1. How Support at Home Is Funded
Support at Home funding begins with an aged care assessment. The assessment assigns an ongoing classification, which sets the government funding available. The participant and provider then build an individualised budget around the support plan. Funding is not unrestricted cash: Services Australia holds the government funding account, the provider can claim after delivering a service, and the participant contribution is paid to the provider.
For each service, the participant pays their set percentage of the provider's price and the government pays the remainder as subsidy, subject to available budget and eligible supplements. If an independence service costs $100, a participant on a 50% rate pays $50; a full pensioner on the standard 5% rate pays $5.
This page covers funding only. The eight levels themselves, and the needs that match each one, are explained in our Support at Home classifications guide. The approved services that funding can buy are listed in the Support at Home service list.
2. Quarterly Budgets, Carryover and Care Management
Ongoing budgets are allocated quarterly. The Department's October 2026 document puts annual funding at $11,031.56 for Classification 1 and $80,294.00 for Classification 8 ($2,757.89 and $20,073.50 per quarter), including care management.
- Care management: 10% of an ongoing participant's quarterly budget is deducted to fund care management. It is an allocation inside the budget, not an extra package management fee charged on top.
- Carryover: unspent ongoing funds can move to the next quarter only up to $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget, whichever is greater.
- Transitioned HCP funds: people who moved from a Home Care Package kept their unspent HCP funds, and no carryover limit applies to those legacy funds.
- Statements: contributions must be recorded in the individualised budget and monthly statement, and a provider may collect a contribution only after the service has been delivered.
If a quarterly budget cannot meet current needs, review the service mix with the provider first and use the existing funding where it has the most effect. If the person's needs have genuinely changed, they may need a reassessment for a higher classification. A provider can also make a private agreement for additional services outside the Support at Home budget; under that separate agreement, the participant pays the full cost, so the boundary between funded and private services should be written down clearly.
3. Participant Contribution Rates
Services Australia assesses income, assets and pension status to set the participant's rates. The rate then depends on the category of service received. Clinical supports are fully government-funded. Independence services attract a moderate contribution, while everyday living services attract the highest contribution because they are closer to costs a person would normally meet in daily life.
| Standard participant status | Clinical supports | Independence | Everyday living |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 0% | 5% | 17.5% |
| Part pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder | 0% | 5% to 50%, based on income and assets | 17.5% to 80%, based on income and assets |
| Self-funded retiree | 0% | 50% | 80% |
A major category change took effect on 1 October 2026: personal care moved from the independence contribution category to clinical supports. Approved showering, dressing and continence support delivered from that date therefore attracts no participant contribution when the participant has available Support at Home funds. Services delivered before that date keep the treatment that applied when they were delivered.
The standard lifetime cap on Support at Home contributions is $140,652.80, current at 20 September 2026. It is a combined cap with the residential Non-Clinical Care Contribution and is indexed on 20 March and 20 September.
4. Price Caps, Provider Prices and Other Fees
The most important pricing fact is also the easiest to get wrong: government-set Support at Home price caps are not currently in force. Their implementation was paused in May 2026 so the government could gain greater confidence in market stability. Until caps commence, each provider sets its own price for a service.
Prices must still be reasonable and reflect delivery costs. Providers must publish the price they most frequently charge for each service on My Aged Care and keep records showing what it includes. The Department publishes a quarterly National Summary of Support at Home Prices, encourages providers to limit increases to two per year, and monitors prices with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
A provider cannot charge an entry or exit fee, or bill separate package management, administration or travel fees on top of the service price; delivery costs belong inside the unit price. If a quote separates those items, ask for an explanation before signing.
5. What Changed from Home Care Packages?
Support at Home commenced on 1 November 2025 and replaced both the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme continues separately and will join no earlier than 1 July 2027. For the clause-by-clause comparison, read Support at Home vs Home Care Packages and the 2026 changes guide.
- Four levels became eight classifications: funding is more closely matched to assessed need, with separate short-term pathways. The classifications guide owns the level profiles.
- Monthly package thinking became quarterly budgets: ongoing funds are allocated each quarter and ordinary carryover is capped.
- Old fee labels were replaced: the Home Care Package basic daily fee and income-tested care fee framework gave way to a contribution percentage for each service received.
- Management deductions changed: the fixed 10% care-management allocation sits inside the budget, with no separate package management or administration fee.
- Clinical help became contribution-free: clinical supports carry no participant contribution, and from 1 October 2026 that also covers personal care.
- Transition protections apply: eligible Home Care Package participants kept unspent funds and may have no-worse-off rates and the lower lifetime cap.
When comparing a quote with an old Home Care Package statement, check the classification budget, care-management allocation, each service price, your contribution percentage and any legacy unspent funds — not just the headline amount. The Support at Home hub brings the related guides together.
6. Official Sources
Contribution, cap and collection rules were checked against the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's participant contributions page and Schedule of Contributions. Budgets were checked against its October 2026 classifications and budgets document, and pricing against its consumer protections announcement.