Support at Home Explained: The Complete Guide

What is Support at Home?

If you have heard the words "Support at Home" and felt unsure what they mean, you are not alone. Many families are meeting this program for the first time. Here is the plain version.

A simple definition

Support at Home is a government program. It pays for care and help so an older person can keep living in their own home for longer. That help can be practical, like cleaning, shopping or transport. It can be personal, like help with showering and dressing. It can also be clinical, like nursing or physiotherapy.

The program gives each person a set amount of funding each year. You do not get the cash yourself. Instead, the funding pays approved providers and workers for the services you use.

Why the program was introduced

The older system, Home Care Packages, had grown confusing. Fees were hard to compare. People often did not know what they were paying for. The government wanted a fairer, clearer way to fund care at home, with stronger links between a person's assessed needs and the money they receive.

Support at Home is the result. It aims to make funding match need more closely, and to make the costs easier to understand.

Who runs and funds it

The Australian Government funds Support at Home through the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. The front door for families is My Aged Care, the national service that handles enquiries, assessments and referrals. You can reach My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or at myagedcare.gov.au.

Approved providers deliver the actual care. Trilogy Care is one of those providers. This site, HomeCare Prices, is operated by Trilogy Care, and we explain later how that works and how we keep the comparison fair.

How Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages

Plenty of people still know the old names. So let us connect the old world to the new one.

What changed on 1 November 2025

On 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages. The four old package levels are gone. In their place sit 8 funding classifications. The way fees work changed too. There is now a single Care Management fee, and the separate package management fee no longer exists.

The headline idea is simple. More funding levels means the money can match a person's needs more closely than four broad levels ever could.

What this means if you were already getting care

If you were already receiving care under the old system before the change, you were moved across to the new one. The government set transition arrangements so existing clients would not be left worse off during the switch. If you are unsure how your own care moved across, your provider can explain your current classification, your budget and your fees in plain terms. You can also ask My Aged Care.

Key words you will hear (a quick glossary)

A few terms come up again and again. Here they are in everyday language.

• Support at Home (SaH): the government program that funds care in your home.
• Classification: the funding level you are assigned, from 1 (lowest) to 8 (highest). It reflects how much help you have been assessed as needing.
• My Aged Care: the national service that starts the process. Phone 1800 200 422.
• ACAT: the Aged Care Assessment Team. They assess people with higher or more complex needs. (In some states you may hear "ACAS".)
• RAS: the Regional Assessment Service. They assess people with lower-level needs.
• Participant contribution (also called a client contribution): the share of the cost that some people pay towards certain services, based on a means test.
• Care Management fee: the fee charged from your budget for coordinating your care.

Who is Support at Home for?

The program is built for older Australians who want to stay at home but need some support to do it safely.

Basic eligibility

According to My Aged Care, Support at Home is generally for people aged 65 and over (or 50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) who need help with daily living or who have a care need that affects their independence. Age alone does not decide it. A free assessment looks at your situation and confirms whether you qualify and at what level.

You do not need a referral from a doctor to begin. You can contact My Aged Care yourself, or a family member can do it for you with your consent.

Signs it might be time to ask for help

Sometimes the change is gradual and hard to spot. A few common signs that it may be worth asking for an assessment:

• Everyday tasks like cleaning, cooking or laundry have become harder.
• Getting to appointments or the shops is a struggle without help.
• Showering, dressing or moving around the house feels less safe.
• A recent fall, illness or hospital stay has knocked your confidence.
• Family members are quietly doing more and more to fill the gaps.

If two or three of these feel familiar, an assessment is a sensible next step. It is free, and it does not commit you to anything.

How an assessment works (ACAT and RAS)

After you contact My Aged Care, a trained assessor arranges a visit, often in your home. They ask about your health, your daily routine, your safety and what you would like to keep doing for yourself.

People with lower-level needs are usually seen by the Regional Assessment Service (RAS). People with higher or more complex needs are seen by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). The assessor's findings feed into the classification you are assigned through the government process.

The 8 Support at Home classifications

The 8 classifications are the heart of the new system. Think of them as funding bands, ordered by how much support a person needs.

How your classification is decided

Your classification comes out of your assessment. The assessor weighs up your health, your level of independence, your living situation and any risks to your safety. Someone who needs a little help around the house will sit at a lower classification. Someone with high, complex or clinical needs will sit higher.

The aim is fairness. The more support you have been assessed as needing, the higher the classification you are assigned through the government process, and the larger your budget.

What each classification level means for funding

Classification 1 is the lowest funding band. Classification 8 is the highest. As the number rises, so does the size of the budget available for your care.

The table groups the levels to keep it simple. In practice, each of the 8 classifications has its own budget amount set by the government. We avoid quoting specific dollar figures here because they are updated over time. For current amounts, check My Aged Care or ask a provider to walk you through the band you have been assigned. You can also read how the 8 classifications work in our dedicated guide.

What happens if your needs change

Needs are not fixed. People recover from surgery and need less help. Others slowly need more. If your situation changes a lot, you can ask for a reassessment through My Aged Care. If the new assessment supports a change, your classification, and therefore your funding, may move up or down to match.

How Support at Home funding works

This is the part that worries most families. So let us take it slowly.

Your quarterly budget

Your funding is released in quarterly budgets. A quarter is a three-month block. Each quarter you have an amount to spend on approved services. Spending in steady amounts across the quarter helps your funding last. A good provider will help you plan so you are not left short near the end of a quarter.

Clinical care versus everyday-living services

Support at Home splits services into groups, and the rules differ by group.

