Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. Assessment assigns one of 8 budget levels; we handle the whole application in Chinese and English, at no charge.
It is not a favour and it is not charity. It is a program the Commonwealth built on purpose, and knowing why makes it much easier to ask for what your parents are entitled to.
The Department of Health's own words: older people want to “remain living at home where possible”. Supporting someone at home is also far cheaper for the taxpayer than a bed in a residential aged care home. The interests line up, which is why the funding exists.
Support at Home was set up in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, to create a more equitable system, improve access to services, assistive technology and home modifications, and help older people stay active, healthy and socially connected.
“More equitable” is the part worth reading twice. Families who do not speak English, or who have never dealt with My Aged Care, have historically claimed far less than they were entitled to — not because they did not qualify, but because nobody explained the system to them. The money is already budgeted whether your parents claim it or not. Applying is not taking anything from anyone else.
This is the question we are asked most often, usually as “if we take this, will it cut our pension?”. They are two separate programs, run by two different departments, with two different application processes.
| Age Pension | Support at Home | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The main income support payment for people of Age Pension age. | Funding for aged care services delivered to you at home. |
| What you receive | Money, paid to you fortnightly, to live on. You decide what it is spent on. | Services — a carer, a cleaner, a physio, equipment. The subsidy pays your provider for care delivered; it is not cash in your account. |
| Who runs it | Services Australia (Centrelink). | The Department of Health, through My Aged Care. |
| How you get it | You claim it from Centrelink. | You have an aged care assessment, then you are allocated funding when it becomes available. |
| Age | 67 or older. | Based on assessed care needs, generally from 65. |
| Means testing | Income and assets tests decide whether you get it and how much. | Income and assets decide your contribution rate only — not whether you are approved. Services Australia does this check. |
| Residency | Australian resident, normally for at least 10 years. | Australian citizen or permanent resident. |
Everyone's circumstances differ. For how your own pension is assessed, confirm with Services Australia on 132 300 — or ask us and we will sit with you while you call, in Chinese.
Sources: Department of Health — About Support at Home · My Aged Care — Support at Home · Services Australia — Age Pension. Support at Home started on 1 November 2025, replacing the Home Care Packages Program. All official documents and videos in Chinese →
Free chat, then we lodge the My Aged Care application (~1 month prep).
ACAT reviews within ~3 months; we sit beside you with an interpreter.
One of 8 levels assigned; nominate CareU as preferred provider.
Sign, meet your concierge team, watch every dollar in the app.
You haven't been assessed yet, so no budget exists. This is CareU's own estimate, based on the daily needs we see across 300+ families — it tells you roughly where you'd land, so you know what you're applying for. The government's ACAT assessment makes the real decision.
Indicative only — not a government assessment and not a guarantee. Your actual classification is decided by an ACAT assessor after a face-to-face assessment. We sit beside you with an interpreter for that assessment, free of charge.
| Level | Yearly | Quarterly | Monthly | Weekly | Daily | For care (90%/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 · Basic基础支持 | $11,010.01 | $2,752.50 | $917.50 | $211.73 | $30.16 | $9,909.01 |
| Level 2 · Light轻度协助 | $16,451.35 | $4,112.84 | $1,370.95 | $316.37 | $45.07 | $14,806.21 |
| Level 3 · Regular规律支持 | $22,536.81 | $5,634.20 | $1,878.07 | $433.40 | $61.74 | $20,283.13 |
| Level 4 · Higher较高需求 | $30,468.51 | $7,617.13 | $2,539.04 | $585.93 | $83.48 | $27,421.66 |
| Level 5 · Intensive密集照护 | $40,729.53 | $10,182.38 | $3,394.13 | $783.26 | $111.59 | $36,656.58 |
| Level 6 · Complex复杂照护 | $49,365.27 | $12,341.32 | $4,113.77 | $949.33 | $135.25 | $44,428.74 |
| Level 7 · High高度依赖 | $59,660.00 | $14,915.00 | $4,971.67 | $1,147.31 | $163.45 | $53,694.00 |
| Level 8 · Comprehensive全面临床 | $80,137.12 | $20,034.28 | $6,678.09 | $1,541.10 | $219.55 | $72,123.41 |
Official amounts effective 1 July 2026, indexed each 1 July; includes the 10% care-management allocation. Weekly/daily averaged over 52 weeks / 365 days. Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Support at Home program: classifications and budgets, July 2026.
Home Care Packages closed to new applicants when Support at Home began on 1 November 2025. Everyone who held a package was moved across automatically, keeping the same funding level — these four transitional classifications. Your unspent HCP balance came with you, and there is no cap on how much of it you can use.
| Transitioned level | Yearly | Quarterly | Monthly | Weekly | For care (90%/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transitioned HCP Level 1过渡型 HCP 第 1 级 | $11,272.15 | $2,818.04 | $939.35 | $216.77 | $10,144.93 |
| Transitioned HCP Level 2过渡型 HCP 第 2 级 | $19,821.76 | $4,955.44 | $1,651.81 | $381.19 | $17,839.58 |
| Transitioned HCP Level 3过渡型 HCP 第 3 级 | $43,148.74 | $10,787.18 | $3,595.73 | $829.78 | $38,833.87 |
| Transitioned HCP Level 4过渡型 HCP 第 4 级 | $65,415.91 | $16,353.98 | $5,451.33 | $1,258.00 | $58,874.32 |
Effective 1 July 2026. Transitional HCP classifications sit alongside the 8 standard classifications — if you held a package on or before 12 September 2024 you are also “no worse off” on contributions. Carry-over between quarters is capped at $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is higher.
| Income category | Clinical & Allied | Independence | Everyday Living |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 0% | 5% | 17.5% |
| Part pensioner / CSHC | 0% | 5–50% | 17.5–80% |
| Self-funded retiree (no CSHC) | 0% | 50% | 80% |
From 1 Oct 2026 personal care is fully funded — $0 out-of-pocket. Care management is charged at the clinical rate of 0%. AT-HM items are charged at the independence rate, but AT-HM prescription and wrap-around services are 0%. The Home Care Package lifetime contribution cap of $86,185.23 (indexed annually) still applies; hardship relief is available; final rates are set by Services Australia after an income and assets assessment. If you don't disclose income and assets, contributions default to the maximum rate.
~$6,000 per episode (up to ~$12,000 with review), up to 16 weeks of goal-oriented nursing and therapy after a fall, surgery or hospital stay. Up to 2 episodes per 12 months. 15% care-management fee.
Open RCP calculatorA one-off ~$25,000 over 12 weeks so a loved one can spend the final chapter at home, comfortable and surrounded by family. Urgent high-priority funding; ~3-month prognosis with medical evidence. 15% fee.
Open pathway calculatorEquipment and home modifications are funded separately and don't touch your quarterly budget. See what it covers