Support at Home

Support at Home is an aged care program designed to support older Australians to live independently at home for longer, simplifying access to services while providing more tailored support.

It is a Federal Government initiative that has replaced Home Care Packages (HCPs) and Short-Term Restorative Care. Bethanie will be a Support at Home services provider as it has been with HCPs.

Support at Home delivers a more streamlined in-home care service for participants, with benefits such as improved access to higher levels of care, greater flexibility, faster access to assistive technology, and more coordinated support to help older people remain safe, comfortable and independent at home.

The first step for a participant is to get an aged care assessment, which allows the person to be classified into one of the eight budget levels in the Support at Home program.  

A participant’s classification then informs an annual budget for an agreed set of services that are managed by a participant and their provider. The full list of services is available on the Federal Department of Health’s website . 

At their initial assessment, participants will be allocated to one of the eight funding levels with an annual budget starting at $11,000 for Classification 1, up to $78,000 for Classification 8. This annual budget will be divided into quarterly allocations.  

Once a participant has been assigned a classification, Bethanie will design a personalised care plan that outlines how the available funds will be used. 

The indicative budgets modelled by the Federal Government (subject to change) for each level are:  
 

Classification	Quarterly budget	Annual amount
1	~$2,750	~$11,000
2	~$4,000	~$16,000
3	~$5,500	~$22,000
4	~$7,500	~$30,000
5	~$10,000	~$40,000
6	~$12,000	~$48,000
7	~$14,500	~$58,000
8	~$19,500	~$78,000

Services accessed through Support at Home, such as physiotherapy, domestic assistance and meals, will be recorded against that budget, and the personal contribution required from the participant will be calculated and invoiced monthly. 

Budgets will be divided into quarters and participants who do not use their full quarterly budget can save up to $1,000 or 10% (whichever is higher) for later use. 

With the introduction of Support at Home, a moderate contribution will be required for independence services (such as personal care) and products and equipment, while the highest contribution will be applied for everyday living services such as domestic assistance or gardening. 

Importantly, there remains no contribution charge for clinical care.  

Participants will also have upfront access to assistive technology and home modifications through a separately funded scheme. This means people will no longer have to save their package funds for these supports. 

You will see some changes in the way Bethanie prices our services. In some cases, participants will be required to pay a percentage of the service price, with the Government covering the balance. Those with greater financial means will contribute more. 

Contributions will vary according to financial means, as illustrated in this Federal Government table: 

These additional contribution changes will largely affect independence and everyday living services such as gardening or transport assistance. This approach will make the Support at Home program more sustainable and provide participants with the flexibility they need to continue living at home.  

Importantly, participants will not be required to contribute to clinical services, regardless of their financial means. This will lower the barriers for accessing the vital services needed to live independently.  

In the 2026 financial year (from 1 November 2025), Bethanie and other in-home aged care providers will continue to set their own prices for Support at Home services, as occurs under the current Home Care Packages Program. 

However, from FY27 (1 July 2026), the Independent Hospital and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) will set prices for services under the new model. 

To support transparency, providers will be required to share pricing information with the Federal Government and participants, including existing clients. 

Participants should prepare for substantial changes to pricing structures, as the package management fee will be removed. All administrative, care management and scheduling costs will need to be included within the hourly rate for services. 

Under Support at Home, service providers like Bethanie will draw down 10% of participants’ budgets for care management, delivered by care partners. There will be no separate care management fee.