Funding your Support at Home service costs
There are two ways to fund your home care services:
- Pay for your services out of your own pocket
- Applying for Government funding support via the Support at Home Program.
If you know you’ll be paying for your services privately, that is without government assistance, go straight to Our Service Rates page. If you’ve been assigned a support at home package, your Notice of Decision letter from My Aged Care will show the Support at Home classification you’ve been assigned (Levels 1–8) and the ongoing quarterly budget the government will pay toward your care.
What the Government contributes and how it works
Care Management
The Government first sets aside 10% of your total funding amount towards making sure your care is well-managed.
Budget for Services
The rest of your funds are for you to spend on services with your preferred provider. Your Individual Support Plan document sets out the types of services you’re eligible for (for example: nursing, allied health, personal care, cleaning, transport, equipment).
Your Co-payment Amount
Your Participant Co-Contribution Arrangement is a notification you receive from Services Australia after your means and asset assessment advising the amount you might need to co-pay for some of your services. You can find this in your My Aged Care account.
Combined, these amounts are called Level Classifications. Your Classification is then allocated as an annual budget, reviewed quarterly to continually meet your needs. Your budget is managed by your provider on a monthly basis.
Note: Funding levels and classifications are determined by a My Aged Care assessor under the single assessment tool. The assessor will then collaborate with you to develop a support plan based on your needs and goals.
Your Contributions Under Support At Home
(set by the government)
The government will continue funding in-home care, but some cost-sharing changes will apply. With Support At Home, Income-tested Fees are replaced with participant co-payments. Services Australia will determine the service cost percentage you might need to contribute after your Centrelink Means Test. The benefit is that you only pay for what you use (unlike with the previous Home Care Package system. Instead of set fees, contributions will be based on the type of service received and financial means.
Clinical Support services do not attract a co-contribution. Full pensioners will pay between 5%–18% for non-clinical services with the new Support at Home classification:
Potential Contribution Range %‘s
| Clinical Care | Independence | Everyday Living | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Pensioner | 0% | 5% | 18% |
| Part Pensioner | 0% | 5%-50% | 5%-50% |
| Self-funded retiree (holding or eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card - CSHC) |
0% | 5%-50% | 5%-50% |
| Self-funded retiree | 0% | 50% | 80% |
For Packages approved after 12 September 2024.
Unused funds will roll over each quarter, but only up to $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget.
Extra Funding Under Support at Home
Did you know that you may be eligible for extra funding to help you stay safe and independent at home? In addition to the eight levels of support, there are three separate funding schemes to support certain short term care needs and assistive items to help you to continue living independently.
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
The AT-HM Scheme helps make your life easier at home by helping you access equipment and technology to live at home independently. Funding can be used for installing grab bars, bed rails or accessing mobility aids. The AT-HM Scheme will provide funding for equipment and home modifications, with three funding tiers:
| Tier | Funding Cap* |
|---|---|
| Low | $500 |
| Medium | $2,000 |
| High | $15,000 |
Short-term Care Pathways
Restorative care and end-of-life pathway are extra funding options available when you require additional support. Below are the summarised details of the fundings.
| Short Term Care Pathway | Funding |
|---|---|
| Restorative Care Pathway 12 weeks of tailored support to help older Australians regain strength and independence |
Approximately $6,000 (for 12 weeks) This may increase to $12,000 when eligible |
| End-of-life Pathway Extra care and comfort at the most important times. |
Approximately $25,500 (for 12 weeks) Possible extension to 16 weeks when not fully used |
Learn more about restorative care pathway and end-of-life pathway