Support at Home vs Home Care Packages: what actually changed
On 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages. If you knew the old system, four changes matter most — and when you entered home care now decides which rules apply to you.
The four big changes
- Quarterly budgets, not annual packages. Instead of an annual HCP amount, your classification sets a quarterly budget. Unspent funds carry over within limits, and 10% of each budget funds care management — at no contribution to you.
- Contributions by service category. You now pay a percentage per service depending on its category: clinical care is always 0% to you; independence and everyday-living supports carry rates set by your cohort and pension status. The old income-tested care fee model is gone for new entrants.
- Eight classifications. Assessment now places you on an eight-level ladder, from $2,753 to $20,034 per quarter.
- Provider prices are uncapped for now. Price caps were announced but deferred — instead, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can order refunds where providers are found to be overcharging, a quarterly National Summary of Support at Home Prices shows how providers compare, and comparing providers remains your main protection. Prices vary widely.
Which rules apply to you: the three cohorts
| Your situation… | Your rules |
|---|---|
| In home care — or approved or waiting for it — on or before 12 September 2024 | Grandfathered — “no worse off” protections apply |
| Entered 13 Sep 2024 – 31 Oct 2025 | Transitioned — standard rates, HCP-equivalent budget levels |
| Entering from 1 November 2025 | New entrant — standard rates, classifications 1–8 |
What grandfathering actually protects
- Full pensioners pay 0% — permanently. Every category, 0%.
- Income-only assessment. Assets are excluded for everyone grandfathered. Part pensioners and Seniors Health Card holders get rates calculated from income alone — for example 0% to 25% on everyday living, against the standard part-pensioner band of 17.5% to 80%. Fully self-funded participants (no card) pay a flat maximum of 25% — well under the standard top rates. And for anyone who was paying an income-tested care fee, a fortnightly cap limits the total you can be asked to pay to no more than the old arrangement would have charged.
- The old HCP lifetime cap travels with you, including into residential care.
- Protections survive reassessment — moving to a higher classification doesn’t cost you the protected rates.
Transitioned from an HCP? Your budget speaks HCP
If you moved across with an existing package, your budget maps from your old HCP level rather than the new ladder — from $2,818 (Level 1 equivalent) to $16,354 (Level 4 equivalent) per quarter. Unspent HCP funds transferred with you: they can buy equipment and home modifications at any time, or fund extra services once a quarterly budget is fully exhausted — the full rules are here.
Not sure which cohort you’re in? The estimator asks one question and applies the right rules.
Estimate the costsRelated: what Support at Home costs in 2026 · the 1 October 2026 change