About the Support at Home Program
The Support at Home program is Australia’s new in-home care system. It will replace the Home Care Package program and short-term restorative care program starting 1 July 2025. The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) will transition to Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
The goal of the new program is to keep older Australians living in their homes longer by addressing the issues raised by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. This includes:
- Tougher regulations on home care providers
- 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
Though the final touches of the program are still in development, our Support at Home program overview highlights seven things you need to know to prepare for the big changes coming to the aged care sector.
1. Changes for Existing Home Care Recipients
If you already have a Home Care Package (HCP), you will not have to pay more for your care with the Support at Home Program. Australians approved for HCPs before 1 July 2025 will continue to contribute to their care based on the current Home Care Package system—though their care will switch to the new system on that date.
All Home Care Package recipients will automatically transition into the Support at Home program on 1 July and receive a Support at Home budget that matches their Home Care Package. That includes Australians on the National Priority System, who will receive Support at Home funding equivalent to the HCP level for which they’ve been approved. Reassessment won’t be necessary unless needs have changed.
Are you interested in securing a Home Care Package before the switch? Get in touch and we’ll help you get started.
Contact us about Home Care Packages
2. Support at Home Assessment and Eligibility
When the Support at Home program begins, three groups of Australians will be eligible:
- People over the age of 65
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 50
- People over the age of 50 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
Once the Support at Home program begins, assessments for care will occur through Australia’s new Single Assessment System and utilise the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT). The IAT—which was introduced in July 2024—enables assessors to gather essential information about applicants and deliver more tailored service recommendations.
If you are a home care applicant, your assessor will also collaborate with you to develop a support plan based on your needs and goals. Your support plan will be the basis for the funding and services you can receive.
3. Prioritisation and Wait Times
The Support at Home program aims to add 300,000 more places over the next 10 years. By 2035, the government expects around 1.4 million Australians to be in care.
Initially, Australians should expect current wait times for Home Care Packages to carry over into Support at Home. If all goes as planned, wait times will diminish as Support at Home ramps up.
The aged care prioritisation system will feature two key changes under the Support at Home program:
- Priority ratings will be automatically determined based on results and responses collected during assessments; every applicant will receive a rating tier of High, Medium, or Standard after completing their assessment. This new prioritisation system will replace the National Priority System for Home Care Packages.
- When wait times for services exceed expectations under Support at Home, participants will be assigned an interim allocation of their Support at Home classification budget while they wait to receive their full funding. The allocation will be 60% of their budget; the remaining 40% will be allocated when funding is available.
4. Support at Home Pricing & Funding
Funding under the Support at Home program will be similar to Home Care Packages in two ways:
- The Australian government will continue to pay for health-related costs
- Funds for home care services will continue to be allocated based on each individual’s care needs
However, under the new system, Australian seniors with financial means will be expected to contribute more.
Support at Home Contribution Arrangements
Under the Support at Home program, you will only pay contributions for the services you have received. 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.
Ultimately, your contribution rate will be determined by two factors: the type of service received and your financial standing.
Type of Service:
- No Contribution — Clinical Supports Category: The government will fully fund clinical care (including nursing care and physiotherapy) for all Support at Home participants.
- Moderate Contribution — Independence Category: Supports that help keep you out of hospital and residential aged care (including personal care, assistive technology, and home modifications) will require a moderate contribution.
- Highest Contribution — Everyday Living Services Category: Everyday living services such as domestic assistance and gardening will require the highest contribution.
Age-Pension Status, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card Status, Means:
- With the Home Care Package program, fee arrangements (the basic daily fee and income-tested care fee) do not vary based on the level of services used. That will change with the Support at Home program, as illustrated by the table below:
| Clinical supports | Independence | Everyday living | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 0% | 5% | 17.5% |
| Part pensioner | 0% | Part pensioners and CSHC holders will pay between 5% and 50% based on an assessment of their income and assets. For part pensioners, this will be based on their Age Pension means assessment. CSHC holders will undergo a separate assessment for Support at Home. | Part pensioners and CSHC holders will pay between 17.5% and 80% based on an assessment of their income and assets. For part pensioners, this will be based on their Age Pension means assessment. CSHC holders will undergo a separate assessment for Support at Home. |
| Self-funded retiree (holding or eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card – CSHC) | 0% | ||
| Self-funded retiree (not eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) | 0% | 50% | 80% |
Source: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged
Contribution Arrangements for Current Home Care Recipients
A ‘no worse-off’ principle for contribution arrangements will prevent the 2025 aged care reforms from negatively impacting current home care recipients. What does this mean?
If on 12 September 2024, you were either:
A) Receiving a Home Care Package
B) On the National Priority System
C) Assessed as being eligible for a Home Care Package
…you will make the same or lower contributions once you transition to Support at Home.
Existing Home Care Package recipients who do not pay an income-tested care fee will continue with no such fees under Support at Home. Those who are paying income-tested fees, however, will transition into Support at Home with special discounted contribution arrangements.
