Not long from now, the Home Care Package program will be obsolete.
The Support at Home program will become Australia’s new in-home care system, replacing Home Care Packages, the short-term restorative care program, and eventually, the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).
Our team is already helping care recipients and their families understand the new system. We’re receiving lots of questions about the Support at Home service list, Support at Home pricing, and what home care assistance will entail moving forward.
Below, you’ll find a list of numbers related to the Support at Home program—but these aren’t just any numbers.
These figures highlight some of the biggest changes you need to know about before Support at Home begins. If you have any questions—or if you’re interested in securing a Home Care Package before the switch—please fill out our website form and we’ll be in touch.
The date Support at Home is scheduled to begin and replace the Home Care Package and short-term restorative care programs. The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) will transition to Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
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.
In addition to the eight new funding classifications, Support at Home will feature two short-term care pathways: a Restorative Care pathway and an End-of-Life pathway. Restorative Care will offer 12 weeks of support with restorative care partners (such as allied health services), and End-of-Life care will provide access to additional services in the last three months of life for recipients who prefer to remain living at home during that time.
Under Support at Home, your annual subsidy will be divided into four 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.
Three categories of support services will be available: Clinical Care (such as nursing care and physiotherapy), Independence (such as personal care), and Everyday Living (such as cleaning and gardening services). Each category will have its own service types and participant contribution arrangements.
The government will set price caps for each service, and home care providers will not charge over those caps. Though Support at Home will commence on 1 July 2025, government-set price caps on in-home services won’t begin until 1 July 2026. In-home aged care providers will continue to set their own prices for Support at Home services until that date.
Capped service prices will encompass the full cost of service delivery, including administration costs. That means aged care providers will not be able to charge separate administration fees, entry fees, or exit fees. Providers will, however, charge a flat 10% care management fee to fund ongoing care management services.
When Support at Home begins, care assessments will occur through Australia’s new Single Assessment System. The new Single Assessment System aims to make getting assessed for aged care support easier, and you can be assessed anywhere. Importantly, you can also use the same assessment provider as your needs change over time, meaning you won’t have to repeatedly share your situation and history with new assessors.
If wait times for services exceed expectations, you will be assigned an interim allocation of your Support at Home classification budget while you wait to receive your full funding. The allocation will be 60% of your budget; the remaining 40% will be allocated when funding is available.
The Support at Home program will provide eligible participants with separate funding for products, equipment, and home modifications under the new Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Scheme (AT-HM). Each category will have three distinct funding tiers (Low, Medium and High) and each tier will have a set period during which funding must be used.
A cap tracked by Services Australia 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.
If you feel confused or have questions about how the transition to Support at Home will affect your care, please call us on 1300 85 40 80 or fill out a quick form and our team will be in touch. We’re happy to support you and your family through this transition!
