What Can I Spend My Home Care Package On? (2026 Rules)
You can spend a home care package on any service in the official Support at Home service list that is in your support plan. Home Care Packages became Support at Home budgets on 1 November 2025, so the old package rules no longer apply: the service list now decides what is in and out, and the service category decides what you pay.
Key Points
- Your budget pays for services in three categories: clinical supports, independence and everyday living
- You pay 0% for clinical supports. Full pensioners pay 5% for independence and 17.5% for everyday living services
- Personal care has had no participant contribution since 1 October 2026
- 10% of each quarterly budget goes to care management
- Equipment and home modifications are funded separately through the AT-HM scheme
- You can carry over up to $1,000 or 10% of a quarterly budget, whichever is greater
- Groceries, medicines, holidays, relaxation massage and usual household items are out
What Can You Really Spend Your Support at Home Funding On?
Three documents decide it.
- The Support at Home service list. It sets out 14 service types and, for each, what is in scope and out of scope
- Your support plan. Your assessor approves the service types you can use
- Your care plan and budget. You and your provider agree the mix of services within your quarterly budget
If a service is on the list, approved in your support plan and affordable within your budget, you can use it. You can ask your provider to change the mix at any time.
Look up any service in our Support at Home service list tool, or read the full guide to inclusions and exclusions.
Carevo is a connection platform. We do not deliver care or manage budgets. We help you compare aged care providers and their price lists.
The Core Rule: Spending Must Match Your Assessed Care Needs
Your budget is for your assessed, ageing-related care needs. Your provider claims payment from Services Australia after a service is delivered. You cannot take the money as cash.
The service list also expects other programs to pay first where they apply. A Medicare Chronic Disease Management Plan, a Mental Health Plan or a state travel assistance scheme should be used before your budget.
Category Breakdown: What Support at Home Funds Cover
Each service type sits in one contribution category. The category sets the percentage you pay.
| Category | Service types | Full pensioner pays | Self-funded without a Seniors Health Card pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical supports | Nursing care, allied health and other therapeutic services, nutrition, care management, personal care | 0% | 0% |
| Independence | Social support and community engagement, therapeutic services for independent living, respite, transport, assistive technology and home modifications | 5% | 50% |
| Everyday living | Domestic assistance, home maintenance and repairs, meals | 17.5% | 80% |
Part pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders pay a rate between the two columns, set by their income and assets assessment.
Personal Care
Contribution: none since 1 October 2026.
In scope:
- Help with showering, dressing, eating and hygiene
- Help with mobility
- Non-clinical continence support, such as help changing aids
- Help to self-administer medication, including arranging for a pharmacist to prepare a Webster pack
Out of scope: services you would usually pay for yourself, such as hairdressing and waxing.
Domestic Support
Category: everyday living.
In scope:
- Essential light cleaning, such as mopping, vacuuming and washing dishes
- Laundry and ironing
- Accompanied or unaccompanied shopping
- Meal preparation in your home
- Delivery of pre-prepared meals
Out of scope: the cost of groceries and meal ingredients, takeaway delivery, meals for other people in the household, pet care, pest control, carpet cleaning and dry cleaning.
Clinical Care and Allied Health
Category: clinical supports. No contribution.
In scope:
- Nursing from a registered nurse, enrolled nurse or nursing assistant: assessing and monitoring conditions, administering medication, wound care and clinical continence management
- Allied health: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, speech pathology, dietetics, exercise physiology, psychology, social work and counselling
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners and health workers
- Prescribed nutrition products for conditions related to functional decline
- Care management
Out of scope: anything the health system should fund, including GP and specialist care, hospital and ambulance costs, medicines, dental care and psychiatry. Treatment for conditions unrelated to ageing or disability-related decline is also out.
Aids, Equipment, and Home Modifications
Funded separately through the AT-HM scheme. Contribution as for independence.
