Support at Home Fees and Contributions Explained (2026)
By FindMyHelp Editorial Team · Reviewed against official sources on
"How much will it cost?" is usually the first question families ask about help at home. Under Support at Home, the answer depends on the type of service, your income and assets, and when you were approved. The rules also changed again on 1 October 2026, when personal care became fully funded. This guide explains it all in plain English.
Try it: work out your likely contributions with our free Support at Home fee estimator.
What is Support at Home?
Support at Home started in November 2025. It replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-term Restorative Care Programme. It helps older people stay living independently at home for longer, with services, equipment and home modifications (My Aged Care – Support at Home).
To get it, you first need an aged care assessment through My Aged Care.
How your Support at Home budget works
Ongoing classifications 1–8
If you're approved for ongoing services, an assessor gives you one of 8 classifications. Each comes with a quarterly budget. The budget includes funding for care management (My Aged Care – costs and contributions).
| Classification | Quarterly budget | Annual amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,757.89 | $11,031.56 |
| 2 | $4,120.89 | $16,483.55 |
| 3 | $5,645.23 | $22,580.93 |
| 4 | $7,632.04 | $30,528.15 |
| 5 | $10,202.32 | $40,809.27 |
| 6 | $12,365.48 | $49,461.91 |
| 7 | $14,944.20 | $59,776.80 |
| 8 | $20,073.50 | $80,294.00 |
These were current on 1 October 2026, after an increase for the nurses' award wage rise. They're indexed on 1 July each year.
If you moved across from a Home Care Package, you keep an equivalent "transitioned" classification. The quarterly budgets are $2,823.55 (level 1), $4,965.14 (level 2), $10,808.30 (level 3) and $16,385.99 (level 4) (My Aged Care). When we checked, the official table showed the level 4 quarterly and annual amounts in each other's columns. $16,385.99 is the quarterly figure ($65,543.98 a year).
Key budget rules
- Care management: 10% of your quarterly budget goes to your provider for care management. That covers things like building and reviewing your care plan.
- Carry-over: You can carry unspent funds into the next quarter, up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget.
- Monthly statements: Your provider must give you a monthly statement so you can keep track.
Source: My Aged Care – costs and contributions
Short-term pathways
Support at Home also has three short-term options. Each has its own funding (My Aged Care):
- Restorative Care Pathway: up to 2 units of $6,179.40 each over 12 months, for intensive allied health and nursing to help you regain function (for people starting on 1 October 2026).
- End-of-Life Pathway: $25,736.57 over 12 weeks, which can be used over up to 16 weeks, for people with 3 months or less to live (for people starting on 1 October 2026).
- Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme: upfront funding tiers. Low is $513, medium $2,052 and high $15,390, each for assistive technology and for home modifications.
What will you contribute?
You pay a contribution, which is a percentage of the price of each service you actually receive. The government pays the rest to your provider (My Aged Care). The percentage depends on two things.
1. The type of service
| Service category | Examples | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical supports | Nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry | None. The government pays in full |
| Independence | Remedial massage, transport, respite, support to attend appointments | Moderate |
| Everyday living | Cleaning, gardening, shopping, meal preparation | Highest |
Care management has a 0% contribution. AT-HM items are treated like the independence category, but prescription and wrap-around services are 0% (My Aged Care).
Personal care is fully funded from 1 October 2026
From 1 October 2026, the government fully funds personal care, such as help with showering, dressing, eating and personal hygiene. You won't pay a contribution if:
- personal care is in your support plan, and
- you have enough funds in your Support at Home budget.
You still pay contributions for personal care you received before 1 October. You don't need to do anything for the change to apply (My Aged Care – news, 15 September 2026).
2. Your income and assets
Services Australia (or DVA, for some veterans) does an income and assets assessment. If you already get a pension, it uses the information it already has (My Aged Care).
| Your situation | Clinical | Independence | Everyday living |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 0% | 5% | 17.5% |
| Part pensioner, or self-funded with a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card | 0% | 5% to 50%* | 17.5% to 80%* |
| Self-funded without a CSHC, or "means not disclosed" | 0% | 50% | 80% |
*Tapered, based on your income and assets assessment. Source: My Aged Care
Important: If you don't give Services Australia your income and assets details, you'll be treated as "means not disclosed" and pay the maximum rates.
A simple way to think about it
Say a provider charges a price for an hour of cleaning, which is "everyday living". A full pensioner contributes 17.5% of that price and the government pays the rest. For an hour of nursing, the same person contributes nothing. Your provider's price list sets the starting price, so prices matter.
If you were approved before 12 September 2024
The "no worse off" principle applies if you were receiving, or approved for, a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024 (My Aged Care):
- If you paid Home Care Package fees, you'll pay the same or less under Support at Home.
- If you weren't asked to pay fees, you'll never be asked to pay contributions under Support at Home.
Lifetime caps
There's a lifetime limit on what you contribute (My Aged Care):
- $140,652.80 for people on the 1 November 2025 arrangements
- $88,934.57 for people under the "no worse off" principle.
Both figures are as at 20 September 2026 and are indexed. Contributions you pay at home also count towards the lifetime cap if you later move into an aged care home.
When your contributions can change
Your contribution rates can change if your circumstances change, if you receive a different mix of services, or when pension amounts are indexed in March and September. Services Australia will write to you and your provider. If you've overpaid for a past period, your provider refunds you (My Aged Care).
Tips to make your budget go further
- Compare price lists. Every Support at Home provider must publish its full price list online. You can compare them with My Aged Care's Find a provider tool.
- Use the fee estimator. The official Support at Home fee estimator works out your likely contribution rates and budget. It doesn't ask for personal identifying details.
- Ask before you agree to price rises. If a provider proposes higher prices, for example for nursing after the wage rise, they must talk with you, explain why, and get your agreement first (My Aged Care – news).
- Struggling to pay? You can apply for financial hardship assistance (a fee reduction supplement). If you're eligible, the government pays some or all of your costs.
- Get independent financial advice before big decisions. My Aged Care recommends it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Support at Home free?
Partly. Clinical supports, care management and, from 1 October 2026, approved personal care have no contribution. You contribute towards independence and everyday living services, based on your income and assets.
How much does a full pensioner pay for Support at Home?
0% for clinical supports, 5% for independence services and 17.5% for everyday living services, as a percentage of the provider's price (My Aged Care).
What are the Support at Home classification amounts?
From $2,757.89 a quarter for classification 1 up to $20,073.50 a quarter for classification 8, current as of 1 October 2026 (see the table above).
Do I pay for personal care under Support at Home?
Not from 1 October 2026, if personal care is in your support plan and you have enough funds in your budget. Contributions still apply to personal care you received before that date.
What happens if I don't do the income and assets assessment?
You'll be treated as "means not disclosed" and pay the maximum contribution rates: 50% for independence and 80% for everyday living.
Is there a cap on Support at Home contributions?
Yes. The lifetime cap is $140,652.80, or $88,934.57 under the "no worse off" principle, as at 20 September 2026 and indexed.
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This guide is general information, not financial advice. Figures are from myagedcare.gov.au as at 26 October 2026 and change regularly. Use the official fee estimator, or speak to an independent financial adviser, for your situation.