Support at Home

Support at Home is Australia’s new home care system. It replaces the current Home Care Package program and Short-Term Restorative Care program and takes effect nationally on 1 July 2025. The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) will transition to Support at Home after 1 July 2027. 

Support at Home seeks to keep older Australians living in their homes longer by addressing the issues raised by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety including: 

• More access to services, equipment and home modifications 
• Reduced wait times for accessing home care 
• More support levels for home care, including earlier access to restorative care and greater support for end-of-life care 
• Tougher regulations on home care providers 

The Support at Home Program takes effect nationally on 1 July 2025. On Monday 30 June 2025, the current Home Care Package program will end and the following day, Tuesday 1 July Support at Home begins. 

From 1 July 2025, the Support at Home program will replace Home Care Packages (HCP). At a high level here’s what’s changing:

•  New Funding Classifications – Eight funding classifications will be available and the highest level of support will include a maximum annual funding of up to $78,000 per person. This is an increase from level 4 maximum funding of $61,000 to support complex needs at home.  If you are already receiving a home care package, you will remain on your 1-4 level funding; if you are reassessed after 1 July, you will be allocated funding against the 1-8 categories.  

• Interim funding allocation – if wait times for allocation of service funding exceed expectations, you will be assigned an interim allocation of 60% of your Support at Home classification budget while you wait to receive the full funding. 

• Short-term Care Pathways – In addition to the eight funding classifications, there are two short-term care pathways of Restorative Care and End-of-Life. 

• Assistive Technology and Home Modification (AT-HM) Funding – This will be separate funding provided to assessed eligible participants with three distinct funding tiers (low, medium and high) for each category, and each tier will have a set period during which funding must be used. 

• Service Categories and List Rules – Three categories of support services will be available: Clinical Care, Independence and Everyday Living. Each category will have its own service types and participant contribution arrangements. Depending on approved services you will not be able to access services that are within a different category. 

• New Contribution Fee Structure – your contributions will be based on two factors; the services you receive within service categories and your income and assets. Your income and assets will be determined by the Aged Pension Means Test. A cap tracked by Services Australia will ensure no one pays more than $130,000 in non-clinical care costs over their lifetime.   

• ‘No Worse Off’ Rule – If you were receiving, on the waitlist or assessed for a Home Care Package before 12 September 2024, you will make the same or a lower contribution as you do now. 

• Quarterly Budgets – Funding will shift from a daily subsidy to four equal quarterly payments covering three months. 

• Unspent Funds – New limits will apply to how much can be rolled over each quarter. If you don’t spend your entire budget $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget (whichever is the greatest) will be rolled over to the next quarter. Any Home Care Package unspent funds on 30 June 2025, will be retained to use under Support at Home. 

• Care Management Fee – A flat 10% charge of your quarterly budget will apply for providers to fund ongoing care management services. 

• Package Management Fees – These will no longer apply in the same way as a separate charge and will be built into service prices. 

• Service Price Caps – The government will set price caps for each service from 1 July 2026, and home care providers will not charge over those caps 

• Single Provider – You’ll still have one home care provider coordinating your care and managing your budget. 

• Automatic Transition – If you have a Home Care Package you will transition to Support at Home on 1 July 2025. 

The Department of Health and Aged Care’s Support at Home Fact Sheet provides a good summary of the changes and participant contributions, click below to access a copy.

Support at Home Fact Sheet

When Support at Home begins, three groups of Australians will be eligible: 

• People aged 65+ 

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50+ 

• People over the age of 50 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless 

Assessments for new customers wanting care will occur through Australia’s new Single Assessment Service and utilise the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT). The IAT enables assessors to gather essential information about applicants and deliver more tailored service recommendations.  IAT, which was introduced in July 2024, replaces the Aged Care Assessment Tool.  

Indigenous or Torres Strait Islander customers should access the Indigenous Assessment Service. 

If you currently receive a Home Care Package or are on the waitlist, your care will transition to the new program automatically; there is no need for a reassessment unless your care needs change. 

This date marks the cut-off between existing and new Home Care Package participants before the new Support at Home program begins. 

• Before 12 September 2024 – If you already have a Home Care Package or on the waitlist for a home care package before 12 September 2024, the ‘no worse off’ principle will apply and you will not pay any more co-contribution fees than you do now.  

