Choose Your Preferred Language: Contact and Referrals Call (02) 4627 1188 Understanding aged care costs can be challenging, especially when you are arranging support for yourself, a parent or another family member. Australia’s Support at Home program replaced the Home Care Packages Program on 1 November 2025. It provides government-funded services to help eligible older Australians remain safe, independent and connected while living at home. Under Support at Home, the amount you may pay depends on several things: the funding you have been approved for, the services you receive, your financial circumstances and the prices charged by your provider. This guide explains how Support at Home funding, service prices and contributions work in 2026, so you and your family can better understand what may come out of your pocket. How Support at Home Funding and Costs Work There are three main things to understand when looking at the cost of your care. Your Support at Home budget is the government funding available for your approved care and services. Your provider’s service price is the amount your provider charges to deliver a particular service. Your contribution rate is the percentage of the service price you may need to pay yourself. How Much Support at Home Funding Can You Receive in 2026 People receiving ongoing Support at Home services are assigned one of eight funding classifications. Your classification is determined through your aged care assessment and reflects your assessed care needs. The current funding amounts, effective from 1 July 2026, are: These amounts include the 10% allocation for care management and are indexed on 1 July each year. A higher classification provides more funding because the person has been assessed as needing a higher level of ongoing support. If your needs change and your existing budget is no longer enough to meet them, you may need a reassessment for a higher Support at Home classification.  Already transitioned from a Home Care Package? If you transitioned from the former Home Care Packages Program, you may have a Transitioned HCP classification rather than one of the eight ongoing Support at Home classifications. There are four Transitioned HCP classifications, which provide funding equivalent to the participant’s previous Home Care Package level. These funding amounts are indexed on 1 July each year. Funding amounts are current from 1 July 2026 and include funding for care management. If your care needs change, you can request a Support Plan Review. Following reassessment, you may be approved for one of the eight ongoing Support at Home classifications if a different level of funding is required to meet your assessed needs. How Quarterly Budgets Work Support at Home ongoing funding is generally allocated in quarterly budgets covering three months. Participants work with their provider to plan how their available funding will be used across the services for which they have been approved. If you do not use all of your ongoing quarterly budget, you can generally carry over up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is greater, into the next quarter. Different arrangements apply to some people who transitioned from the Home Care Packages Program and have unspent Commonwealth Home Care Package funds. Those transitioned unspent funds are not subject to the standard quarterly carryover limit. What Will You Need to Pay Not everyone receiving Support at Home pays the same amount. Your contribution depends on: the type of service you receive your income and assets the price your provider charges. Services are grouped into three contribution categories: Clinical Supports, Independence and Everyday Living. If your contribution falls within a range, the exact percentage is determined according to your income and assets. It is also important to understand that these percentages apply to the price of the services you receive. They are not percentages deducted from your entire Support at Home budget. Important Change to Personal Care From 1 October 2026 One of the most important Support at Home changes in 2026 affects personal care. Until 30 September 2026, personal care is in the Independence contribution category. Depending on your financial circumstances, this means you may currently need to contribute towards the cost. From 1 October 2026, all personal care services under the Support at Home service list will move to the Clinical Supports category for contribution purposes. Read our guide to find out what’s changing, who will pay no contribution, and how personal care will work under Support at Home. How Do Support at Home Providers Set Their Prices? Your contribution rate and your provider's service price are two different things. The Australian Government sets the rules around participant contributions, while Support at Home providers currently set their own service prices. This means different providers can charge different prices for the same type of service. Providers are required to make their prices reasonable, transparent and all-inclusive. They must also publish their most frequently charged prices on their website and on My Aged Care so older people and families can compare providers.

Providers must agree on prices with participants before charging them. The Australian Government has deferred the introduction of Support at Home price caps while the market stabilises. The government and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission are monitoring provider prices, with additional consumer protections being introduced. When comparing providers, it is therefore important to look at the actual service price, not only your contribution percentage. Is There Separate Funding for Assistive Technology and Home Modifications? Yes. The Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme provides separate funding for eligible equipment and home modifications based on your assessed needs. This means you do not have to save your ongoing quarterly Support at Home funding to pay for approved AT-HM items. Explore Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Under Support at Home What If You Had a Home Care Package Before Support at Home? Some older Australians have different contribution arrangements because they were already receiving, or had been approved for, a Home Care Package before the aged care reforms. Under the government's "no worse off" principle, people who were receiving a Home Care Package or approved for one on or before 12 September 2024 will make contributions under Support at Home that are the same as, or lower than, they would have paid under the former Home Care Packages Program. If this applies to you, your contribution arrangements may therefore be different from the standard rates shown earlier in this article. Check the contribution information provided by Services Australia or speak with your provider if you are unsure which arrangements apply to you. How to Check What You Will Actually Pay You do not need to work everything out yourself. There are four things you and your family can check. 1. Check Your Funding Find out your Support at Home classification and the funding available in your quarterly budget. If you transitioned from a Home Care Package, check whether a transitioned HCP classification applies instead. 2. Check Your Contribution Rate Services Australia determines the contribution rate that applies to you based on your financial circumstances. 3. Check Your Provider's Prices Ask your provider for their current Support at Home price list. You can also compare published provider prices through My Aged Care. 4. Ask What You Will Personally Pay Before agreeing to services, ask your provider to explain: the price of each service your contribution rate how much you will need to contribute how much the government will pay how your planned services will affect your available budget. This can make it much easier to plan your care and avoid unexpected costs. Choose a Support at Home Provider Who Helps You Understand Your Funding At FOCUS Connect, we understand that aged care funding and contribution arrangements can be difficult to navigate, particularly as the Support at Home program continues to evolve. As an approved My Aged Care provider , our team can help you understand your approved services, available budget and the costs that may apply to the support you receive. We provide services designed to help older people remain safe, independent and connected in their own homes while respecting individual needs, preferences and cultural backgrounds. If you have received your My Aged Care referral or would like to learn more about receiving Support at Home services through FOCUS Connect, contact our friendly team . Information in this article is current as at September 2026. Support at Home funding amounts, contribution thresholds, pricing requirements and program rules can change. For information specific to your circumstances, check My Aged Care, Services Australia or speak with your Support at Home provider. FOCUS Connect, a registered not-for-profit charity, provides practical assistance and support services to individuals and families. As a My Aged Care provider, we offer Support at Home and Commonwealth Home Support Programme services across South West and Northern Sydney. We are also a leading provider of community services to multicultural and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations across South West Sydney. Need Support or Know Someone Who Does? If you need support, call us at 02 4627 1188 or contact us via our online enquiry form, and we will get back to you shortly to discuss your needs and how we can assist you. If you know someone who could benefit from our services, refer them to FOCUS Connect to help them receive the support they need and deserve. How Can We Help? Contact Us Today. 3 Chamberlain St. Campbelltown NSW 2560 Hours of Operation: Mon - Fri: 8:30am - 4:30pm Phone: (02) 4627 1188 Community Services © FOCUS Connect (Macarthur Diversity Services Initiative Ltd T/A) ABN 35 139 742 322 We acknowledge that we work on Indigenous lands and that sovereignty was never ceded. We pay respect to elders, past and present, and acknowledge the pivotal role that First Nations people continue to play within our communities. We embrace diversity and are committed to creating a safe environment for all people, irrespective of their age, gender, cultural identity, sexuality, abilities, language, economic status, profession or location. Accessibility | Feedback | Quality Policy | Commitment to Reconciliation | Privacy Policy Website Management Love My Online Marketing