Home Care Package to Support at Home: what actually changes for families

The short version

On 1 November 2025, the Australian Government replaced Home Care Packages (HCP) with a new program called Support at Home. If you or a family member was already receiving a Home Care Package, you've been automatically transitioned — you don't need to re-apply. But the way budgets, classifications and statements work has changed, and you'll see new terms on your invoices.

This article maps the old world to the new world so you can read your first Support at Home statement without panicking.

What stayed the same

• You keep your current provider unless you choose to switch.
• Your care continues uninterrupted — services don't pause during the transition.
• No-one is worse off than under their old HCP (the government's "no detriment" rule for transitioned recipients).
• OPAN's advocacy line is still 1800 700 600 — free, independent and confidential.

What changed

Levels → Classifications

Where HCP had four levels (1–4) by complexity of care needs, Support at Home has eight classifications (1–8). Higher classification = more annual funding. Levels do not map 1:1 — your old level 2 HCP is not automatically a Support at Home classification 2.

You'll see your assigned classification on your statement.

Annual budget → Quarterly budget with rollover

Under HCP, you had a single annual budget. Under Support at Home, your funding is split into quarterly budgets. Unused funds roll over — up to whichever is higher of $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget. Care-management funds have no quarterly cap but are still capped annually.

If you spent very little under HCP and built up a big unspent balance, the transitional rules let you keep using that balance — ask your provider how it appears on your new statements.

Statement format

Your Support at Home statement looks different. The biggest changes:

• Charges are now grouped by service type rather than by date.
• There's a clearer rollover line showing what carried over from last quarter.
• Care management is broken out as its own category.
• Providers continue to set their own prices — the Australian Government's planned national price caps under Support at Home were deferred indefinitely in May 2026, so your statement still shows whatever your provider has chosen to charge.

Wayly's Statement Decoder reads both old HCP statements and new Support at Home statements — drop yours in to see the new format explained in plain English.

Important dates to mark on the calendar

Date	What happens
1 November 2025	HCP → Support at Home transition (done)
May 2026	National provider price caps deferred indefinitely by the Australian Government. Providers continue to set their own prices.
1 October 2026	Personal care becomes free for everyone on Support at Home (no individual contribution for showering, dressing, mobility help).
Not before 1 July 2027	CHSP (Commonwealth Home Support Program) folds into Support at Home.

What you should do this week

1. Check your most recent statement against your previous HCP statement. Are the totals you expect there? Wayly can decode it.
2. Confirm your classification matches what your assessor told you. If it looks wrong, you can request a reassessment.
3. Look at your rollover balance. Spending plans now work in 3-month windows, not 12.
4. Don't switch providers in a panic. The "no detriment" rule protects you under the transition — you can wait and decide deliberately.

Where to verify everything in this article

• The My Aged Care website (myagedcare.gov.au) is the authoritative source for program rules.
• The Department of Health publishes the program manual at health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home.
• OPAN (opan.org.au, 1800 700 600) gives free advocacy if you disagree with a decision.

If anything in this article doesn't match your statement, your statement is the truth — providers occasionally make errors. Ask Wayly's Statement Decoder or call OPAN.