Support at Home Level 5: Funding, Services and Who It Suits
Level 5 funds intensive in-home support. The annual budget of $40,729.53 (effective 1 July 2026) is paid as a quarterly budget of roughly $10,182.
Who Support at Home Level 5 Suits
Older Australians with significant care needs, often including cognitive change, complex medication routines or a higher risk of falls.
What Services Level 5 Typically Funds
- Multiple personal-care visits a day on most days of the week
- Weekly to twice-weekly domestic help
- Regular registered-nurse visits for medication or wound care
- Allied health, social support and respite to relieve family carers
At Level 5 a participant might receive morning and evening personal care every day, a weekly registered nurse for medication management, a weekly cleaner and a fortnightly respite block to give a family carer a break.
What Level 5 Means for Your Money
Level 5 pays an annual budget of $40,729.53, split into four quarterly budgets of about $10,182. Here is how that money actually behaves once the plan is running.
- Care management: about $1,018 of each $10,182 quarterly budget (10%) is set aside to pay your provider to coordinate services. That leaves roughly $9,164 a quarter for hands-on support.
- Rollover: you can carry over the higher of $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget (here $1,018) into the next quarter. Anything unspent above that is returned to the system, so an underspend at this level can quietly cost you money.
- Your contribution: Clinical Care is free for everyone. For Independence and Everyday Living services you pay a share of the published rate based on your pension status, with full age pensioners paying the least and self-funded retirees the most. From 1 October 2026, personal care becomes fully government funded.
- Watch the hourly rate: because your contribution is a share of the rate, a provider charging above the published rate means you pay 100% of the gap. On a budget this size, a small rate rise accelerates your burn and can leave you short before quarter end.
Check Whether Level 5 Still Fits
Needs change. If your parent's care plan keeps running short or family is filling more gaps than a year ago, it may be time to review the level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Older Australians with significant care needs, often including cognitive change, complex medication routines or a higher risk of falls.
Support at Home Level 5 provides $40,729.53 per year, effective 1 November 2025. That is paid as a quarterly budget of roughly $10,182, with 10% of each quarter set aside for care management.
Request a support plan review through My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. The Wayly Classification Self-Check helps you decide if a review is worth requesting, and the Wayly Letters & Follow-ups tool drafts the formal letter to send.