Support at Home Program: What Providers Need to Know

The Support at Home (SAH) program is the most significant structural reform to home-based aged care in Australia's history. Launched on 1 November 2025, SAH replaced the Home Care Packages (HCP) program under the Aged Care Act 2024. CHSP continues separately and has been extended to 30 June 2029. The 21 August 2026 announcement does not establish a universal migration date. For providers delivering HCP-equivalent services, the transition is not optional — every organisation delivering government-funded home care packages now operates under the SAH framework, and the compliance obligations are materially different from what came before.

In the months since launch, the operational reality is becoming clearer. Providers who adapted early are seeing the benefits of a more transparent funding model, while those who delayed system changes are struggling with quarterly budget cycles and per-service billing. This guide covers what you need to know to operate effectively under SAH.

Before SAH, home-based aged care operated across two separate programs. The Home Care Packages program offered 4 package levels with a pooled annual budget and an income-tested daily care fee. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme provided entry-level services funded through block grants to providers, with minimal client contributions.

SAH replaced HCP with a new program that fundamentally changes how home care services are funded, delivered, and reported. CHSP continues separately and has been extended to 30 June 2029. The 21 August 2026 announcement does not establish a universal migration date. The key structural differences from HCP are substantial. SAH has 8 ongoing classifications and 4 transitioned HCP classifications. Transitioned participants retain an equivalent funding level; reassessment for a higher classification can move them to an ongoing SAH classification. Funding is allocated as quarterly budgets with strict carry-over limits, rather than a single package balance that accumulates indefinitely. Client contributions are calculated per service across 3 categories, rather than as a flat daily fee. There is a mandatory wellness and reablement focus with required goal-setting in every care plan. And new short-term pathways provide separate funding for restorative care, end-of-life care, and assistive technology and home modifications.

For providers, this means rethinking how services are planned, scheduled, invoiced, and reported. Systems built for HCP management require significant modification — or replacement — to handle SAH requirements.

Published ongoing funding, effective 1 July 2026:

• Level 1: $11,010.01/year; $2,752.50/quarter
• Level 2: $16,451.35/year; $4,112.84/quarter
• Level 3: $22,536.81/year; $5,634.20/quarter
• Level 4: $30,468.51/year; $7,617.13/quarter
• Level 5: $40,729.53/year; $10,182.38/quarter
• Level 6: $49,365.27/year; $12,341.32/quarter
• Level 7: $59,660.00/year; $14,915.00/quarter
• Level 8: $80,137.12/year; $20,034.28/quarter

Source: Department funding classifications. Transitioned HCP classifications and short-term pathways have different arrangements. Use the budget calculator to explore an ongoing level.

Ongoing funding is managed by quarter. Unspent quarterly funding can carry over within the applicable limit: the greater of $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget, including supplements. Retained HCP funds are a separate balance. Check the funding account and the quarterly-budget guide before planning against an expected rollover.

Review delivered services and recorded spend during the quarter, and investigate discrepancies before relying on a remaining balance. Keep planning estimates distinct from confirmed funding.

SAH contributions are calculated per service using the participant’s assessed rates and contribution arrangements. Clinical supports have no participant contribution. Standard Independence rates range from 5–50%, and Everyday living from 17.5–80%; no-worse-off arrangements have different rates. Use the participant’s Services Australia advice and the Department contribution schedule.

Clinical supports include nursing and allied health. Independence includes social support, respite and transport. Everyday living includes domestic assistance, home maintenance and meals. Assistive technology and home modifications use their own scheme funding; check the applicable item and associated service rules. See the official service list for inclusions and exclusions.

For contribution purposes, personal care moves from Independence to Clinical supports for services delivered from 1 October 2026. Participants pay no contribution for approved personal care when Support at Home funds are available; the cost is drawn from their government-funded Support at Home budget. Services delivered before that date retain the applicable Independence contribution, even if claimed later. This changes the contribution category only; service IDs, worker qualifications and delivery requirements remain unchanged. See the personal-care change guidance.

No-worse-off contribution arrangements apply to people who, on 12 September 2024, were receiving a Home Care Package, on the National Priority System, or approved as eligible for a package. Transitioning from HCP alone does not establish eligibility: people first approved after that date use standard contribution arrangements. For worked contribution examples and caps, read Support at Home contributions explained.

SAH places mandatory emphasis on wellness and reablement — a shift from the maintenance-oriented approach that characterised many HCP services. Every SAH care plan must include measurable wellness goals, and providers must demonstrate that services are directed toward maintaining or improving the client's independence rather than simply sustaining the status quo.

In practice, this means care plans must include specific, time-bound goals — not generic statements like 'maintain current function'. Providers must review goals regularly and document progress or barriers. Services should be adjusted when goals are met, when progress stalls, or when the client's needs change. And there must be evidence that the client was genuinely involved in setting their own goals.

The ACQSC assesses wellness and reablement as part of Standard 3 (The Care and Services), which requires that care and services are person-centred, safe, and directed toward maintaining or improving the individual's independence and wellbeing. Providers who cannot demonstrate a genuine wellness approach — with documented goals, regular reviews, and evidence of client participation — risk adverse findings during assessment contacts.

Support at Home has three short-term funding pathways. Confirm the participant’s approval, funding account and service dates before planning delivery.

• Restorative Care Pathway — intensive allied health and/or nursing support, with an episode lasting up to 16 weeks. Develop a goal plan with the participant and multidisciplinary team, then record progress and the exit plan. See the Department’s restorative care guidance.
• End-of-Life Pathway — support for eligible people who want to remain at home, complementing other palliative care services. Funding covers 12 weeks and remaining funds can be used up to 16 weeks. An additional funding round for participants who live beyond the initial 12-week funding period is announced for early 2027; it is not a current entitlement. See the End-of-Life Pathway guidance.
• Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme — separate needs-based funding for approved equipment and modifications, generally over 12 months. Check the specific allocation and any extension rules in the AT-HM guidance.

Allied health is a service type, not a fourth or separate named pathway. Keep each approval, budget and claim linked to its applicable funding account.

Full SAH compliance is now expected of all providers delivering services under the program. Providers should ensure they have addressed the following:

• Systems and billing. Your care management system must support quarterly budget tracking, per-service contribution calculations across all 3 categories using the participant’s assessed contribution rates, and carry-over cap enforcement. Systems built for HCP daily-fee billing are unlikely to handle SAH requirements without significant modification.
• Care planning. All care plans must include documented wellness and reablement goals with measurable outcomes. Plans should be reviewed at least quarterly, with progress against goals recorded.
• Service catalogue. Every service your organisation delivers must be mapped to the correct SAH category (clinical supports, independence, or everyday living). Incorrect categorisation results in incorrect contribution calculations and potential compliance issues.
• Client communications. Clients must receive clear statements showing each service delivered, its category, the contribution rate, the contribution amount, and the balance drawn from their government-funded budget.
• Reporting and claiming. Follow Services Australia’s Support at Home claiming process through the Aged Care Provider Portal, and the Department’s QFR requirements for your provider type. Keep claim receipts and reconcile payments against delivered services. DEX reporting relates to CHSP; it is not the Support at Home claiming pathway.

Statura Care's Support at Home module is purpose-built for SAH, handling quarterly budget tracking, automatic carry-over calculations, per-service contribution billing, wellness goal management, and short-term pathway tracking — part of 35 modules in Statura Care's aged care compliance software. For contribution details, see our guide on SAH contributions and caps.