Finally, a cap will ensure no individual pays more than $130,000 in non-clinical care costs over their lifetime. This applies to both in-home care and residential care.
5. Support at Home Categories: Classifications & Pathways
Eight levels of support will be available under the Support at Home program. The highest level includes a maximum annual funding of up to $78,000 per person, as well as two short-term care pathways. By comparison, the Home Care Package program has four levels of support. Level 4 includes a $61,400 maximum.
As with the new prioritisation system, the level of support a participant qualifies for will depend on their assessment findings. If you’re already a home care recipient or on the National Priority System, you will retain the level of funding of your approved Home Care Package until you are reassessed into a new classification under Support at Home.
| Classification | Quarterly Budget | Annual Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ~$2,750 | ~$11,000 |
| 2 | ~$4,000 | ~$16,000 |
| 3 | ~$5,500 | ~$22,000 |
| 4 | ~$7,500 | ~$30,000 |
| 5 | ~$10,000 | ~$40,000 |
| 6 | ~$12,000 | ~$48,000 |
| 7 | ~$14,500 | ~$58,000 |
| 8 | ~$19,500 | ~$78,000 |
| Restorative Care Pathway | ~$6,000 (6 weeks) May be increased to ~$12,000 when eligible | |
| End-Of-Life Pathway | ~$25,500 (12 weeks) | |
Source: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
Support at Home participants will also have access to two short-term pathways:
- Restorative Care Pathway: This pathway will expand upon existing arrangements under the Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme by increasing support from 8 weeks to 12 weeks. Participants will utilise this pathway to maintain and improve their independence, delay reliance on additional services, and continue participating in activities they enjoy.
- End-of-Life Pathway: This pathway provides access to additional services in the last three months of life for Australians who prefer to remain living at home during that time.
In addition to those eight levels of support and two short-term pathways, the Support at Home program will feature three funding tiers for assistive technology and home modifications (AT-HM Scheme)—more on those below.
6. Support at Home Service List
The Support at Home program will continue to fund the in-home care services currently funded under Home Care Packages—that’s not changing.
However, Support at Home will feature a defined service list to specify what’s available in the program. It will have three categories:
- Clinical Care, such as nursing care
- Independence, such as help with showering
- Everyday Living, such as gardening and house cleaning
Each category will have its own service types and participant contribution arrangements. Assessments will determine which services are available to home care recipients, and those determinations will be documented in their accompanying support plans.
If you’d like to learn more about the Support at Home service list and what services might be available to you, view pages 16–31 in the Support at Home Program Handbook.
Support at Home Capped Prices
Capped service prices will be another major change under Support at Home. The government will set price caps for each service type, and home care service providers will not charge unit prices over those caps. Providers will invoice the Australian Government for services delivered against each care recipient’s budget.
The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) will advise on price caps to ensure equitable, fair and transparent pricing of in-home care services. Price caps will include the full cost of service delivery, including administration costs—meaning aged care providers won’t be able to charge separate administration fees.
Support at Home Quarterly Budget
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, you can move unspent funds of up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget (whichever is greater) between quarters to meet unplanned needs. Your budget will be held in an account managed by Services Australia.
7. Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Scheme (AT-HM)
Here’s another big change you should know: the Support at Home program will provide eligible recipients with separate funding for products, equipment and home modifications to help them remain at home safely and independently.
Support at Home participants deemed to require assistive technology and/or home modifications during their assessment will be allocated the necessary funds in their support plan.
If you are a home care recipient, you will share your support plan with your home care provider and they will arrange and source the required products, modifications and services (e.g. setup and training to ensure safe and proper use of equipment).
AT-HM Funding Tiers
There will be three funding tiers for assistive technology and three tiers for home modifications. Each tier will have a set time period during which funding must be used; AT-HM funding will not accrue over time.
Funding can include up to $15,000, though Support at Home participants could be required to provide co-contributions toward their assistive technology or home modifications.
Much like the Support at Home service list, the AT-HM Scheme will have clear guidance on what products, equipment and modifications are available. Final funding tiers will be made official before the program commences, but you can view the tables below to get an idea of what the allocations will be.
| Funding Tier | Funding allocation cap | Time allocated to expend funding |
|---|---|---|
| Low | $500 | 12 months |
| Medium | $2,000 | 12 months |
| High | $15,000* | 12 months |
| *Higher amounts for AT may be approved with prescription. | ||
Source: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
| Funding Tier | Funding allocation cap | Time allocated to expend funding |
|---|---|---|
| Low | $500 | 12 months |
| Medium | $2,000 | 12 months |
| High | $15,000 | 12 months |
Source: Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
The Support at Home Program Overview Summary
Do you still have questions about the Support at Home program?
That’s okay!
This is a time of transition for all of us, but as always, the primary goal is to ensure you and your family feel supported. The CareSide team will be a reliable resource over the next several months as Australia shifts toward the new Support at Home program, so please contact us with questions about the new regime or if you’d like to secure a Home Care Package before the change.
Here are some easy ways to get in touch:
- Complete a form on our website
- Call us at 1300 85 40 80
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
