Support at Home
The new aged care system, explained plainly.
From 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. It changed how funding works, how services are grouped, and what you contribute. The Commonwealth Home Support Program continues separately for now.
About Support at Home
SCL Home Care is here to guide you
Support at Home is a major reform of Australia’s aged care system, designed to bring more consistency, transparency and choice to people receiving care at home.
It’s more than a name change. How aged care is funded, structured and delivered all shifted — and if you’ve found the explanations confusing so far, that’s a reasonable reaction, not a failing on your part.
Our job is to make it make sense. Whether you already receive support or you’re only starting to look, we’ll explain what changed, what stayed the same, and what it means for you specifically.
What changed
Three things are different under the new program.
Quarterly budgets replaced daily subsidies
Funding for ongoing services is allocated as a quarterly budget rather than accruing daily. That makes it easier to plan a few months ahead and see what remains available.
Services grouped into three categories
Clinical supports, independence, and everyday living. The category a service sits in affects the participant contribution that may apply.
Transition rules depend on your dates
No worse off protections, transitioned Home Care Package funding and new Support at Home approvals follow different rules. The dates of your HCP approval and transition matter.
Which group are you in?
The dates around your approval matter.
Different transition and contribution protections can apply depending on when you were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package. These are not three mutually exclusive labels: no worse off protection can overlap with transitioned HCP funding.
No worse off protection
Who this is
You were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024.
What it means
The no worse off principle protects your contribution arrangements. If you did not pay an income-tested care fee under HCP, you will not be asked to pay Support at Home contributions. If you did, you should pay the same or less.
Transitioned HCP funding
Who this is
You were receiving a Home Care Package, or had been approved for one by 31 October 2025, when Support at Home began.
What it means
People who transitioned from HCP received an equivalent ongoing funding level. People approved for HCP by 31 October 2025 and still waiting for funding entered the Support at Home Priority System and receive equivalent funding when a place becomes available.
New Support at Home approval
Who this is
You are approved for ongoing Support at Home services under the new program rather than transitioning from an HCP approval.
What it means
You receive one of eight ongoing Support at Home classifications. Any participant contribution depends on the service type and your income and assets assessment.
What talking to us actually looks like
Aged care is confusing enough without a sales process on top of it. Here is what you get if you pick up the phone.
A person, not a queue
We are a small team. You will usually speak to the same person each time, and they will remember your situation without you re-explaining it.
Plain answers, including "it depends"
Where something genuinely turns on your assessment or your income, we will say so rather than guess to sound helpful.
No pitch, because there is nothing to sell yet
We are not taking clients until registration comes through. That means we can talk you through your options with no incentive to steer you anywhere.
A straight answer if we are not the right fit
If another provider suits you better right now, we will tell you that. We would rather be useful than be chosen.
What it costs
What you contribute depends on the type of service.
This is the part most people find surprising: not every service costs you the same, even out of the same budget.
Clinical supports
No contributionNursing, wound care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry. From 1 October 2026, approved personal care also moves into this category for contribution purposes.
Independence
Moderate contributionRespite, social support and transport. Personal care remains in this category for services delivered up to 30 September 2026.
Everyday living
Highest contributionCleaning, laundry, shopping, meals, gardening and home maintenance.
Personal care changes on 1 October 2026
Approved personal care services delivered from 1 October 2026 move to the Clinical Supports contribution category. The Australian Government will fully fund the participant contribution where personal care is approved in the support plan and Support at Home funds are available.
Where we’re up to
We're not registered yet — and we'll say so plainly.
SCL Home Care is progressing through aged care provider registration with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Once that's complete we'll deliver Support at Home services directly.
In the meantime, if you're working through assessment or trying to make sense of any of this, we're happy to talk — including telling you honestly if someone else is a better fit for you right now.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we get asked most.
Aged care policy detail changes over time. Where something depends on your circumstances, we'll say so and point you to My Aged Care rather than guess.
What is Support at Home?
Support at Home is the Australian Government program that funds aged care delivered in your own home. It started on 1 November 2025 and replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme.
The intent behind the change was to make funding more predictable, make what you’re paying for clearer, and help people stay living at home for longer.
How is it different from Home Care Packages?
Three things changed most. Funding for ongoing services moved from daily subsidies to quarterly budgets. Services were grouped into three contribution categories. Transition rules also differ depending on when you were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package.
Do I have to do anything if I already receive a package?
If you were already receiving support, your services continue. You may need to sign an updated service agreement with your provider reflecting the new program structure.
If you’re unsure where you stand, your current provider or My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 can confirm it.
Still got questions?
Talk it through with someone who'll be straight with you.
No obligation, no pressure, no sales pitch — just help working out what your next step actually is.