Your assessor approves a funding tier for assistive technology, home modifications or both. You do not need to save up your quarterly budget.
| Tier | Assistive technology | Home modifications |
|---|---|---|
| Low | $513 | $513 |
| Medium | $2,052 | $2,052 |
| High | $15,390, or more with a prescription | $15,390, a lifetime limit |
Examples on the AT-HM list include walking frames, wheelchairs, commodes, shower chairs, handrails, ramps and bathroom changes. The prescription and wraparound services have no contribution.
Excluded from the AT-HM list: items that are a usual household or discretionary expense, items another program should fund, and items for a workplace.
If you transitioned from a Home Care Package, you must use your unspent package funds for equipment and modifications first.
Transport
Category: independence.
In scope:
- Direct transport, where a driver and car are provided
- Indirect transport, through taxi or rideshare vouchers
Out of scope: buying or running your own car, licence costs, public transport fares, flights and ferries, travel for holidays, and trips that a state or local travel assistance program covers.
Social Support and Wellbeing
Category: independence.
In scope:
- Individual and group social support
- Accompanied activities, such as support to attend an appointment
- Cultural support, including interpreting and help to attend cultural events
- Digital education and support
- Help to maintain your personal affairs
- Respite in your home or the community, from someone other than your usual carer
- Therapeutic services such as acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, art therapy and remedial massage in a prescribed treatment plan
Out of scope: tickets, accommodation and membership fees, relaxation massage, craft and activity supplies, and buying a smart device for online activities. Residential respite is funded through the residential aged care system, not your budget.
What Support at Home Cannot Pay For
The service list rules these out:
- Food. Groceries, meal ingredients and takeaway delivery
- Medicines. Pharmaceuticals and dose administration aids
- Health system services. GP and specialist care, hospital and ambulance costs, dental care
- Usual household or discretionary items. The AT-HM list excludes them
- Professional services you would usually pay for. Hairdressing, waxing, pest control, carpet cleaning, dry cleaning, tree removal and landscaping
- Cosmetic gardening. New plants, garden beds and compost
- Repairs that are someone else’s job. For example a landlord’s or housing authority’s
- Travel. Your own car’s running costs, public transport fares and holidays
- Activity costs. Tickets, accommodation and membership fees
- Internet and phone bills. Unless you are homeless or at risk of homelessness and need them to stay connected to services
- Pet care
The Appliance Question
Standard appliances are not covered. The AT-HM list excludes anything that is a usual household or discretionary expense. If you think an item meets an assessed clinical need, ask your provider whether it is on the AT-HM list before you buy it.
The Medication Question
Your budget does not pay for medicines or dose administration aids. It can pay for:
- A nurse to administer medication
- A care worker to help you self-administer medication
- Someone to arrange for a pharmacist to prepare a Webster pack
Care Management: the standardised 10% deduction
10% of each quarterly budget for ongoing services goes to care management. The rate is the same with every provider. You pay no contribution on care management.
What Care Management Covers
- Care planning
- Coordinating your services
- Monitoring, review and evaluation
- Advocacy, support and education
The Real Impact on Your Budget
The published budgets include the care management share.
| Budget | Annual amount | Share for care management |
|---|---|---|
| Classification 1 | $11,031.56 | 10% |
| Classification 4 | $30,528.15 | 10% |
| Classification 8 | $80,294 | 10% |
| Transitioned Home Care Package Level 1 | $11,294.22 | 10% |
| Transitioned Home Care Package Level 2 | $19,860.56 | 10% |
| Transitioned Home Care Package Level 3 | $43,233.21 | 10% |
| Transitioned Home Care Package Level 4 | $65,543.98 | 10% |
As a worked example, a Transitioned Level 2 budget leaves about $17,840 a year for services once care management comes off. Budgets are indexed on 1 July and can change at other times. The Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements for Support at Home has the current amounts.
Each package level has its own guide: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4.
How to Compare Provider Prices
Care management is fixed. Service prices are not. Government price caps were deferred in May 2026, so each provider sets its own prices and must publish its full price list.
