Money and funding
What Support at Home will not pay for
The limits are clearer than most people expect, and knowing them upfront saves the awkward conversation later.
4 min read · Updated 29 July 2026
Most guidance focuses on what your funding covers. Less is written about the boundaries, which is unhelpful, because that is where people get caught out — usually after they have already spent the money.
The general principle
Funding is for supports related to your assessed aged care needs. If something would be an ordinary cost of living whether or not you needed care, it is generally not covered.
Not covered
- Rent, mortgage payments and home ownership costs
- Groceries and everyday food (though meal preparation and delivery services are funded)
- Utility bills, rates and insurance
- General entertainment and holidays
- Costs that Medicare, the PBS or private health insurance already cover
- Gambling, alcohol and tobacco
- Services delivered outside Australia
The grey areas
Some things sit on the line and depend on whether they relate to an assessed need. Home modifications are funded where they support your safety and independence, but a general renovation is not. Assistive technology is funded where a clinician has assessed it as necessary, not simply because it would be handy.
Therapeutic services such as massage or acupuncture can be funded where they support an assessed age-related need. General wellness treatments are not.
The rule that saves the most grief
Ask before you buy, not after. Checking with your care partner takes a minute. Seeking reimbursement for something that turns out not to be covered is a much harder conversation, and the answer is usually no.
What about the gap?
You can purchase services privately, outside your government funding, if you want something that is not covered or you have used your budget. That is a straightforward commercial arrangement and should be agreed in writing like anything else.
Why the limits exist
It is public money, and the boundaries are there so it goes to care rather than general living costs. That is reasonable. What is not reasonable is providers who let people find out the hard way instead of explaining it upfront.