Support at Home costs and contributions

If approved, you will be allocated one of the 8 classifications for ongoing Support at Home services, to meet your assessed care needs. Your classification is determined by an aged care assessor.

The table below lists each of the 8 ongoing service classifications. This includes funding for care management. These amounts are indexed on 1 July each year.
 

* Last updated 1 November 2025

If you transitioned from the Home Care Packages Program, you continue to receive a funding classification for ongoing services that’s equivalent to your previous funding level.

If you were assessed as eligible for a Home Care Package on or before 31 October 2025, you will receive a classification that is equivalent to your approved Home Care Package level when funding becomes available.

The table below lists each of the 4 transitioned Home Care Package classifications. This includes funding for care management. These amounts are indexed on 1 July each year.

* Last updated 1 November 2025 

If you have a reassessment, you will be approved for an ongoing services classification as outlined earlier.

The Restorative Care Pathway gives you access to coordinated, intensive allied health and/or nursing services to regain function and delay the need for long-term care.

You can be approved for a maximum of 2 units of funding ($6,000 per unit) over a 12-month period. This can be either:

• 2 separate 16-week episodes at different times within the year, or
• 2 units of funding within a single 16-week or less period, if approved through a Support Plan Review.

Under the End-of-Life Pathway, older people with 3 months or less to live can access higher level in-home aged care services.

Funding of $25,000 is available over 12 weeks, with flexibility to use this funding up to 16 weeks.

Funding for assistive technology and home modifications is upfront and separate from your other Support at Home services. This means that the AT-HM scheme provides access to assistive technology and home modifications, without you needing to save up your individual budget.

If you have an assessed need for assistive technology or home modifications, you get allocated an AT-HM funding tier to cover the cost of these specific supports to meet your care needs.

You may be funded for assistive technology, home modifications, or both.

The table below outlines funding tiers, amounts and access periods for assistive technology and home modifications.

* Last updated 1 November 2025

You will be allocated a quarterly budget, which covers 3 months of the year. How much funding you get from the government is based on your ongoing classification.

Your quarterly budget will also include any unspent budget that has been carried over from the previous quarter. Up to $1000 or 10% of your quarterly budget can be carried over.

You will work with your provider to decide the care and services you will receive. You will choose from a list of services approved during your assessment. This is set out in your care plan and individualised budget. Your provider will give you a monthly statement to keep track of your budget.

Learn more about managing your Support at Home budget.

Short-term pathways include the Restorative Care Pathway and End-of-Life Pathway, as well as the AT-HM scheme. Your budget depends on your pathway or AT-HM funding tier.

For short-term classifications, you will have a specific period of time to use your funds:

• 16 weeks for the Restorative Care Pathway
• 16 weeks for the End-of-Life Pathway (budget is for 12 weeks but you can use funds for up to 16 weeks)
• 12 months for the AT-HM scheme (in most cases).

Assistive technology and home modifications have separate budgets to allow providers to arrange the supports and services you require.

You can’t carry over any unspent budget to use after the funding period ends.

Care management supports you to access and understand your care. This can include developing and reviewing your care plan and helping manage the services delivered to you.

If you receive ongoing services through Support at Home, 10% of your quarterly budget will go towards care management, which will be allocated to your provider. Your provider can also receive a supplement for extra care management funds if you have specific needs.

For the AT-HM scheme, your provider may deliver wrap-around services to help you to safely use your assistive technology. This cost is covered through your AT-HM funding.

If you receive Restorative Care Pathway or End-of-Life Pathway, your provider will claim for care management against your budget.

Primary supplements refer to extra funding to help to cover the cost of meeting specific care needs.

The available supplements are:

• oxygen
• enteral feeding
• veterans'.

For the AT-HM scheme, there is also a remote supplement for people who live in a remote area (Modified Monash Model area 6 or 7) to help access equipment, products and services.

The dementia and cognition supplement and the EACH-D top-up supplement will continue to be available if you transitioned from the Home Care Packages Program and were receiving either of these supplements as at 31 October 2025.

If you were receiving a Home Care Package and had unspent funds when Support at Home started, you retained your unspent Home Care Package funds to use in Support at Home.

If you need to purchase assistive technology or home modifications, your provider will use your unspent Home Care Package funds in the first instance.

For ongoing services, your Support at Home quarterly budget must be used up first.

• Clinical supports: You will make no contribution for clinical support services such as nursing and physiotherapy. This is fully funded by the government.
• Independence: You will make a moderate contribution for independence services such as personal care, and products and equipment under the AT-HM scheme.
• Everyday living: You will make the highest contributions for everyday living services such as domestic help and gardening.

The percentage of your contribution will depend on your financial circumstances. This is determined by an income and assets assessment. Full pensioners will make the lowest contribution, and self-funded retirees who are not eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) will make the highest contribution.

Note: The pension includes the age pension and any other income support payment.

If you don't provide your income and assets information to Services Australia, you will be given a ‘means not disclosed’ status and your contributions will be set at the maximum rate.

Your provider must support you to understand your contributions.

If you were approved for a Home Care Package or Support at Home after 12 September 2024, you will be subject to the standard contribution arrangements.

If you were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024, you are no worse off under Support at Home. 

• If you were assessed as having to pay Home Care Package fees, you will pay the same or less under Support at Home.
• If you were assessed as not having to pay fees, you will never be asked to pay contributions under Support at Home.
• The Home Care Package lifetime cap of $84,572 (indexed annually) remains for Support at Home contributions.
• Services Australia will notify you and your provider of the contribution percentages you need to pay to your provider.

Learn more about aged care fee arrangements from 1 November 2025.

If you want to work out how much you might need to pay for Support at Home services and plan your budget accordingly, our Support at Home fee estimator can help.

Your actual contribution rates are determined through your income and assets assessment. For full and part pensioners, this will be based on information already provided to Services Australia for your pension assessment.

The table below outlines the participant contribution rates.