• After 12 September 2024 – If you are assessed and placed on the waitlist or allocated a Home Care Package between 12 September 2024 and 30 June 2025, you will have an income and asset assessment and pay the new co-contribution fees from 1 July 2025. 

If you currently receive a Home Care Package, your care will automatically transfer into the Support at Home program on 1 July and you will receive a Support at Home budget that matches your current Home Care Package level, meaning you don’t need to do anything except continue to enjoy the same great support you are accustomed to.  

 If you are on a waitlist for care, once you’re assigned a Home Care Package you will automatically transition into Support at Home program based on the Home Care Package level you are approved for. 

 If you would like to sign up for a home care package with Southcare, or switch from another provider before 1 July, we can help you do that and when 1 July comes, we will support you with a seamless transition. 

 Any new customers assessed and approved for care after 1 July and choosing Southcare, will be onboarded to the Support at Home program and welcomed under the same thorough and proven process we have used for more than 40 years.  

You will stay on the waitlist until your Home Care Package funding is assigned. Once allocated, your care will begin under the new Support at Home service categories.

• Your co-contribution fee may change based on an income and asset assessment by Services Australia (Centrelink), depending on when you joined the waitlist (Before or After 12 September 2024).

• If you are still waiting after 1 July 2025 and the wait time is deemed to exceed expectations, you may receive interim funding of 60% of your package to start some services while waiting for full funding.

From 1 July 2025, there will be: 

• 8 Support at Home funding classifications with a maximum annual funding of up to $78,000 per person for the highest level of support  

• 2 short-term care pathways:  

• • Restorative Care: funds of $6,000 for 12 weeks of support that may be extended to 16 weeks in certain circumstances. Maximum of two periods, non-consecutively, of restorative care within a 12 month period can be accessed.  

• • End–of-Life Care, access to additional services up to $25,000 in the last three months of life for recipients who wish to remain at home during that time.  

• Assistive technology and home modifications, consisting of three funding tiers of Low, Medium and High. Each tier has a set period which the funds must be used by. 

These classifications better target people’s aged care needs and you will have the ability to be re-assessed into higher classification levels as your needs change. 

If you already have a Home Care Package you will retain that level of funding and care until your care needs change and you are reassessed into a new classification level under Support at Home. 

Separate funding will be available for assistive products and equipment (including mobility aids like walkers or gophers) and home modifications (such as ramps or hand rails) as part of the new Assistive Technology and Home Modification Scheme.  

 There will be three funding tiers for both assistive technology and home modifications. Each tier will have a set time period which to use the one-time funds for that period. The following are estimates provided by the Government and are subject to change. 

This funding will only apply to those customers assessed and approved for this type of care.

The Support at Home program will continue to fund the in-home care services currently funded under Home Care Packages, however there will be three categories of support services.  Each category has its own service types and participant contribution arrangements. The three categories of support services are: 

• Clinical care (allied health and other therapeutic services, nursing care, nutrition, care management and restorative care management) 

• Independence (personal care, social support/community engagement, therapeutic services, respite, transport, assistive technology, home modifications)  

• Everyday Living (meals, domestic assistance, home maintenance and repairs) 

Assessment of your care needs will determine the services and categories and will be documented in your support plan. 

The Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged has created a fact sheet that lists the services you can access under the Support at Home program.

Download Fact Sheet 

No, if you currently receive a Home Care Package, you will continue to receive the same services you currently enjoy. 

The Australian Government is still working on the funding amounts for the 8 different classification levels, short-term care pathways and Assisted Technology and Home Modifications.  The following are estimates provided by the Government and are subject to change.  

Restorative Care Pathway $6,000 (12 weeks) 

End-of-Life Pathway $25,000 (12 weeks) 

For those on the waitlist, and when wait times for the allocation of services exceed expectations, care recipients will be assigned an interim allocation of 60% of Support at Home classification budget while waiting. 

Under Support at Home, your annual subsidy amount will be divided into four equal quarterly budgets with each covering three months of the year. If you don’t spend your entire budget within a single quarter, up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget (whichever is greater) will be rolled over to the next quarter to meet unplanned needs. Your budget will be held in an account managed by Services Australia. 

