What is the Support at Home Program? A Plain English Guide for Older Australians

A New Chapter for Home-Based Aged Care

On 1 November 2025, the Australian Government launched the Support at Home program - a major overhaul of how in-home aged care is funded and delivered across the country.

If you or someone you care for was receiving a Home Care Package, the change has already happened. If you are new to the aged care system, Support at Home is now the program you will be assessed under. And if you have heard the name but are not entirely sure what it means, you are in good company - the rollout has generated a lot of questions.

This guide covers what the Support at Home program actually is, who qualifies, what it funds, how much it costs participants, and a handful of things about it that most people - including many aged care workers - do not yet know.

Not Everything Changed - and That Matters

If you have been reading about aged care reforms and feel like the whole system was overhauled in November 2025, here is something worth knowing: it was not a complete overhaul. One major program was left out of the changes entirely.

The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) - which covers entry-level, occasional support such as lawn mowing, help with the bins, basic domestic assistance, and community transport - is still running as a completely separate program. It was not folded into Support at Home in November 2025 and is not scheduled to merge until at least 1 July 2027.

This catches a lot of people off guard. Many aged care workers, let alone families doing their own research, believe the whole in-home care system changed at once. It did not. If your elderly parent currently receives CHSP services - a regular cleaner or a lift to the shops arranged through their local council - those services are continuing under the same program. Nothing about them changed.

What did change on 1 November 2025 was the Home Care Packages Program (HCP) and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme - these two programs were replaced by Support at Home. If you would like the full side-by-side breakdown of what the HCP was and exactly what is different now, we have covered that in our Home Care Package vs Support at Home comparison. The rest of this guide focuses on the new program itself.

Who is Eligible for the Support at Home Program?

To be eligible for Support at Home you must:

• Be aged 65 years or over - or 50 years or over if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person
• Be living at home (not in a residential aged care facility)
• Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
• Have been assessed as needing more than basic entry-level support to remain safely at home

A small number of younger Australians may also qualify if they have a disability, dementia, or specialist care needs and are not eligible for another program such as the NDIS.

Your financial situation does not affect whether you are eligible. Income and assets are only relevant when calculating how much you will be asked to contribute toward your care costs - not whether you can access the program at all.

Eligibility is confirmed through a home assessment arranged by My Aged Care. You can start the process by calling 1800 200 422 or applying online. An assessor will visit you at home - typically over one to three hours - to review your health, daily routines, and support needs before recommending a support level.

The Eight Support Levels Explained

Once assessed, you are assigned to one of eight support levels. Each level comes with an annual government-funded budget. The following figures are from the Department of Health and Aged Care's official classifications page, effective from 1 November 2025 and updated each July in line with indexation:

• Level 1: $10,731.00 per year
• Level 2: $16,034.45 per year
• Level 3: $21,965.70 per year
• Level 4: $29,696.40 per year
• Level 5: $39,697.40 per year
• Level 6: $48,114.30 per year
• Level 7: $58,148.15 per year
• Level 8: $78,106.35 per year

Your budget is allocated quarterly, and unspent funds do roll over - up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly allocation (whichever is the greater amount). This means you will not lose money simply because a scheduled service was cancelled one week.

The budget does not go directly to you. It is held by Services Australia on your behalf, and your provider draws from it as services are delivered.

What Does Support at Home Actually Fund?

Support at Home divides funded services into three categories, and this is where it gets genuinely interesting - because the rules are different for each one.

Clinical Care - 100% government funded

Clinical services are funded entirely by the government. Participants pay nothing out of pocket for these.

This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the program. Many families assume that if a parent needs a nurse to visit or a physiotherapist to help with mobility, they will be paying for those visits out of their own pocket. Under Support at Home, that is not the case. Nursing care, allied health appointments (including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and dietitian visits), continence support, and nutrition services are all in this category - and all fully covered.

Clinical Care services include:

• Nursing care and wound management
• Physiotherapy and occupational therapy
• Speech therapy and audiology
• Dietitian and nutrition counselling
• Continence support
• Mental health support (within scope)

Independence Services - small participant contribution

Independence services help you stay active and engaged in daily life. These attract a participant contribution, but for full pensioners the rate is low - starting at just 5% of the service cost.

Independence services include:

• Personal care (showering, grooming, dressing assistance)
• Social support and community access
• Transport to appointments or activities
• Some types of home modifications

Everyday Living Services - higher contribution, lower priority

Everyday living services cover domestic and practical support. These attract the highest participant contributions - up to 80% for self-funded retirees, though just 17.5% for full pensioners.

