Home Care Package vs Support at Home: what actually changed for your family

No, although the goal is the same, which is to help older people stay in their own home for longer. The structure underneath is different in several important ways.

The biggest visible change is the number of funding levels. Home Care Packages had four levels. Support at Home has eight ongoing classifications, which lets the funding match a person's needs more closely, especially if their needs sat awkwardly between two of the old levels.

There is also a single national assessment now. The old Aged Care Assessment Team and Regional Assessment Service were merged into the Single Assessment System in December 2024, using one tool called the Integrated Assessment Tool. Most families still say "ACAT assessment" out of habit, but it is now one process.

Here is roughly how the money lines up. Support at Home figures are the annual amounts that took effect on 1 November 2025, and they are indexed each year on 1 July.

Support at Home classification	Approximate annual budget
Classification 1	$10,731
Classification 2	$16,034
Classification 3	$21,966
Classification 4	$29,696
Classification 5	$39,697
Classification 6	$48,114
Classification 7	$58,148
Classification 8	$78,106

If your parent already had a Home Care Package, they were not dropped straight into these eight classifications. Instead they moved onto a transitioned level that keeps the same funding they had before. The four transitioned levels are roughly $10,987 for old Level 1, $19,319 for Level 2, $42,055 for Level 3 and $63,758 for Level 4.

If their needs increase and they are reassessed, they then move into one of the eight new classifications.

This is the protection that matters most for existing recipients. If your parent was receiving, or was approved for, a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024, the no worse off principle applies.

In plain terms, they will pay the same or less under Support at Home than they would have under the old package rules. If they were assessed as not having to pay an income-tested care fee, they will never be asked to pay contributions under Support at Home. This protection holds even if they are later reassessed into a higher classification.

People in this group also keep a lower lifetime contribution cap of $84,571.66, compared with the higher cap that applies to brand new participants.

This is genuinely good news, and it is worth confirming. Check your parent's letters from My Aged Care and Services Australia to see which arrangements apply to them.

Three changes are worth understanding.

First, the budget is now quarterly. Instead of one annual pool, the funding arrives in four budgets across the year. If you do not use the whole quarterly budget, you can carry over $1,000 or 10% of it, whichever is greater. Anything above that does not roll over, so leaving large amounts unspent is no longer a good strategy.

Second, care management is capped at 10% of the quarterly budget. Under the old system, combined fees could be much higher.

Third, services are sorted into three streams. Clinical Care, such as nursing and allied health, is fully government funded. Independence services, such as personal care, attract a moderate contribution. Everyday Living services, such as cleaning and gardening, attract the highest contribution.

Keeping track of a quarterly budget split across three streams is fiddly, and it is exactly the kind of job Wayly is built for. It tracks what has been spent, what is left and whether the care management fee is within the cap.

If your parent had unspent Home Care Package funds as at 31 October 2025, they keep them. These sit in a separate pool from the new quarterly budget, and the $1,000 carryover limit does not apply to them.

That money can be used for assistive technology and home modifications, or for extra services once the quarterly budget is spent. If your parent changes providers, the unspent funds move with them.

Yes, and this is where a lot of older articles are now wrong. Two changes are worth knowing.

First, price caps that were due to start on 1 July 2026 have been deferred. In May 2026 the Minister for Aged Care, Sam Rae, announced the caps would be delayed because of concerns about market volatility. Health Minister Mark Butler told ABC Radio National:

We do not want to set in place a price cap that leads to unintended consequences, particularly that see prices go up.

There is no new start date. In the meantime, providers set their own prices, but they must publish them, and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission gained new powers to order refunds for overcharging.

Second, from 1 October 2026 the government will fully fund personal care services such as showering, dressing and continence support. These move into the Clinical Care category, so contributions for them will drop to zero.

If you are helping a parent through the change, here is a simple list.

• Confirm whether the no worse off rule applies, by checking the assessment date of 12 September 2024.
• Find out which classification or transitioned level they are on, and the quarterly budget that goes with it.
• Ask the provider for their current published price list and keep a copy.
• Check the care management fee is within the 10% cap.
• If their needs have grown, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to request a reassessment.

For independent help, COTA Australia publishes plain-English explainers and runs a national advocacy network.

Support at Home is not just a rebrand. It brings more funding levels, quarterly budgets, a 10% care management cap and clearer service streams. For most existing recipients the no worse off rule means costs should not rise because of the change. The job for families now is to understand the new structure and keep an eye on the budget.

If that feels like a lot to stay on top of from a distance, Wayly can track the quarterly budget and statements for you and flag anything that needs attention. Try Wayly free for 7 days.