Support at Home Package Eligibility Explained for Older Australians
Working out whether you or a parent qualifies for funded in-home care is the first real hurdle most families face. The rules changed when the Support at Home program began on 1 November 2025, and much of the older guidance still floating around no longer applies. This guide explains who is eligible for Support at Home Packages, how the assessment works, and what happens once you are approved, based on current rules.
What Is the Support at Home Program?
The Support at Home program is an Australian government–funded program that helps older Australians receive care in their own homes. It replaced the former Home Care Packages program and the Short-Term Restorative Care program, bringing them together into a single framework. Rather than moving into a facility, an eligible person receives funding for services delivered at home, so they can keep living independently for longer. Services typically range from nursing and personal care assistance through to light domestic work and transport support. This shift towards In-Home Aged Care reflects what many older Australians want: to stay in familiar surroundings with the right support around them.
Who Is Eligible?
To qualify for a funded package, a person needs to meet requirements around age, residency, and assessed care needs.
The basic criteria are:
Age: Generally 65 years or older (50 or older for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people).
Residency: Australian citizen, permanent resident, or holder of a protected special category visa.
Care need: An assessed need for support, confirmed through a free government assessment.
Meeting the age and residency rules alone does not guarantee approval. An assessor must also identify a genuine care need that the program is designed to address. Many people in their seventies are fit and independent, with no care needs, and they would not qualify on that basis.
What Counts as a Care Need?
A care need is any difficulty that makes living safely and independently at home harder. The assessment looks at the whole picture rather than a single condition.
Factors commonly considered include:
Difficulty with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, or preparing meals
Reduced mobility or a history of falls
Health conditions that affect day-to-day functioning
Cognitive changes, including early dementia
The level of support already available from family or friends
Safety concerns within the home
A person who manages everything comfortably on their own will not meet the threshold. Someone experiencing challenges in several of these areas usually will. Eligibility is designed to match funding to real need, which is why the care need is examined closely.
How the Assessment Works
Since December 2024, aged care assessments have run through the Single Assessment System using the Integrated Assessment Tool. This replaced the previous split between ACAT and Regional Assessment Services, creating one streamlined pathway.
The process generally follows four steps:
1. Register with My Aged Care
Call 1800 200 422 or apply online at myagedcare.gov.au. A GP, social worker, or hospital discharge planner can help you start. Have a Medicare card ready.
2. Screening conversation
A staff member conducts a short phone screening to understand the situation. Where ongoing support is likely, a full assessment is arranged.
3. Home assessment
A trained assessor visits the person at home to consider health, daily routines, living situation, and the goals the person wants support to achieve. Having a family member present can help ensure nothing is missed.
4. Outcome
After the assessment, the person receives a letter confirming whether they qualify and which classification level has been approved. It helps to be open and detailed during the assessment. Underestimating difficulties, or glossing over how much a family carer is doing, may lead to a lower classification than the person actually needs.
The Eight Classification Levels
The Support at Home program uses eight classification levels, replacing the four levels under the old system. The additional levels allow funding to match assessed needs more precisely, particularly at higher needs.
| Classification | Care Need | Typical Support |
|---|---|---|
| 1 & 2 | Lower | Welfare checks, light domestic work, medication reminders, occasional transport support |
| 3 & 4 | Moderate | Personal care assistance, meal preparation, occupational therapy, basic mobility aids |
| 5 & 6 | High | Frequent therapy, nursing assistance, home safety modifications |
| 7 & 8 | Complex | Daily clinical oversight, advanced dementia care, end-of-life support |
The approved classification determines the funding amount. Packages are released in four quarterly budgets throughout the year rather than as a single annual lump sum, which can make planning services easier from the start of each quarter. A classification can be reviewed if needs change, with a reassessment available at any time.
What Do the Packages Cover?
Funded services fall into three categories, each with different contribution rules:
Clinical care: Nursing, wound management, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, and continence support. This category is fully funded by the government for everyone, regardless of income or assets.
Independence support: Personal care assistance, assistive technology, and home modification support. A means-tested contribution applies. The guidelines will be updated in November, so personal care is included in the clinical care category.
Everyday living: Domestic help, gardening, and meal preparation. This category generally attracts the highest contribution.
As a general guide, expenses that people of any age would ordinarily pay for themselves sit outside the program. Support at Home also includes separate funding for assistive technology and home modifications.
What You Pay
What a person contributes depends on the service category and their financial situation. Clinical care costs nothing. For independence and everyday living services, the contribution rate is determined by a means assessment conducted by Services Australia. Full age pension recipients generally pay the least, often little or nothing toward these services. Self-funded retirees with higher income and assets contribute more. There is a lifetime cap of approximately $137,917 on non-clinical contributions, after which a person pays nothing further for those services.
What Happens While You Wait
Approval does not always mean services start immediately. A person is placed in the national allocation queue and receives their funding when a place becomes available at their approved level.
While waiting, options may include:
Accessing interim lower-level support through the Commonwealth Home Support Program
Arranging private in-home care to bridge the gap
Checking in with My Aged Care for status updates
Requesting a higher-priority placement if circumstances worsen
Private in-home care can often start within days rather than waiting in a queue. Many families use private support to bridge the gap until their funded Support at Home package begins.
Wrapping Up
Eligibility for the Support at Home program is based on age, residency, and assessed care needs, helping older Australians access funded in-home support that matches their level of need. With a clear assessment process and tailored classification system, the program ensures people can receive the right services to stay safe, supported, and independent in their own homes for longer.
How Home at Heart Can Help
Home at Heart is a private in-home care provider supporting older Australians across Wagga Wagga, the Riverina, and Geelong. The team delivers personal care assistance, companionship, medication management, meal preparation, mobility assistance, light domestic work, and transport support, shaped around each person’s situation.
For families navigating Support at Home packages, the concern often lies in the wait between approval and funding. Home at Heart can step in with private care straight away, so support is in place when it is needed. The same care workers attend each visit, helping older people build a consistent relationship with those providing support, which can be especially important for anyone living with dementia or complex needs.
Contact the Home at Heart team to learn more about in-home care support. Call 1300 923 934 or visit Homeatheart.com.au.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who qualifies for Support at Home in Australia?
You generally need to be 65 or older (50 or older for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or protected Special Category Visa holder, and have an assessed care need confirmed through a free My Aged Care assessment.
Q: How do I apply?
Register with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or at myagedcare.gov.au. A short phone screening determines whether a home assessment is arranged. An assessor then visits to evaluate care needs before a classification is approved.
Q: How many levels of funding are there?
There are eight classification levels, replacing the previous four. The approved level depends on the assessed need and determines the quarterly funding amount.
Q: What does in-home care cover?
It includes clinical care (such as nursing), personal care assistance (such as bathing and dressing), and everyday living support (such as cleaning and meals). Clinical care is fully government-funded, while personal and everyday living services may involve a means-tested contribution.