Everyday living services include:

• Home cleaning and domestic assistance
• Meal preparation and delivery
• Gardening and garden maintenance
• Assistive technology (through your general support budget)

The logic behind the tiered contribution structure is that clinical needs are treated as a health priority - government funded in full - while practical help with household tasks is treated more as a shared responsibility between the participant and the program.

How Much Will You Pay? Understanding Contributions

How much you contribute depends on your financial situation. The three categories above (Clinical, Independence, Everyday Living) each have different contribution rates, and those rates vary by income.

As a general guide (full contribution rates are published on the My Aged Care website):

• Full pensioners: 0% for clinical care / 5% for independence / 17.5% for everyday living
• Part pensioners: 0% for clinical care / 5-50% for independence / 17.5-80% for everyday living
• Self-funded retirees: 0% for clinical care / 50% for independence / 80% for everyday living

There is a lifetime cap on how much any participant is ever required to contribute. For new participants assessed from 1 November 2025, that cap is $137,917.01 (indexed to move with inflation, updated twice a year). Once you reach the cap, you continue receiving services with no further contribution required.

If you were already receiving a Home Care Package before 12 September 2024, you are considered a grandfathered participant and benefit from "no worse off" protections. Your contribution rates are lower, and your lifetime cap is $86,185.23 - you will never be required to switch to the higher standard rates.

Financial hardship provisions are available for participants who genuinely cannot meet their contribution requirements.

The AT-HM Scheme - Your Second Pot of Funding

One of the most significant - and least publicised - changes under Support at Home is the introduction of the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme.

Under the old Home Care Package system, if you wanted a personal alarm, a GPS tracker, or modifications to your bathroom, those items had to come out of your main package budget. So a senior on a Level 2 package who needed grab rails installed and a personal alarm might find that two-thirds of their annual budget was absorbed before a single hour of care was booked.

Under Support at Home, assistive technology and home modifications have their own dedicated funding pool - completely separate from your main support budget. The two do not compete with each other. You are, in effect, accessing two separate pots of government funding.

According to the Support at Home program guidelines, the AT-HM scheme is tiered by complexity and cost:

• Tier 1 (up to $500): Straightforward, low-risk items that do not require a specialist assessment. Simple grab rails, handheld showerheads, non-slip mats.
• Tier 2 (up to $2,000): Items requiring an occupational therapist or AT advisor assessment. Personal alarms, mobility aids, small home modifications.
• Tier 3 (up to $15,000): Complex or high-value equipment and modifications requiring full specialist assessment. Major bathroom renovations, ramps, hoists, sophisticated communication devices.

Personal alarms - devices like the KISA Guardian - typically sit within the Tier 2 bracket. The KISA Guardian is an approved device under the Support at Home program, with 24/7 monitoring, automatic fall detection, GPS location tracking, and SOS capability. Because the AT-HM budget sits separately from your care budget, funding a device like this does not reduce the hours available for personal care, cleaning, or nursing visits.

If you would like to understand more about how assistive technology is funded under the Support at Home program, we can walk you through the options.

Five Things About Support at Home That Most People Don't Know

Beyond the headline changes, here are some lesser-known details that can make a real difference to how well participants and their families use the program.

1. Clinical care costs you nothing - not a single dollar

As noted above, nursing visits, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and other allied health services are 100% government-funded under Support at Home. If a family member believes they will need to budget for a parent's physio appointments or nursing care, this is worth knowing before you begin planning.

2. Provider admin fees are now capped at 10%

Under the old HCP system, some providers were charging 30-35% of a participant's annual budget for care management and administration - before a single service was delivered. For someone on a Level 4 package at $63,440, that could mean more than $20,000 going to admin rather than care.

Under Support at Home, provider care management is capped at 10% of the budget. For a participant on Level 8 ($78,106.35), that represents a potential shift of more than $19,000 per year from admin costs toward actual care services. It is one of the most meaningful financial improvements in the new system, and one that rarely gets attention in general coverage of the program.

3. Your budget does not disappear when you go to hospital

If you are hospitalised, your care services pause - but your budget allocation continues to accumulate. A small administration fee applies during this period, but you do not lose the money. When you return home, the accumulated funds are available for your care as normal.

4. Spouses and couples can pool resources

Couples where both partners have Support at Home funding can pool their resources to access shared services - for example, one cleaning visit that covers both, or a shared transport arrangement. This is not widely advertised but can meaningfully extend what the combined budget achieves.

5. You can change providers without paying an exit fee

Under the old HCP system, some providers charged exit fees when participants moved to a new provider. Under Support at Home, exit fees have been removed. If you are not happy with your provider's service, responsiveness, or the way they manage your budget, you are free to switch without financial penalty.

Two New Pathways: Restorative Care and End-of-Life Support

Support at Home also introduces two short-term care pathways that did not exist in the same form under HCP. The following figures are drawn from the Department of Health and Aged Care program documentation - check that page for the most current amounts as budgets are indexed annually.

