At a glance: From 1 October 2026, personal care under Support at Home becomes fully government funded. It moves from the means-tested independence category into clinical supports, so participants pay no contribution toward it. The change was announced in April 2026. Until 1 October 2026, a means-tested contribution applied to personal care.

Key points

  • From 1 October 2026, personal care is funded in full by the government, with no participant contribution
  • Personal care moves from the independence category (means-tested) into clinical supports (fully funded)
  • Personal care covers showering, dressing, grooming, non-clinical continence support, eating, hygiene, and help self-administering medication
  • The definition and scope of personal care do not change, only how it is funded
  • Services delivered before 1 October 2026 still attract a contribution, even if claimed afterward
  • Clinical care was already fully funded, so personal care now sits alongside it at no cost to you

What Changed

When Support at Home commenced on 1 November 2025, services were split into three categories. Clinical care (nursing and allied health) was fully government funded. Independence services and everyday living services carried a means-tested participant contribution. Personal care, which is help with everyday physical tasks like showering and dressing, sat in the independence category and attracted a contribution.

In April 2026 the government announced that this would change. From 1 October 2026, personal care moves into clinical supports and is fully government funded. From that date, if personal care is in your support plan and you have available Support at Home funding, you receive it at no out-of-pocket cost.

Nothing else about personal care changes. The activities it covers, and the way it is assessed and delivered, stay the same. Only the funding and your contribution change.

Why the Government Made This Change

The change followed reports that some older people were declining help with showering, dressing and continence because of the new co-payments. For services this essential, even a small contribution was enough to make some people go without.

Making personal care fully funded removes that barrier. It treats personal care as a core part of staying healthy, safe and independent at home, in the same way clinical care is treated, rather than as an optional extra that people weigh up against the cost.

What Personal Care Covers

Personal care under Support at Home includes help with:

  • Showering and bathing
  • Dressing and undressing
  • Grooming (hair, shaving, basic skin care)
  • Non-clinical continence support
  • Eating and drinking
  • Personal hygiene
  • Assistance with self-administering medication

This list does not change on 1 October 2026. If a service was considered personal care before the change, it is still personal care afterward, just funded differently.

What It Means for Your Budget

Personal care is one of the most commonly used Support at Home services, so for many participants this is a meaningful saving.

Consider someone who receives three hours of personal care a week. Until 1 October 2026, a full pensioner contributed around 5 percent toward each hour, and a self-funded retiree contributed considerably more. From 1 October 2026, both pay nothing for those hours. The funding for personal care now comes entirely from the government, and your own contributions are limited to independence services and everyday living services like domestic assistance, transport and meals.

To see how this affects your own numbers, you can estimate your Support at Home budget and contributions by classification level and means status.

It is worth noting two related changes happening around the same time. Support at Home price caps, which were scheduled for 1 July 2026, have been deferred with no confirmed new date. And the no worse off guarantee continues to protect people who were receiving or assessed eligible for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024.

Timing: Before and After 1 October 2026

The cut-off is the date the service is delivered, not the date it is claimed or invoiced.

  • Personal care delivered before 1 October 2026: a participant contribution applies, even if your provider submits the claim after that date.
  • Personal care delivered on or after 1 October 2026: fully government funded, no contribution.

If you are unsure how your provider is treating the transition, ask them to confirm in writing how personal care will appear on your budget statement before and after the change.

How Carevo Can Help

Carevo is a connection platform. We connect you with vetted Support at Home providers who deliver personal care and other in-home services, so you can compare options and choose who supports you.

Through Carevo you can compare Support at Home providers in your area, see the services they offer, and get matched to providers that suit your needs and funding. For a full overview of how the program works, read our complete guide to Support at Home.