CHSP Providers in Australia: Compare Services and What You Pay

What is the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP)?

CHSP is an Australian Government-funded program that pays for entry-level support, things like domestic help, personal care, transport, and social support, so older residents can keep living independently at home. It’s for people aged 65 and over (50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) who need some assistance but not a full care package (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2025).

How to choose a CHSP provider

CHSP providers differ mainly in registration status, referral response time, pricing clarity, and postcode coverage, the same criteria used in the ranking above. Confirm the provider’s CHSP registration with My Aged Care rather than trusting their own marketing, since registration can lapse per service type. Check response time. Carevo tracks referral speed across 706 providers currently accepting CHSP work nationally, and response times vary by state and provider. Ask for the client contribution rate in writing before the first visit. CHSP is subsidised but not free, and contribution scales are set by each provider. Finally, confirm they actually service your postcode. Registration for a region does not guarantee an active roster there.

Which program funds CHSP, and who qualifies?

CHSP is funded directly by the Australian Government through grant funding to approved providers, not through an individual funding package like NDIS or Support at Home (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2025). It is intended for older people who need entry-level help to remain at home. Age and special eligibility rules apply, and the approved services depend on assessed need. Your financial situation can affect the client contribution a provider asks you for. Eligibility is confirmed through a Single Assessment System assessment booked via My Aged Care, not by the provider directly.

CHSP availability across Australia

Carevo currently lists 4,038 providers registered for CHSP work nationally, though only 706 are actively accepting new referrals at any given time, and coverage is heaviest in NSW and VIC and thinner in the Northern Territory and Tasmania. If your needs go beyond one or two basic tasks, compare this against the Support at Home program, which took over from Home Care Packages for new entrants on 1 November 2025. For the full picture of how CHSP sits alongside other funding pathways, see the aged care funding roadmap.

What services does CHSP fund?

CHSP covers a defined list of entry-level supports, and a provider is registered per service type rather than across the board, so confirm the specific service you need is one they hold. The funded categories are:

• Domestic assistance: cleaning, laundry, and everyday household tasks.
• Personal care: help with showering, dressing, and grooming.
• Meals: delivered meals or help with meal preparation at home.
• Transport: getting to appointments, shopping, and social activities.
• Social support: individual companionship or group-based community activities.
• Home maintenance and modifications: minor repairs, gutter clearing, grab rails, and safety work.
• Nursing and allied health: occasional clinical care, physiotherapy, podiatry, and occupational therapy to keep you independent.
• Respite care: planned breaks that give a family carer time off.
• Goods, equipment and assistive technology: items such as walking frames or shower stools.

Most people use one or two of these, which is the point of CHSP. If you need several coordinated services or daily support, that is a sign to look at Support at Home instead.

CHSP vs Support at Home: which one fits?

These are the two main ways older Australians get funded help at home, and they suit different needs.

• CHSP is for lower, occasional needs, a cleaner once a fortnight, help getting to appointments, a weekly social group. It is grant-funded to the provider, has no individual budget, and you can usually start within a week or two.
• Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages for new entrants on 1 November 2025. It is for people who need ongoing, coordinated care across several services, funded through an individual budget set by one of eight classification levels.

A practical rule of thumb: if you can name your needs in one sentence, CHSP usually fits. If you are coordinating personal care, nursing, and domestic help together, you likely need Support at Home. Many people start on CHSP and move to Support at Home as their needs grow. For how both sit alongside residential care and the top national providers, see aged care services in Australia.

How to apply for CHSP

Access to CHSP goes through My Aged Care, not the provider directly (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2025).

1. Register with My Aged Care by calling 1800 200 422 or applying online.
2. Complete a Single Assessment System assessment. An assessor confirms your eligibility and the services you can access. For entry-level CHSP needs this is usually a short phone or home assessment.
3. Receive your referral codes. These are what a provider needs to start CHSP-funded services for you.
4. Choose a provider who is registered for the service type you need and actually rosters staff in your postcode, and confirm the client contribution in writing before the first visit.

How to compare CHSP providers

CHSP providers are funded per service type and per region, so the field near you is smaller than a national search suggests, and they differ on things a brochure will not tell you.

Which services they actually hold funding for. A provider funded for domestic assistance in your area may not be funded for transport or meals. Ask service by service rather than assuming a full offering.

The client contribution. CHSP contributions are set by each provider under the national contribution framework, not fixed nationally, so the same service can cost different amounts from two providers in the same suburb. Ask for the contribution in writing per service.

Waiting time for the specific service. Domestic assistance and meals usually start faster than allied health or home maintenance. A provider with capacity for cleaning may have a long queue for the occupational therapist you actually need.

What happens when your needs grow. CHSP is entry level by design. Ask whether the provider also delivers Support at Home, because staying with one organisation through a reassessment avoids rebuilding the relationship at the point you are least able to.

Registration. CHSP providers work under the Aged Care Quality Standards and are regulated by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. Confirm on the My Aged Care Find a provider tool rather than relying on a claim.

What CHSP costs, and how it compares to Support at Home

CHSP is the cheaper of the two aged care entry points, and for many people it is the right one for years.

Under CHSP you pay a modest client contribution per service, set by the provider, with the government funding the rest. There is no individual budget, no quarterly allocation and no care management fee. You receive a set service on a set schedule.

Under Support at Home you hold a quarterly budget classified by assessed need, and contribution rates vary by category and by your means: clinical supports carry no contribution, independence supports run from 5 per cent for a full pensioner to 50 per cent for a self-funded retiree, and everyday living supports from 17.5 to 80 per cent (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2025).

The practical rule: CHSP suits low, stable, predictable needs, typically one or two services a week. Once needs are broad enough that you are coordinating several services, or growing, a Support at Home assessment is usually worth more than the extra contribution costs. You cannot hold both for the same service.

How this page is compiled

The provider rankings and figures on this page come from Carevo platform records, including provider registrations, measured response times and coverage, together with the cited official sources. Carevo is an Australian platform that connects families with NDIS and aged care providers. Carevo does not deliver care itself.

Funding sources and checks

Check the current NDIA pricing arrangements and Support at Home program rules for the proposed service. Funding depends on the approved support and available budget; a Carevo listing is not approval. Confirm availability and a start date directly with the provider.