If you have a Home Care Package or are on the waitlist for one before 1 July, you will maintain the same level of funding and retain any unspent funds. 

Source: Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care

For care recipients who have a Home Care Package you will retain any unspent funds currently accrued. From 1 July under the Support at Home up to $1,000 or 10% (whichever is greater) of your quarterly budget, plus any unspent HCP funds will be automatically rolled over to the next quarter.  

You will not lose any money you have accrued when the transition to Support at Home happens. 

If you have unspent Home Care Package funds, these will be retained for use under Support at Home. These may be used for additional ongoing services, if the Support at Home quarterly budget has been exhausted, or for Assisted Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM). Any unspent funds must be used before you are able to access the new AT-HM funding.

Your contribution will depend on two factors, the type of service you receive and your income and assets.

• Clinical Care (e.g., nursing, physiotherapy) – No contribution, as it is fully funded by the government.

• Independence Services (e.g., personal care) – Moderate contributions, as these service help keep people out of hospital and aged care facilities.

• Everyday Living Services (e.g., domestic assistance, gardening) – Higher contributions, as these are typically self-funded at other life stages.

Your contributions will be determined based on the hourly rate for the service or a percentage of the cost of the service type or product. If you receive three hours of personal care, for example, you will pay a contribution per hour received. For items such as consumables, your contribution will be calculated as a percentage of the cost.

Aged Care Pension Status, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card Status 

Your contribution to your care is based on your income and assets and will be assessed using the Age Pension means test conducted by Services Australia (Centrelink). Services Australia will track contributions to ensure no individual pays more than $130,000 in non-clinical care costs over their lifetime.

Source: Department of Health and Aged Care Support at Home fact sheet 

Support at Home Fact Sheet 

If you were receiving, on the waitlist or assessed for a Home Care Package before 12 September 2024, the ‘no worse-off principle’ for contribution arrangements will apply to you and you will not contribute any more than you do now once transitioned to Support at Home.  

The Care Management Fee is a fixed rate of 10% of your care budget allocated to care providers. This fee covers the cost of coordinating and managing your care services to ensure they align with your individual needs and preferences. 

The Government is planning to introduce price caps on services under the Support at Home program from 1 July 2026 and is working with the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) to set these price caps. 

See here for a fact sheet prepared by the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aged Care on consumer protections for Support at Home pricing:

Download Fact Sheet

From 1 July, the price may look different to what you have been paying. Under the HCP Program, you are charged for a service (e.g. cleaning) and charged separately for package management (e.g. third-party costs and staff travel) and for care management. Under Support at Home, the package management fee will be included in the price for each service and that is the total price you will pay for services. Plus, care management fee capped at 10% of your care budget. Prices may also change to cover the cost of delivering services to you. 

Until the capped pricing is applied, Southcare will continue to set its prices for services and inform you of these changes, just like we currently do for the Home Care Package program.

See here for our current schedule of fees:

Download HCP fee schedule

Re-assessments occur as part of your ongoing reviews. If you are re-assessed and new level Home Care Package approved but not assigned before 1 July, you will retain Home Care Package level when assigned. If you are re-assessed after 1 July, you will be assessed and allocated services under the Support at Home program in line with the 8 new classification levels. 

 You will not require a re-assessment to transition to the Support at Home program. 

CHSP will fully transition to Support at Home after 1 July 2027, but some changes will start earlier to align with the new Aged Care Act and Aged Care Quality Standards.

Some of these changes include:

•  Service adjustments – A new CHSP manual will introduce updated service names, descriptions, and exclusions/inclusions from 1 July 2025.

• Greater consistency: The Government is working to ensure consistency across all home care services with some aspects of CHSP gradually operating similarly to Support at Home for smoother transition.

• Personalised care – The system will focus more on individual needs while keeping flexibility.

• Name change: Commonwealth Home Support Programme will be renamed Commonwealth Home Support Program.

Absolutely!   My Aged Care is the starting point to access and receive Government subsidised in home care.  This page explains the process for you. 

If you have been assessed and approved for a Home Care Package, or want to switch your package from another provider, you can sign up with Southcare before 1 July.  All Southcare customers will automatically transfer over to Support at Home after 1 July.