Support at Home Explained: What It Is and What Changed in 2026

Support at Home pays for services from a published service list that help older Australians keep living at home. Services fall into three categories: clinical supports, independence and everyday living. Your provider delivers them, the government pays a subsidy, and you may pay a contribution depending on the service type and your finances.

If you want to understand which category a service sits in, the three streams explained guide breaks it down.

Your classification is set by your aged care assessment, not chosen by you or your provider. These are the current quarterly and annual budgets (figures read live from Wayly's Support at Home reference data):

There are also short-term supports: the Restorative Care Pathway, the End-of-Life Pathway and the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme. People who moved across from a Home Care Package keep a transitioned budget. See the Support at Home levels pages for a breakdown of each level, and the Classification Self-Check to see your likely level.

Your annual amount is split into 4 quarterly budgets, available from the first day of each quarter. 10% of each quarterly budget goes to care management. You can carry forward up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is higher. Anything above that is lost at the end of the quarter.

The Budget & Lifetime Cap Calculator shows how fast you are spending and whether funds may go unused.

Nothing for clinical supports such as nursing and physiotherapy, and since 01/10/2026, nothing for approved personal care. For independence and everyday living services you pay a percentage of each price, set by a Services Australia income and assets assessment. A lifetime cap limits your total contributions.

See Support at Home contributions explained for the rates, and the Contribution Estimator for what a typical quarter should cost.

Personal care moved into clinical supports. If it is approved in your support plan and you have funding available, you pay no contribution for personal care delivered on or after 01/10/2026. Your October statement, due by 30/11/2026, should show $0 on those lines.

Read Personal care is now free under Support at Home, and check your own statement free with the Statement Decoder.

Home Care Packages had 4 levels, an annual pool you could save indefinitely, and a basic daily fee plus an income-tested care fee. Support at Home has 8 ongoing classifications plus short-term pathways, a quarterly budget with limited carry-forward, and a contribution set as a percentage of each service by category.

If you had a package on or before 12/09/2024, the no worse off rule protects you.

Not yet. Caps were due on 01/07/2026 but were deferred on 19/05/2026. Providers set and publish their own prices, and the government publishes a quarterly National Summary of Support at Home Prices, which the Provider Price Checker uses as a guide.

Wayly explains statements in plain English. This article is general information, not financial, legal or clinical advice. Check anything important with your provider, My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, or a qualified professional.