Support at Home: the new in-home aged care program that replaced Home Care Packages

For Australian families navigating in-home aged care, the framework changed substantially from 1 November 2025. The Home Care Packages (HCP) program — the four-level subsidy framework that operated since the early 2010s — was replaced by the new Support at Home program as part of the 2024-25 aged care reforms responding to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. The new program restructures funding into more granular categories of care, applies means-tested participant contributions on a different basis, and provides specific transitional grandfathering for participants who were on HCP at the cut-off date. Different cohorts face different rules — knowing which applies to you (or to the relative you are supporting) is the first practical step.

Three groups of older Australians are affected differently by the change, and the dividing line is not the date most people assume.

Anyone receiving, or approved for, a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024 is covered by the government's "no worse off" principle. They pay the same or lower contributions under Support at Home than they did under HCP, and if they were assessed as paying no income-tested care fee they will never pay contributions under Support at Home at all — even if later reassessed into a higher classification (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home/charging-for-support-at-home-services/support-at-home-participant-contributions). The word approved matters: being on the waiting list on that date counts.

Everyone else who moved across, plus new participants, is on the standard Support at Home contribution rates — including people who started a package after 12 September 2024 but before the program changed over on 1 November 2025. This is the group most likely to assume incorrectly that they are protected. They are not, and the difference is large: for everyday living services a self-funded retiree on the standard rates contributes up to 80%, against 25% under the no worse off rates.

Future participants (currently independent, who will need care later) will be on the standard rates, and should plan on that basis.

Everyone on an HCP at 31 October 2025 transferred to Support at Home on 1 November 2025 — but transferring across and being protected on contributions are two different things, governed by two different dates. Our article on what you actually pay for Support at Home sets out both rate tables in full.

Support at Home distinguishes between three broad categories of care, each with different government and participant contribution rules.

Clinical care. Nursing, allied health (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, podiatry, dietitian), and other health-related services. Clinical care is generally fully government-funded with no participant contribution required. The policy intent is that clinical care is universally accessible regardless of the participant's financial position — clinical needs should not be unmet because of cost.

Ongoing services. Personal care (assistance with daily living tasks), domestic assistance (cleaning, laundry, gardening), social support, transport, meals, and similar daily-living services. Means-tested participant contributions apply to ongoing services, with rates varying based on the participant's financial assessment.

Equipment and short-term services. Aids and equipment, home modifications, allied health programs of defined duration. Specific contribution rules apply depending on the type of service.

The categorisation is intended to ensure clinical needs are met regardless of financial capacity, while applying means-testing to non-clinical services where personal contribution is appropriate.

For ongoing services specifically, means-tested participant contributions are calculated based on the participant's income and assets. Contribution rates increase with means. Lower-means participants (full Age Pension recipients with limited assets) make minimal contributions. Middle-means participants (part Age Pension or self-funded with moderate means) make moderate contributions. Higher-means participants (substantial assets and income) make higher contributions, up to a defined cap. The means assessment uses a framework similar to the Age Pension and aged care residential means tests, with specific Support at Home calculations.

For most middle-income retirees, ongoing services contributions under Support at Home are higher than under HCP — reflecting the policy intent to shift more cost to those with capacity to pay, while preserving full support for those who cannot. For families newly entering Support at Home with a middle-means relative, the contribution can be a meaningful budget item that needs to be planned for.

The critical feature of the transition is the "no worse off" principle, and its cut-off is 12 September 2024 — not the changeover date. Participants who were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before that date pay contributions that are the same as, or lower than, what they paid under HCP. Concretely, that means 0% for full pensioners across every service type, 25% for self-funded retirees, and between 0% and 25% for part pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders depending on income. That group also keeps the old Home Care Package lifetime cap of $84,571.66 (as at 20 September 2025, indexed each 20 March and 20 September), which is lower than the Support at Home cap.

The practical implication for a protected participant is that their existing arrangement largely continues — provider relationships, care plans and contribution amounts unchanged. The first practical step for any family with a relative who held or was approved for a package in September 2024 is to confirm that status with Services Australia, because the protection is not always volunteered and the difference in contribution rates is substantial.

Equally important is the reverse check. A relative who started a package in, say, early 2025 transferred to Support at Home on 1 November 2025 like everyone else, but is not covered by the no worse off principle — they are on the standard rates. Confirming which of the two applies is worth doing before budgeting anything.

For new participants approved from 1 November 2025, the new Support at Home rules apply. Practical engagement involves several steps. Engage with My Aged Care — the government portal is the official source for eligibility information and applications. Complete the ACAT assessment — Aged Care Assessment Teams continue to provide eligibility approvals. Understand the means assessment — contributions depend on income and assets; an early estimate from the means assessment supports budgeting. Engage with the chosen provider — service providers have transitioned to the new framework and can explain specific cost implications. Coordinate with broader retirement planning — Support at Home costs interact with Age Pension, super drawdowns, and other retirement income; modelling the combined picture supports better planning.

Support at Home includes a lifetime cap on contributions to prevent unbounded cumulative cost. The department publishes a single lifetime cap — $137,917.01 under the schedule effective 1 July 2026, indexed each 20 March and 20 September — and it is a combined cap shared with the non-clinical care contribution in residential aged care. Contributions made at home therefore count toward the ceiling that would apply later in a residential home, and vice versa. Participants on the no worse off rates instead keep the lower Home Care Package lifetime cap of $84,571.66 (as at 20 September 2025). Services Australia notifies the participant and the provider when a cap is reached. Hardship provisions cover participants who genuinely cannot afford their assessed contributions — the form is SA462, lodged with Services Australia and assessed within 28 days.

Support at Home contributions are typically paid from the participant's general resources — Age Pension payments, super pension drawdowns, investment income, savings. They do not directly reduce Age Pension entitlement, but they do consume cash flow. For low-means participants (full Age Pension), contributions are typically modest and manageable from pension income. For middle-means participants, contributions can be substantial and may require coordination with super pension drawdowns or other resources.

A few common pitfalls are worth flagging. Assuming HCP rules continue for new participants — anyone approved from 1 November 2025 is under Support at Home, not HCP. Getting the no worse off cut-off date wrong — the protection turns on 12 September 2024, not on the 1 November 2025 changeover, and someone who started a package between those two dates is on the standard rates despite having transferred across like everyone else. Underestimating contribution costs under new rules — middle-means participants may face higher contributions than HCP precedent suggests. Not engaging with My Aged Care — the official portal is the authoritative source; second-hand information may be incomplete. Treating Support at Home as separate from broader aged care planning — the program connects to residential aged care for participants whose needs increase; coordinated planning matters.

For older Australians and their families, the Support at Home transition is one of the more substantial recent reforms in the aged care framework. The benefits include more granular care categorisation, better integration of clinical care, and more equitable cost distribution. The challenges include navigating the new rules and (for middle-means participants) potentially higher contributions. Worth understanding the framework before engaging — and confirming which set of rules applies to your specific situation as the starting point.

Sources

• About the Support at Home program — Dept of Health, Disability and Ageing
• Support at Home program — My Aged Care
• Support at Home participant contributions — Dept of Health, Disability and Ageing
• Support at Home costs and contributions — My Aged Care
• Changes to contributions while accessing Support at Home (grandfathering / no worse off) — My Aged Care
• Support at Home Program for aged care providers (means assessment) — Services Australia