangements are finalised you will be contacted about what happens next. Nobody needs to reapply for an assessment just because the transition is coming.
6. CHSP vs Support at Home: Side-by-Side
| Feature | CHSP | Support at Home |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for | Entry-level needs — one or two basic services | Moderate to complex ongoing care needs |
| Funding model | Government grants paid to providers | Individual quarterly budget paid via your provider |
| Levels | None — approved per service | 8 classifications (levels), $11,031.56 to $80,294 per year |
| Assessment | Home support assessment via My Aged Care | Comprehensive assessment via My Aged Care |
| Costs to you | Small contribution per service; no means test | Clinical care free; means-tested contributions for independence and everyday living services |
| Care management | None charged | Included, capped at 10% of your budget |
| Status | Continues to 30 June 2027; joins Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027 | Commenced 1 November 2025 |
For the full program comparison, see our Support at Home vs Home Care Packages guide and the complete Support at Home service list.
7. How to Access CHSP Services
- Register with My Aged Care: Apply for an assessment online at myagedcare.gov.au or call 1800 200 422. Our My Aged Care guide walks through registration step by step.
- Complete a home support assessment: An assessor visits your home and identifies the entry-level services that will help you stay independent.
- Receive your referral codes: Your outcome letter and My Aged Care online account hold a referral code for each approved CHSP service.
- Choose a local provider: Use the Find a Provider tool on myagedcare.gov.au to find CHSP providers funded in your area, give them your referral code, and agree on services and contributions.