With Support at Home (previously called 'Home Care Packages'), you pay a share of the price of each service. That share is called a contribution. It depends on the type of service and on your income and assets. The government pays the rest.
An income and assets assessment decides which row applies to you. Select any underlined term to see what it means.
| Income and assets outcome | Clinical supports | Independence | Everyday living | Personal care |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full pensioner | 0% | 5% | 17.5% | 0% |
| Part pensioner, or self-funded with a Commonwealth Seniors Health CardPart pensionerCommonwealth Seniors Health Card | 0% | 5% to 50% | 17.5% to 80% | 0% |
| Self-funded without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card | 0% | 50% | 80% | 0% |
| Means not disclosed | 0% | 50% | 80% | 0% |
As at 16 November 2026. Sources: My Aged Care - Support at Home costs and contributions; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Personal care to be fully funded under Support at Home from October.
Each example uses a made-up price for one service to show what the rates mean in dollars. Providers set their own prices, so what you are charged will differ.
Typical example
Someone on the full Age Pension whose income and assets have been assessed. They pay the lowest contribution rates.
Illustration only. Price the provider charges for one service: $100.00. This is not a real price.
Typical example
Someone on a part pension. Services Australia sets their exact rates from their income and assets, so the guide can only show the range those rates fall in.
Illustration only. Price the provider charges for one service: $100.00. This is not a real price.
Less common case
Someone who has not given Services Australia their income and assets details. They are charged the maximum rates until they do.
Illustration only. Price the provider charges for one service: $100.00. This is not a real price.
As at 16 November 2026. Sources: My Aged Care - Support at Home costs and contributions; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Personal care to be fully funded under Support at Home from October; Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home participant contributions.
There is a lifetime cap on contributions. People who already had a Home Care Package are covered by the no worse off principle.
Typical example
Someone approved for care after 12 September 2024. The standard lifetime cap applies.
Less common case
Someone who was receiving, or approved for, a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024. The earlier, lower lifetime cap still applies to them.
As at 16 November 2026. Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home participant contributions.
Services such as nursing, occupational therapy, podiatry and help with showering or dressing. The government pays the full price, so there is no contribution.
Source: My Aged Care - Support at Home costs and contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
A concession card from Services Australia that gives cheaper medical costs. It is for people of Age Pension age who are not getting an income support payment from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs and who meet an income test, among other conditions.
Source: Services Australia - Who can get a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, checked 13 November 2026.
The share of a service's price that the person receiving care pays. The government pays the rest to the provider. The share depends on the type of service and on the person's income and assets.
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home participant contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
Services such as cleaning, gardening, shopping and meal preparation. These carry the highest contribution.
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home participant contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
A person who receives the maximum Australian Government means-tested pension.
Source: My Aged Care - Glossary, checked 13 November 2026.
An assessment of a person's income and assets that decides how much they pay and how much the government pays. Services Australia does it for most people. The Department of Veterans' Affairs does it for people who receive a means tested payment from that department.
Source: My Aged Care - Support at Home costs and contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
Services such as remedial massage, respite care, transport and support to attend appointments. The person receiving care makes a moderate contribution.
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home participant contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
The most a person can be asked to contribute over their lifetime. It is combined with the non-clinical care contribution in residential aged care, and is indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year.
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home participant contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
The status given to a person who has not given their income and assets details to Services Australia. Their contributions are set at the maximum rate.
Source: My Aged Care - Support at Home costs and contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
A protection for people who were receiving, or approved for, a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024. They pay no more under Support at Home than they were assessed to pay before, and an earlier, lower lifetime cap applies to them.
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home participant contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
A person who receives an Australian Government means-tested pension that is less than the maximum amount.
Source: My Aged Care - Glossary, checked 13 November 2026.
For Support at Home contributions, the pension means the Age Pension and any other income support payment.
Source: My Aged Care - Support at Home costs and contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
Help with showering, dressing and non-clinical continence management. From 1 October 2026 it counts as a clinical support, so there is no contribution when it is approved in the support plan and funding is available.
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Personal care to be fully funded under Support at Home from October, checked 13 November 2026.
A person who is not eligible for the pension and not eligible for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. They pay the highest contribution rates.
Source: My Aged Care - Support at Home costs and contributions, checked 13 November 2026.
(previously called 'Home Care Packages')
A government program that funds care and support in a person's own home. The person receiving care gets a budget based on their assessed care needs, made up of government funding and their own contributions.
Source: My Aged Care - Support at Home costs and contributions, checked 13 November 2026.