The Restorative Care pathway provides up to 12 weeks of intensive allied health support - with a budget of approximately $6,000-$12,000 - specifically for people recovering from a health event or trying to regain independence after a period of decline. If an older person has had a fall, a surgery, or a hospital admission and needs structured rehabilitation at home, this pathway can fund that without drawing on the regular Support at Home budget.

The End-of-Life Care pathway provides up to $25,000 over 12 weeks for people who have been assessed as having three months or fewer to live. This allows families to support a loved one to remain at home during the final stage of life, with access to nursing, palliative care, and personal care that would otherwise be difficult to fund through a standard support level.

How to Apply for Support at Home

The application process has four main steps.

Step 1: Contact My Aged Care

Call 1800 200 422 or visit My Aged Care online to register and request an assessment. Have your Medicare card, a secondary form of ID, and details of your GP or specialist ready.

Step 2: In-home assessment

A trained assessor will visit you at home. The assessment is thorough - typically one to three hours - and covers your health status, daily routines, home environment, existing support network, and what you are finding difficult to manage. It is not a test. The assessor's job is to understand your situation, not to catch you out.

Step 3: Receive your Notice of Decision

After the assessment, you will receive a letter confirming your eligibility and the support level you have been assigned. This document outlines the annual budget available to you and any conditions that apply.

Step 4: Choose a provider

Once approved, you choose a registered aged care provider to coordinate and deliver your services. My Aged Care maintains a searchable list of registered providers. You are not locked in - if the arrangement does not work for you, you can move to a different provider at any time with no exit fee.

Wait times vary depending on demand in your area and the level of support you have been approved for. As a general guide, expect three to six months from application to first service delivery - though in some regions it can extend to twelve months for higher support levels.

What Support at Home Means for Safety and Independence

The program exists because the evidence on what older Australians want is clear: the overwhelming majority want to stay in their own home for as long as possible. Support at Home is built around making that realistic - not just through personal care hours, but by addressing the practical and safety barriers that most often lead to premature entry into residential care.

Falls are among the leading causes of hospitalisation and loss of independence for older Australians. Home isolation - particularly for seniors living alone - is closely linked to cognitive decline and deterioration. The combination of personal care services, clinical support, and assistive technology funding under Support at Home is designed to address these risks holistically.

The AT-HM scheme, in particular, opens access to safety devices that previously required a participant to sacrifice care hours to fund them. A personal alarm with fall detection, GPS tracking, and 24/7 monitoring - devices like the KISA Guardian - can now be funded through a separate AT budget, leaving the main care allocation intact for personal care, clinical services, and daily support.

For families supporting an older parent from a distance, this matters enormously. Knowing that a parent has a device that will automatically alert emergency contacts if they fall - and connect them to a monitored response team around the clock - changes what "staying at home" looks like in practice. It is not just independence. It is independence with a safety net.

If you would like to understand how assistive technology fits within your Support at Home plan, or how the KISA personal alarm range is funded under the AT-HM scheme, our team is happy to help you work through the options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible for the Support at Home program?

You are eligible if you are aged 65 or over (or 50 or over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), living at home, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and assessed as needing more than basic entry-level support. Financial circumstances affect your contribution rate but not your eligibility.

What is the difference between Support at Home and CHSP?

The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) covers entry-level, occasional support - things like lawn mowing, transport, and basic domestic help. Support at Home is for people with more regular or complex care needs and provides a coordinated budget rather than individual services on request. Despite what some articles suggest, CHSP has NOT merged into Support at Home - it is continuing to run separately and is not scheduled to transition until at least July 2027.

Can I get a personal alarm funded through Support at Home?

Yes. Personal alarms are eligible for funding through the AT-HM scheme, which provides a dedicated budget for assistive technology that is separate from your main support allocation. Items like the KISA Guardian typically sit in the Tier 2 bracket (up to $2,000), which requires a brief OT or AT advisor assessment. Because the AT-HM budget is separate, funding a device does not reduce the hours available for personal care or nursing visits.

What happens to my Home Care Package funds when I move to Support at Home?

Any unspent funds from your Home Care Package carried over automatically into your Support at Home account when the program launched on 1 November 2025. You did not lose those funds. If you were a grandfathered participant (assessed before 12 September 2024), your contribution rates and lifetime cap are also protected under the "no worse off" provisions.

How long does it take to be approved for Support at Home?

From initial contact with My Aged Care to first service delivery, most participants wait three to six months. In areas of high demand or for higher support levels, this can extend to twelve months. The assessment itself is usually arranged within a few weeks of your initial contact - the wait time is primarily in the queue for the approved support level to be activated with a provider.