Support at Home Program 2026: What Changed for Families

This action guide covers only what changed, and what to do about it. If you need the full program overview first, start with the Support at Home program guide. This page explains the two 2026 changes, shows how to read your statement, and sets out what to do when a charge looks wrong. The support at home program 2026 changes do not ask you to reapply, and they do not change your classification on their own.

Keep this guide beside your next statement. Most 2026 problems show up in three places: a price above its cap, a personal care charge after 1 October 2026, or a fee above 10%.

What Changed in 2026

Two changes took effect in 2026: a cap on what providers can charge, and personal care moved into the fully funded clinical group. Both affect the money side of your care, not your right to care at home. Read each below, then use the checklist to check your provider applied both correctly.

Service price caps from 1 July 2026

From 1 July 2026, service price caps limit what a provider can charge per service. A cap is a maximum, not a target and not a new fee. Providers may charge at or below it, never above it. The caps sit alongside rules you already know: your classification sets your annual budget, paid in quarterly amounts, and clinical supports are funded in full.

The support at home program 2026 price caps matter most when a service price has crept up. A higher hourly rate or a bundled charge can push one service above its cap even when the statement total looks familiar. So check service by service, not just the total. Ask your provider for an itemised statement naming each service, the price charged, and the cap that applies. A single combined total with no breakdown is not enough to check.

Personal care moved to fully funded clinical supports from 1 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, personal care moved into the fully funded clinical supports group. Personal care means help with showering, dressing, grooming, and similar daily tasks. As a clinical support, it is 100% government funded, so a visit delivered from that date should not carry a co-payment.

If your statement still shows a co-payment for personal care, check the service date first. A September visit can still appear on an October statement, and the date that counts is the delivery date, not the print date. Only care delivered on or after 1 October 2026 falls under the fully funded rule. The support at home program 2026 personal care change also ends the client contribution for this help. To see where each type of help now sits, read the full Support at Home service list.

What the Support at Home Program 2026 Means for Your Statement

Your statement is where both 2026 changes become visible. Work through it in order, tick off each line, and keep a copy. Note service dates beside any line you question.

• Care management fee line: Check that the care management fee is no more than 10% of your budget. The 10% cap is a hard ceiling, so query any fee line above 10% in writing, even if the provider calls it an admin charge.
• Clinical supports line: Check that clinical supports, including nursing, allied health, and personal care from 1 October 2026, show no co-payment. They are 100% government funded, so a client charge here is a red flag.
• Independence supports line: Check that independence supports, such as mobility aids and home modifications, are listed separately from clinical care, so a wrongly grouped charge stands out.
• Everyday living supports line: Check that everyday living supports, such as cleaning, gardening, and transport, are listed separately too. A means-tested contribution can still apply here, so do not confuse a valid contribution with a charge that should not sit on a clinical line.
• Quarterly budget line: Check that the statement shows your quarterly budget, what was spent, and what remains. Your annual budget is set by your classification and paid quarterly, so a yearly total alone is not enough.
• Service price line: Check each price against its July 2026 cap. One line above its cap is enough to query.

What Did Not Change

Be clear about what stayed the same, because families sometimes treat every reform year as a full reset. It was not. The 8 classifications stayed in place, with annual budgets from $11,000 to $78,000+, set by assessed needs and paid in quarterly amounts. For detail on each level, read the 8 classifications explained guide.

The three service categories also stayed in place. Clinical supports are 100% government funded, and independence and everyday living supports keep their own rules, including any means-tested contribution for everyday living help. The 2026 changes moved personal care into the clinical group but did not rewrite the system.

The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) also stayed separate. CHSP keeps running on its own until at least 1 July 2027, so entry-level CHSP help does not move into this program yet. Keep using it as before, and do not accept a claim that CHSP ended in 2026. If you previously held a Home Care Package, our Support at Home vs Home Care Packages comparison still explains how old levels map to new classifications.

How to Challenge a Wrong Charge or Switch Providers

A wrong charge is usually fixed faster when you raise it in writing and name the exact rule. Start with your provider. Most billing errors are category or cap mistakes, correctable on the next statement once clear. Keep copies of every message and reply.

1. Ask for an itemised statement in writing. Ask the provider to list each service, its service date, its price, its funding category, and the cap that applies. Name the line you question and the rule, such as the 10% fee cap, the 1 July 2026 price cap, or the fully funded clinical rule from 1 October 2026.
2. Ask for a correction and a corrected statement. Ask the provider to remove or correct the charge and send a revised statement showing the fix. Check it line by line. A verbal promise to fix it next month is not a correction.
3. Contact My Aged Care if the provider does not fix it. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and explain the charge, the rule, and what the provider said. Our My Aged Care guide explains how to prepare. Keep your statements and messages at hand.
4. Switch providers if trust is gone. You can switch providers with no exit fee. Tell your current provider in writing, as set out in your service agreement, and ask your new provider to confirm the changeover date and that your care plan moves across.

The support at home program 2026 rules give you two protections that work best together. The price and fee caps limit what you can be charged, and no-exit-fee switching means you are not locked in with a provider that keeps getting charges wrong. For common billing questions, see the Support at Home FAQs. If a charge still looks wrong after two written queries, treat that as a sign to switch, not to keep paying it.

When Your Needs Change: Reassessment

A statement check can also reveal a different problem: your care no longer matches your needs. If your health has changed, you have had a hospital stay, your mobility has dropped, or your main carer can no longer help as before, your classification may now be too low, even when every charge is correct.

Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask for a reassessment. An assessor will review your needs and decide whether a new classification fits better, bringing a new annual budget paid quarterly. Our ACAT assessment guide explains how to prepare. Tell your provider too, and note what changed and when.

Questions Families Ask About the 2026 Changes

The answers below cover the questions families ask most about the 2026 changes. For broader questions on budgets, transition, and fee caps, read the full Support at Home FAQs. For a specific charge, work through the checklist first, then raise the exact line in writing.