Getting a bit of help at home: the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, explained

When people think about aged care, their minds usually jump straight to the big, daunting end of it — a full care package, or a move into a residential aged care home. But the truth is that most older Australians don't need anything like that, at least not for a long time. What they need is a bit of help to keep living well in their own home: someone to do the heavy cleaning, deliver a few meals, drive them to appointments, mow the lawn, or fit a handrail in the bathroom. There's a government program built for exactly this, and it's the one people most often don't know about. It's called the Commonwealth Home Support Programme — usually shortened to CHSP — and it's the subsidised, entry-level step into aged care. You don't need a full package to use it, and you don't need to pay full private rates. This article is general information only, not personal advice.

What is CHSP?

The Commonwealth Home Support Programme is the Australian Government's entry-level home support program for older people, helping them access services to keep living independently and safely at home (My Aged Care, https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/help-at-home/commonwealth-home-support-programme). To be eligible you generally need to be 65 or older, or 50 or older if you're an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, or 50 or older and homeless or at risk of homelessness (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/chsp/about). It's subsidised, meaning the government pays the bulk of the cost and you pay only a modest contribution. The key idea is that it's for people who need one or a few types of help, rather than the coordinated, ongoing support of a full Home Care Package. If you're managing well overall but there are one or two things you're struggling with, CHSP is very likely the right place to start.

What does it cover?

The program covers a broad range of everyday help, and you take only the services you actually need. That includes domestic assistance such as cleaning, laundry and general help around the house; meals, including services like Meals on Wheels and help preparing food; and personal care such as help with bathing, dressing and grooming. It also covers transport to appointments, shopping and social activities, along with home maintenance and modifications — gardening, minor repairs, and safety improvements like grab rails and ramps. Beyond that, CHSP funds allied health such as physiotherapy, podiatry and occupational therapy; social support like friendly visitors and group activities to help you stay connected; respite to give a family carer a well-earned break; and some basic nursing care (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/chsp/about). Nobody takes all of these — the point is that you draw on the one or two that make the difference for you.

How do you access it?

Getting started follows a simple path, and the assessment is free. First you register with My Aged Care, either by phone or online. Then you're assessed under the Single Assessment System, which came into effect on 9 December 2024 and gives you one assessment pathway so you don't have to change assessors as your needs change (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/single-assessment-system). For entry-level support this is usually a face-to-face visit in your own home that works out what help would make the most difference; if it sounds like you need lower-level support, you'll be referred for a home support assessment for CHSP services (My Aged Care, https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/how-get-assessed). After the assessment you receive a notice of decision and a support plan, and you're referred to local providers who deliver the services. It's worth registering even if you're not sure you'll qualify or aren't ready yet — it puts you in the system so help is easier to arrange when you need it.

What does it cost?

Because CHSP is subsidised, you pay only a client contribution toward the cost, never the full price. Providers set their fees within a national framework, and how much you contribute depends on your ability to pay and the type and number of services you use — a simple service like a delivered meal costs a little, while something like home-modification work costs more (My Aged Care, https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/commonwealth-home-support-program-costs). Importantly, a provider cannot charge you more than the actual cost of a service, and there are protections for people who genuinely can't afford to contribute: you will not be denied services because you can't pay, and providers must make sure fees don't cause you financial hardship (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/chsp/about). In practice it's generally far cheaper than arranging the same services privately — which is exactly why it's worth knowing about before you start paying full rates for a cleaner or a gardener out of your own pocket.

CHSP or a Home Care Package?

It helps to understand where CHSP sits. CHSP is entry-level and lower-intensity, arranged service by service — ideal when you need a bit of help in one or two areas. A Home Care Package, by contrast, is for more complex or growing needs, with a coordinated budget managed by a provider. Many people start on CHSP and move up as their needs increase over time, so CHSP isn't necessarily the whole journey — but it's very often the right first step, and it can be all you need for years. (Our companion piece on Home Care Packages and the new Support at Home program explains the next level up.)

Where do the aged care reforms leave CHSP?

Aged care in Australia is being reformed, so it's worth knowing where things stand. The government's new Support at Home program replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme on 1 November 2025 (postponed from an originally planned 1 July 2025 start, to give providers and clients more time to prepare), and the Aged Care Act 2024 commenced on the same day, bringing CHSP under the new Act. The CHSP itself has been extended to 30 June 2027 and will transition into Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027 — a deliberately staged approach that gives providers time to adjust so clients aren't disrupted (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/chsp/reforms). For now, CHSP remains the entry point for lower-level home support. Because the system is changing, it's worth checking the current arrangements with My Aged Care rather than relying on older information.

What do the worked examples show?

These show who CHSP fits well, and where it's a first step toward more. They are illustrative only, not personal advice, and program details are changing under the aged-care reforms.

Norma, 78, is a single homeowner who still drives, cooks and manages her money without trouble — but arthritis has made the heavy cleaning and the lawn too much, and she's had a couple of falls in a slippery bathroom. On these facts CHSP is very likely the right starting point rather than a full package: she needs help in just two or three areas — fortnightly domestic assistance, some garden maintenance, and a grab rail or two installed under home modifications — and CHSP is designed for exactly that, with her paying only a modest client contribution rather than full private rates (My Aged Care, https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/commonwealth-home-support-program-costs). On these facts it is generally rational for Norma to register with My Aged Care for a home support assessment, since the assessment is free and getting into the system early makes it easier to add services later if she needs them.

Frank, 82, lives with his wife Susan, who has become his main carer, and his needs are slowly growing — he now needs help with showering and dressing, and Susan is exhausted and needs regular breaks. On these facts CHSP can help immediately with personal care and with respite to give Susan a rest, but because Frank's needs are increasing and starting to require coordination, the assessment may point toward a Home Care Package (or its Support at Home equivalent) as the better fit over time (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/chsp/reforms). On these facts it is generally rational for the family to start with an assessment and take up CHSP respite and personal care now, while understanding that a coordinated package may become the right level as things change — the two tiers are meant to connect, not compete.

Sources

• My Aged Care — Commonwealth Home Support Program
• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — About the CHSP
• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — CHSP reforms and Support at Home transition
• My Aged Care — Commonwealth Home Support Program costs
• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Single Assessment System
• My Aged Care — How to get assessed