The department’s survey of providers gives a guide to national median prices. They are not caps.
| Service | Indicative national median price |
|---|---|
| Personal care | $100 an hour |
| Domestic assistance | $95 an hour |
| Registered nurse | $160 an hour |
| Physiotherapist | $185 an hour |
| Transport | $70 a trip |
| Meal delivery | $15 a meal |
Ask each provider:
- What are your weekday, weekend and public holiday prices?
- How do you charge for travel and cancellations?
- What does my monthly statement show?
Providers cannot charge entry or exit fees. Our Support at Home prices guide goes through price lists in detail. If you want more control over who delivers your services, read about self-managing your funding.
Budget Management Tips
1. Request Monthly Itemised Statements
Your provider gives you a monthly statement. Check each line against the price list and your care plan. Look for services you did not receive and prices that differ from the agreed ones.
2. Review Your Care Plan Every Three Months
Budgets are quarterly, so a quarterly review fits. Add services you now need. Drop the ones you do not use.
3. Understand the True Cost of Each Service
Know the unit price of everything in your plan. One hour of nursing can cost the same as an hour and a half of personal care.
4. Use a Budget Planner
Map your fortnightly services against the quarterly budget. Our Support at Home calculator estimates your budget and contributions.
5. Do Not Let Large Balances Accumulate
Anything above the carryover limit does not move to the next quarter. If you are underspending every quarter, ask for more of the services in your support plan.
Unspent Funds: What Happens to Your Money
Your quarterly budget can carry over up to $1,000 or 10% of the budget, whichever is greater. The rest does not roll over.
Key Rules for Unspent Funds
Unspent Home Care Package funds. If you had unspent package funds on 31 October 2025, you kept them. No carryover limit applies to them. You use them for assistive technology and home modifications first, and for extra services once your quarterly budget is spent.
Changing providers. Unspent Home Care Package funds transfer to your new provider. Providers cannot charge entry or exit fees.
Short-term pathways. Restorative Care Pathway, End-of-Life Pathway and AT-HM funding cannot be carried over after the funding period ends.
Common Support at Home Spending Mistakes
Mistake 1: Not Comparing Provider Prices Before Signing
Prices vary between providers. A lower hourly price means more hours from the same budget.
Mistake 2: Treating Your Package Like a Bank Account
Only a limited amount carries over each quarter. Saving up the ongoing budget for a big purchase does not work. Use the AT-HM scheme for equipment.
Mistake 3: Not Understanding What Fees You Are Paying
Know your contribution percentage for each category. A cleaning visit and a transport trip are charged at different rates.
Mistake 4: Ignoring Your Monthly Statements
Errors are easier to fix when you catch them early.
Mistake 5: Assuming Your Care Plan Is Fixed
You can ask to change your mix of services at any time. If your needs have grown beyond your budget, ask My Aged Care for a reassessment.
Mistake 6: Paying for Services You Could Get Free
The service list expects other programs to be used first. Ask your GP about a Chronic Disease Management Plan for allied health. Veterans should check what the Department of Veterans’ Affairs covers. The Commonwealth Home Support Program is a separate program for entry-level needs.
How Support at Home Structures Your Spending
The Support at Home program replaced the Home Care Packages Program on 1 November 2025.
The Three Service Categories
1. Clinical supports (0% contribution)
Nursing care, allied health and other therapeutic services, nutrition, care management and personal care. The government pays the full price.
2. Independence (5% to 50% contribution)
Social support and community engagement, therapeutic services for independent living, respite, transport, and assistive technology and home modifications.
3. Everyday living (17.5% to 80% contribution)
Domestic assistance, home maintenance and repairs, and meals.
A full pensioner who pays 17.5% on a $95 hour of cleaning pays about $16.60. The same person pays nothing for an hour of personal care.
What Is Still Excluded Under Support at Home
The exclusions listed under What Support at Home Cannot Pay For apply to every classification and to transitioned Home Care Package budgets.
8 Classifications and Quarterly Budgets
New participants receive one of eight classifications, from $11,031.56 to $80,294 a year. The guides start at Classification 1 and end at Classification 8. Budgets are released quarterly.