• Clinical care: this includes nursing and allied health such as physiotherapy. Clinical care is funded in full from your budget with no participant contribution. The amount of clinical care available is still shaped by the budget for your classification.
• Independence and everyday-living services: this includes things like personal care, help around the home, social support and transport. Some of these may carry a means-tested participant contribution, which is the share you pay yourself. Contribution rates differ by category and by service.

So the closer a service is to health and clinical need, the more the government covers. The closer it is to everyday living, the more likely it is that you contribute something based on your means.

Participant contributions explained

A participant contribution (you may also hear "client contribution") is the portion you pay towards certain services. It is means tested, which means it depends on your income and assets. People with lower means pay less, and some pay nothing extra towards those services. People with greater means pay a larger share.

You will not be left guessing. Your contribution is worked out through Services Australia, and your provider should set it out clearly in your service agreement so you can see what is funded and what you pay. Our guide on what is in a service agreement explains what to look for.

The Care Management fee

Care management is the work of coordinating your care: planning, organising services, checking things are working and adjusting as your needs change. Support at Home charges a Care Management fee for this, taken from your budget, at around 10% of your quarterly budget.

Two things are worth knowing. First, this is the only ongoing coordination fee under Support at Home. The separate package management fee that existed under the old system has been abolished. Second, if you self-manage, the way your budget is used can look different, which we cover next.

Self-managed versus full-service: a quick comparison

Once you know your classification and budget, you choose how your care is delivered. There are two main models. Many people use a blend of both.

What self-managed means

Self-managed care puts you in the driver's seat. You find your own worker, often someone from your local community, agree a price with them directly, and your provider onboards that worker so they meet Commonwealth standards. The provider handles the paperwork, pays invoices from your budget and keeps the arrangement compliant.

Because you are agreeing prices in the open market, self-managed rates are often close to everyday market rates. A 10% self-management loading is added on top, and that loading covers things like workforce assurance and paying invoices. It helps to know how the two charges sit together. The Care Management fee covers coordinating your care, while the self-management loading covers the extra work of running a self-managed arrangement, so they do the different jobs rather than charging you twice for the same thing. For families happy to be a little more hands-on, self-managing can stretch a budget further. Our guides on what self-managed really involves and how to self-manage your budget go deeper.

What full-service means

Full-service care is the more traditional model. The provider employs the workers and offers you a fixed price list. You can add extra coordination and hands-on care management if you want it. This suits people who prefer everything organised for them, with a single point of contact and less day-to-day involvement.

The trade-off is cost. Because the provider carries the employment, rostering and management, full-service hourly rates for everyday services typically sit 50% to 100% above the matching self-managed rate.

How the prices compare

Here is the difference at a glance.

Neither model is right for everyone. The best choice depends on how involved you want to be and how far you want your budget to stretch. You can compare real numbers using our compare provider prices in your area tool.

How to get started with Support at Home

The process has a clear shape. Here are the practical steps.

Step 1: Contact My Aged Care

Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, or visit myagedcare.gov.au. Tell them a little about the situation and the kind of help that is needed. They will check whether an assessment is the right next step and start the referral. A family member or friend can make the call with your consent.

Step 2: Get assessed

An assessor (RAS for lower needs, ACAT for higher or more complex needs) arranges a visit. They look at your health, your safety and your daily life. Their findings feed into the classification you are assigned through the government process. This step is free.

Step 3: Choose a provider and model

Once you have a classification and funding, you choose a provider and decide whether you want self-managed care, full-service care, or a mix. This is the moment to compare prices and ask questions. Our step-by-step guide to getting started walks through it in detail, and you can browse the services covered by Support at Home to see what your budget can pay for.

What the wait times look like

It is fair to ask how long all this takes. The government has reported that waits for both assessment and a funded place can be lengthy, and the picture changes over time. We would rather not quote a fixed number of weeks or months that could be out of date by the time you read this. The safest move is to ask My Aged Care for the current expected wait when you call, and to get your name in the queue early, since waiting does not commit you to anything.

Questions about this topic

Is Support at Home the same as a Home Care Package?

No. Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. The four old package levels were retired and replaced with 8 funding classifications. Fees changed too, with a single Care Management fee and no separate package management fee. If you had a package before the change, you were moved across to the new system.

How much does Support at Home cost me?

It depends on the services you use and your means test. Clinical care, such as nursing and allied health, is funded in full from your budget with no participant contribution. Some everyday-living services may carry a means-tested participant contribution, worked out through Services Australia. A Care Management fee of around 10% of your quarterly budget is charged for coordinating your care.

What are the 8 classifications?

The 8 classifications are funding bands, from 1 (the lowest) to 8 (the highest). The higher your assessed need, the higher the classification you are assigned and the larger your budget. Each classification has its own budget amount set by the government, and that budget shapes how much care you can receive.

Should I choose self-managed or full-service care?

That depends on how involved you want to be. Self-managed care lets you find your own worker and agree the price, often close to market rates, with a 10% self-management loading on top. Full-service care has the provider employ workers and set a price list, with everyday rates that typically sit 50% to 100% higher. Many people use a blend of both.

How do I start?

Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au. They will check whether an assessment is the right next step and arrange one if it is. After your assessment you are assigned a classification and a budget, then you choose a provider and a care model.

See what care could cost you

The clearest way to understand your options is to compare real prices. You can see what care costs in your area on this site, with every provider listed and ranked by the same method. If you would like to talk it through with a person, call Trilogy Care on 1300 318 723. There is no pressure and no obligation.