Everything that changed in Support at Home on 1 October 2026
Four separate changes landed on the same day, and most of what you will hear about them gets at least one wrong. Here is each one, what it actually means for the money, and the short checklist worth running on your October statement. The good news up front: for most participants, 1 October required no action at all — but knowing the mechanics is how you catch the exceptions.
The 30-second version
- Personal care contributions ended. Showering, dressing, medication help — no contribution for services delivered from 1 October. Automatic.
- Subsidy rates rose to fund the aged care nurses’ award wage increase — and some providers are proposing price changes alongside it.
- Any price rise needs your agreement. A provider must not cut off services because you decline one.
- The regulator is watching this date specifically — including what happens to personal care prices once the government becomes the sole payer.
1. Personal care is now contribution-free
Personal care moved from the Independence category into Clinical Supports — the category with no participant contribution — so contributions on those services have stopped. The services themselves don’t change, and neither does the fact that they still draw on your quarterly budget: free to you is not free to the budget. Three timing rules catch people out: services delivered before 1 October still attract a contribution even when invoiced after; there are no refunds for contributions paid before the date; and there is nothing to apply for — it happens automatically. The Minister’s announcement on 1 October says providers will work with existing clients to update service agreements to reflect the change. The full before-and-after numbers, and the three things worth checking on your first statement after the change, are in the personal care deep-dive. One legitimate move worth discussing with your provider: if you need more personal care, you can ask for your care plan and budget to be rebalanced toward the category that no longer costs you anything.
2. Subsidy rates rose — and prices may follow
From 1 October, Support at Home subsidy rates and some supplements increased to fund the Fair Work Commission’s award wage rise for aged care nurses that took effect in August. In plain terms: the government is putting money in so providers can pay nurses properly. Some providers are proposing price increases around the same date — which is where your rights matter more than the headline.
3. A price rise needs your agreement — the rules are explicit
Department guidance around this change is unusually direct: a proposed price increase requires your agreement; a provider should not cease services because you decline one; and if agreement genuinely can’t be reached, you can change providers — with the outgoing provider expected to support continuity and transition. So when the letter about “updated pricing from October” arrives: don’t sign what you don’t understand, ask what specifically changed and why, and compare the new prices against the field — every provider’s prices must be published on the Find a Provider tool, and the price comparison guide shows what reasonable looks like. Remember the exit is free: switching providers carries no entry or exit fees, and your funds move with you.
4. The one thing to watch from here
Here is the sophisticated risk, and the regulator has flagged it too: personal care price drift. From 1 October you will no longer feel a personal care price rise in your contributions — you will feel it as your budget draining faster, which buys fewer hours across the quarter. The Commission and the Department have said they will be monitoring prices around this change, including personal care pricing specifically, with regulatory action where required — and the Commission’s enforcement powers now include ordering refunds for overcharging and acting on missing monthly statements. Your part is simple: find your personal care unit price on a September or earlier statement, check it against your October statement, and query any jump in writing. If the answer doesn’t hold up, the escalation ladder is free and now has real teeth.
Your October statement checklist
- Know which of your services count as personal care — the categories guide maps every service to its category and cost.
- Keep a September or earlier statement and note the personal care unit prices on it — that’s your baseline for spotting drift.
- Check the dates on your October statement. Personal care delivered from 1 October should show no contribution. Personal care delivered in September can still carry one, even if it only appears on the October statement.
- Expect provider contact about updated service agreements or care plans — the Minister has said providers will be updating agreements for this change, so it is routine, but read before signing.
- Don’t agree to a price rise you don’t understand — ask for the reason in writing, compare against published prices, and remember agreement is yours to give.
- Explaining the change to someone with dementia, cognitive impairment or limited literacy? The department publishes an official Easy Read version of this change — pictures, plain words, large type. Worth printing for the kitchen table.
- Free help exists: OPAN advocates on 1800 700 600, My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
Want your own before-and-after? The estimator computes your weekly costs under the pre-October rules and the rules from 1 October — same services, both dates, in about two minutes.
Estimate the costsRelated: the personal care change in detail · comparing provider prices · your monthly statement rights