Care Management Fee: 10% Standard Deduction
10% of each quarterly budget, with every provider.
Price Caps Deferred
Government price caps were due on 1 July 2026 and were deferred in May 2026. No new date has been set. Providers set their own prices and must publish them.
Former Home Care Package Recipients
You hold a transitioned budget equal to your package level. If you were receiving or approved for a package on or before 12 September 2024, the no worse off principle applies:
- If you were assessed as having to pay an income-tested care fee at 31 October 2025, you pay the same or less under Support at Home
- If you were assessed as not having to pay one, you will never be asked to pay contributions under Support at Home
- Your lifetime cap is $88,934.57, not the standard $140,652.80 (as at 20 September 2026)
See our guide to switching from a Home Care Package to Support at Home and the complete Support at Home guide.
Can Family Members Be Paid From Your Package?
Your budget is not paid to you or your family. Providers claim payment from Services Australia after they deliver a service.
The service list does not say who a provider may engage to deliver most services. Whether a provider will engage a family member as a worker is a question for that provider. Ask before you sign, and check with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 if you are unsure.
Respite is defined as care from someone other than your usual informal carer.
Gardening, Cleaning, and Other Domestic Services
Cleaning covers essential light cleaning, laundry and ironing. It does not cover carpet cleaning, dry cleaning or pest control.
Gardening covers essential light gardening for safe access, such as lawn mowing, pruning and yard clearance. It does not cover tree removal, landscaping, new plants or garden beds.
Home maintenance covers essential minor repairs you used to do yourself or that are needed for safety, such as cleaning gutters, replacing lightbulbs and fixing a broken door handle. Larger professional jobs are out unless there is an imminent age-related safety risk, such as uneven flooring that could cause a fall.
Meals covers preparation in your home and delivery of pre-prepared meals. It does not cover the ingredients.
How to Get the Most From Your Package
- Compare published price lists before you choose a provider
- Put contributions in the plan. Clinical supports and personal care cost you nothing. Everyday living services cost the most
- Read your monthly statement
- Use other programs first where they apply
- Use the AT-HM scheme for equipment and modifications
- Review each quarter so you do not lose budget above the carryover limit
- Ask for a reassessment if your needs have grown
Frequently asked questions
What can I spend my home care package on?
Services in the Support at Home service list that are approved in your support plan. That covers clinical supports such as nursing, allied health and personal care, independence services such as transport, respite and social support, and everyday living services such as cleaning, gardening and meals.
What can I not spend my aged care package on?
Groceries and meal ingredients, medicines, health services that Medicare funds, holidays, public transport fares, your own car’s running costs, relaxation massage, hairdressing, pest control, tree removal, landscaping, activity tickets and usual household items.
How much of my budget goes to care management?
10% of each quarterly budget for ongoing services, with every provider.
What happens to unspent funds?
Up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is greater, carries over to the next quarter. Unspent Home Care Package funds from before 1 November 2025 have no carryover limit.
Can I buy appliances with my funding?
Generally no. The AT-HM list excludes usual household and discretionary items.
What do I pay for each service?
Nothing for clinical supports. Full pensioners pay 5% for independence services and 17.5% for everyday living services. Self-funded retirees without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card pay 50% and 80%.
Can my funding pay for medication?
No. It can pay for a nurse to administer medication and for help to self-administer it.
Is personal care free under Support at Home?
Personal care has had no participant contribution since 1 October 2026, if it is approved in your support plan. It still uses your budget at your provider’s price.
Get Help Understanding Your Budget
Carevo is a connection platform. We do not deliver care or hold your funding. We connect you with aged care providers so you can compare price lists and services before you sign a service agreement.
Call Carevo on 1800 953 253 or get matched with a provider.
This is general information. For advice about your own budget, speak with your provider or call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
Co-founder & CEO · Updated
Andre is the co-founder and CEO of Carevo. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Arts from UNSW Sydney, where his majors were International Relations, Politics, Information Systems, and Media and Communications, graduating in 2014, and went through the UNSW 10x Founders accelerator in 2023.
