Home care package providers in Australia

What is a Home Care Package in Australia?

From 1 November 2025, the Support at Home program replaced Home Care Packages for new participants. If you have been assessed for Support at Home, you need to choose a provider in Australia to arrange your care. The decision matters, because different providers offer different service prices and that affects how many hours of support you actually receive each week.

Support at Home is an Australian Government-funded program of coordinated care for older people with more complex needs than entry-level support can cover. In Australia, it gives you a budget to spend on services like personal care, nursing, domestic help, transport, and allied health. Unlike the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, which provides specific subsidised services, Support at Home is a flexible budget you direct alongside a Care Manager. People who were approved as eligible for a Home Care Package on or before 31 October 2025 were transitioned to the Support at Home Priority System and keep an ongoing funding level equivalent to their approved HCP.

Carevo connects you with registered Support at Home providers in Australia so you can compare services, pricing, and availability side by side. The right provider makes your funding go further.

Compare Australia Support at Home Providers Through Carevo

Under Support at Home, providers cannot charge separate package management or administration fees. Those administrative and overhead costs, such as package management and travel, must be built into the single service unit price and cannot be claimed from your care management account. Care management is separately capped at 10 percent of your budget from 1 November 2025. Government service price caps were due to start on 1 July 2026 but were deferred in May 2026, with no confirmed new date. In the meantime, entry and exit fees are banned and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can order refunds where a provider has overcharged. Providers available via Carevo offer:

• Transparent service pricing so you can see what each hour of support costs
• No exit fees if you decide to switch providers later
• A dedicated local Care Manager in Australia as your single point of contact
• Directly employed carers rather than agency contractors
• Registered nurses available for clinical care components
• Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission registered

Because lower service prices stretch your budget further, comparing providers on price can mean more hours of care each week from the same budget.

Types of Support at Home Services Available in Australia

Support at Home has 8 ongoing funding classifications, with budgets set by the Australian Government and indexed each July. Annual budgets range from Classification 1 at around $10,731 a year up to Classification 8 at around $78,106 a year. Each annual budget is split into four quarterly budgets. Your classification is based on assessed need, not income, and is determined at your aged care assessment.

The four former Home Care Package levels (Level 1 to Level 4) now exist only as transitional classifications. They apply solely to people who moved across from the closed Home Care Packages program to preserve their prior funding level, and are not a funding option for new clients.

Home Care Package Levels 1 to 4 and Their Funding Amounts

If you were receiving, or had been approved for, a Home Care Package on or before 31 October 2025, your funding carried across to Support at Home as a transitioned classification that preserves your previous package amount. These are the transitioned Home Care Package funding levels, current as of 1 November 2025 and indexed each 1 July:

Home Care Package level	Annual funding	Per quarter	Typical needs
Level 1	$10,986.50	about $2,746.63	Basic care needs
Level 2	$19,319.45	about $4,829.86	Low-level care needs
Level 3	$42,055.30	about $10,513.83	Intermediate care needs
Level 4	$63,758.20	about $15,939.55	High-level, complex care needs

New clients are no longer assigned a Home Care Package level. After a Single Assessment System assessment you receive one of 8 Support at Home classifications instead, with annual budgets from about $10,731 to $78,106. Under Support at Home, clinical care such as nursing and allied health is fully government funded and sits outside this budget, so more of your funding can go to personal care, domestic help, and social support than under the old Home Care Package structure.

Your budget can be spent on services like personal care, nursing care, domestic assistance, transport to appointments, light gardening, allied health, and respite care for family carers. It can also fund minor home modifications, mobility equipment, and continence aids when these are part of your care plan. Your Care Manager helps you decide how to spend the budget.

How to Access Support at Home in Australia

1. Contact My Aged Care: Call 1800 200 422 or visit the My Aged Care website to start the process.
2. Registration: Register with My Aged Care and answer questions about your situation and the help you need.
3. Assessment: An assessor from a government-contracted assessment organisation (under the Single Assessment System) will visit your Australia home to complete a comprehensive assessment of your eligibility and determine your Support at Home funding classification.
4. Approval and Wait Time: If approved, you will be assigned a Support at Home funding classification. There can be a wait between approval and your funding becoming available, depending on demand.
5. Choose a Provider: Once your funding is assigned, you can choose any registered provider. This is where Carevo helps you compare Australia options.
6. Service Commencement: Sign a service agreement, work with your Care Manager on a care plan, and begin services.

If your needs are not yet at Support at Home level, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme offers entry-level subsidised services and uses a similar starting point through My Aged Care.

What to Look for in a Support at Home Provider

1. Transparent Service Pricing

Quality providers available through Carevo offer:

• Clear service unit prices, with administrative and overhead costs built into the price rather than charged separately
• No hidden charges for plan changes
• No exit fees if you want to switch providers
• More of your budget spent on actual care hours

2. Dedicated Care Manager in Australia

Find providers who assign you a local Care Manager as your single point of contact. They know your needs, coordinate your services, and help you get the most from your package.

