What it costs

Where the money comes from

A Support at Home budget depends on the person’s assessed care needs, and it is made up of government funding plus the person’s contributions. Providers set their own prices, which depend on the services needed and when they are needed, and the charges come out of the quarterly budget. Every Support at Home provider must publish its full price list online, and My Aged Care’s Find a provider tool compares prices across providers.

When the person pays a contribution, the government pays the remainder of that service’s price to the provider. Contributions are paid only on services actually received.

Three rates, by kind of service

The rate depends on which of the three service groups a service sits in, and on the outcome of the income and assets assessment.

Clinical supports carry no contribution: the rate is 0% for everyone. For independence services the rate runs from 5% to 50%, and for everyday living from 17.5% to 80%. A full pensioner pays the lowest rate in each group. A self-funded person without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, or someone whose means are not disclosed, pays the highest. Part pensioners and self-funded card holders pay a rate within each range, tapered by their assessment. These are the rates as read in October 2026. The full table is on My Aged Care’s page.

My Aged Care adds two notes: care management is charged at the clinical supports rate of 0%, and assistive technology and home modification items are treated like independence services, though their prescription and any wraparound services are at 0%. “Means not disclosed” is the status given to someone who does not provide their income and assets information, and it sets contributions at the maximum rate.

Personal care, from 1 October 2026

From 1 October 2026, personal care services moved from the independence category to the clinical supports category, so the Australian Government fully funds them. There is no out-of-pocket cost for personal care that is approved in the person’s support plan, while they have Support at Home funds available.

Personal care includes help with showering, continence support, dressing, eating, hygiene and assistance with self-administration of medication. Nobody needs to do anything to be eligible for the change, people already approved for personal care do not need to be reassessed, and contributions for other services are unchanged. Payments made for personal care delivered before 1 October 2026 are not refunded.

An illustration, with round numbers

This is a made-up example to show the arithmetic only. The $100 is a round number chosen for the sum, not a real or typical price.

The rates applied are the ones summarised above.

The income and assets assessment

• Who does it. Services Australia for most people; the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for someone who receives a means-tested payment from it.
• For pensioners. Full and part pensioners are assessed on the information Services Australia already holds for their pension.
• For others. There may be an income and assets assessment form to fill in.
• The result. Services Australia sends a letter with the contribution rate for each service category, and the provider must help the person understand their contributions.
• Before applying. My Aged Care’s Support at Home fee estimator gives an estimate from general details about income and assets, without asking for personally identifiable information.

Questions about how a contribution was calculated go to Services Australia, or to DVA for people it assesses.

Approved before 12 September 2024?

Someone who, on or before 12 September 2024, was receiving a Home Care Package or approved for one is “no worse off” under Support at Home: if they paid Home Care Package fees they pay the same or less, and if they were assessed as not having to pay fees, they will never be asked to pay contributions. The Home Care Package lifetime cap remains for their contributions: $88,934.57 as at 20 September 2026, indexed. People approved after 12 September 2024 are on the standard arrangements.

The government’s side of the budget

There are eight ongoing classifications, and each one includes funding for care management. As at October 2026, the quarterly budget runs from $2,757.89 at classification 1 ($11,031.56 a year) to $20,073.50 at classification 8 ($80,294.00 a year). My Aged Care marks the amounts current as of 1 October 2026, and they are indexed each 1 July. The full table is on My Aged Care’s page.

For people starting on 1 October 2026, the Restorative Care Pathway funds up to 2 units of $6,179.40 each over 12 months, and the End-of-Life Pathway funds $25,736.57 over 12 weeks, usable over up to 16. Assistive technology and home modifications are funded in tiers, capped at $513 (low), $2,052 (medium) or $15,390 (high) for 12 months. Products and equipment costing more than $15,390 are available to people with a prescribed need, and funding for complex home modifications can be extended by another 12 months if evidence is provided to Services Australia.

If paying is hard

Someone in genuine financial hardship who cannot pay their contributions can ask to be considered for financial hardship assistance, also called a fee reduction supplement. If they are eligible, the government pays some or all of their aged care costs.

If a price seems wrong

My Aged Care says providers must set reasonable prices and explain them clearly. If a price does not seem right, it suggests asking the provider to talk it through, and if that does not settle it, making a complaint to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. The Commission notes that providers must set reasonable prices, based on the costs they incur to deliver a service, put the price they charge most often for each service on the My Aged Care website, and keep records of what their prices include.

In May 2026 the Commission reported that the government had announced extra consumer protections for Support at Home, including powers for the Commission to order refunds where providers are found to be overcharging, and a quarterly national summary of Support at Home prices.

The Commonwealth Home Support Program works differently: people are expected to contribute if they can afford to, and each provider sets its own prices.