3. Directly Employed Carers

Quality providers don’t use contractors. Their support workers are:

• Directly employed (not agency workers)
• Police-checked and NDIS Worker Screening cleared
• Professionally trained in aged care
• Fully insured with public liability coverage

The Support at Home Program: What Changed

From 1 November 2025, the Support at Home program replaced Home Care Packages. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme continues for now and will transition to Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027. Support at Home uses 8 ongoing funding classifications rather than the former four-level HCP structure.

For people in Australia who were approved for a Home Care Package or already receiving one, the government has stated that no one will be worse off in the transition and existing budgets carry across. Providers connected through Carevo are aligned with the Support at Home program, so you do not need to switch providers because of the program change. Your Care Manager will explain how your services map across.

For up-to-date timelines, contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

It’s Easy to Switch Providers

If you are unhappy with your current provider, you are not stuck. Find new providers through Carevo who make switching a simple process.

1. Step 1: Browse Providers. Compare Australia providers for a clearer understanding of your options.
2. Step 2: Review Your Plan. Providers can give you a clear comparison of how much more care you can receive.
3. Step 3: They Handle the Switch. If you decide to proceed, they manage the entire process, including notifying your old provider. There is no disruption to your care.

How to Compare and Switch Support at Home Providers

Step 1: Get Your Pricing Comparison

Contact Carevo with your Support at Home funding classification. We will show you how much care you could receive with a competitively priced provider.

Step 2: Compare Australia Providers

We connect you with registered Support at Home providers in Australia who have:

• Transparent service pricing
• Immediate availability for new clients
• Local Care Managers
• Strong client reviews

Step 3: Switch Providers (Easy Process)

If you decide to switch:

• Your new provider handles all paperwork with My Aged Care
• No gap in your care services
• Most switches complete within 2-3 weeks
• No penalty or exit fees with quality providers

Call: 1800 953 253 (24/7) Service Areas: Australia and surrounding suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Can providers charge a separate “Package Management Fee”? No. Under Support at Home, providers cannot charge separate package management or administration fees. Administrative and overhead costs, such as package management and travel, must be built into the single service unit price and cannot be claimed from your care management account. Care management is separately capped at 10 percent of your budget from 1 November 2025.

How do I know I can trust the carers? Reputable providers have rigorous recruitment processes that commonly include interviews, reference checks, a National Police Check, and NDIS Worker Screening. Ask each provider about their screening, checks, insurance, and how they recruit and supervise their carers before services begin.

Am I locked into a contract? No. Quality providers earn your trust each month. There are no long-term lock-in contracts and no exit fees, so you can switch if a provider is not delivering.

What if I do not qualify for Support at Home? If your needs are entry-level rather than complex, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme provides specific subsidised services through the same My Aged Care entry point. Many people in Australia start with CHSP and move to Support at Home as their needs increase.

How much is a Level 4 Home Care Package? A Level 4 Home Care Package was the highest of the four levels, funded at $63,758.20 a year (about $15,939.55 a quarter) as at 1 November 2025, indexed each 1 July. Since 1 November 2025 it exists as a transitioned classification for people who were already on, or approved for, a Level 4 package; their funding carried across to Support at Home unchanged. New clients are assessed for one of the 8 Support at Home classifications instead. Under Support at Home, clinical care such as nursing and allied health is fully government funded separately, so it no longer comes out of this budget.

How much funding do the other Home Care Package levels provide? As at 1 November 2025 (indexed each 1 July), the transitioned amounts are about $10,986.50 a year for Level 1, $19,319.45 for Level 2, and $42,055.30 for Level 3, alongside $63,758.20 for Level 4. These apply to people who transitioned from a Home Care Package. New clients receive one of 8 Support at Home classifications, with annual budgets from about $10,731 to $78,106.

How many hours of care does a Home Care Package give? There is no fixed number of hours. Your funding buys services at your provider’s hourly prices, so the hours depend on the provider you choose and the mix of services you use. As a rough guide, a Level 4 amount of about $63,758 a year is around $1,226 a week; at example support-worker prices of roughly $75 to $95 an hour, that is in the order of 13 to 16 hours of personal or domestic support a week. This varies between providers, and because government price caps have been deferred, prices still differ, so comparing provider price lists through Carevo is the most reliable way to see how many hours your funding will buy. Clinical care such as nursing is funded separately and does not reduce these hours.

What is the difference between the 4 Home Care Package levels and the 8 Support at Home classifications? Home Care Packages used four levels (1 to 4). Support at Home, which replaced them for new entrants on 1 November 2025, uses eight classifications (1 to 8) so funding matches assessed need more closely. People who transitioned from a Home Care Package keep funding equivalent to their old level through a transitioned classification. The other major change is that clinical care (nursing and allied health) is now fully government funded outside your budget, rather than being paid for from your package.

How does Support at Home affect my existing package? From 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme continues for now and will transition to Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027. The government has confirmed existing recipients will not be worse off. Providers available through Carevo are aligned with Support at Home, so you can stay with your provider through the transition.

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Compare Support at Home providers through Carevo across Australia and surrounding suburbs. All providers are registered with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and offer transparent pricing with no lock-in contracts.