Support At Home
Helping Your Loved One Stay in the Home They Love
The Support at Home program came in from 1 November 2025 as part of the Aged Care Reforms 2025.
For a lot of families, the goal stays the same. Keep life safe, familiar, and steady at home.
Only the system around it has changed.
Funding is now released in quarterly budgets, which helps keep spending clearer and more predictable across the year.
Stone brings the structure behind the scenes, so care feels simple on the surface.
Making Sense of the Change From Home Care Packages
Home Care Packages have moved into the Support at Home program, and for many families, it can feel like the rules changed overnight.
A few key things have changed:
- Funding is now released quarterly, not as one annual amount.
- Support is organised under 8 funding levels, so help can be matched more closely to what’s needed.
- Care management is more tightly capped, so more funding can go toward direct care.
- People already receiving support may be protected under transition rules, so they don’t have to start from scratch.
Stone takes the admin pressure off your plate, and helps you understand what the new rules actually mean!
What Happens to Existing Support?
A lot of people who were approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024 are treated as “grandfathered” for contributions, which is designed to protect people from paying more just because the model changed.
Support can continue while the changeover happens.
The aim is for your loved one receiving care to feel as little disruption as possible.
Finding the Right Fit Among the 8 Funding Levels
The new model uses 8 classifications, so funding can match needs more closely than the old four-level system.
Below are the current government budget amounts (effective from 1 November 2025). Figures are shown as “up to” amounts.
This means that during periods of high demand, some people may be given interim funding at 60% of their approved classification first (called a Minimum Service Offering (MSO)), with the remaining amount released later when funding becomes available.
Disclaimer: All figures are subject to Australian Government rules, limits, and updates.
| Support at Home Classification | Quarterly budget (up to) | Annual total (up to) | What’s included (examples) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classification 1 | $2,682.75 | $10,731.00 | Light help at home, plus basic wellbeing support |
| Classification 2 | $4,008.61 | $16,034.45 | More regular help with home tasks, plus some personal support |
| Classification 3 | $5,491.43 | $21,965.70 | Weekly routine support across personal care and home help |
| Classification 4 | $7,424.10 | $29,696.40 | Frequent support to stay safe, steady, and independent at home |
| Classification 5 | $9,924.35 | $39,697.40 | Near-daily support, more complexity, and closer oversight |
| Classification 6 | $12,028.58 | $48,114.30 | Daily support, higher needs, and more health-related support |
| Classification 7 | $14,537.04 | $58,148.15 | Intensive daily support, multiple needs, and higher risk support |
| Classification 8 | $19,526.59 | $78,106.35 | Highest ongoing |
Classification 1
Quarterly budget (up to): $2,682.75
Annual total (up to): $10,731.00
What’s included (examples): Light help at home, plus basic wellbeing support
Classification 2
Quarterly budget (up to): $4,008.61
Annual total (up to): $16,034.45
What’s included (examples): More regular help with home tasks, plus some personal support
Classification 3
Quarterly budget (up to): $5,491.43
Annual total (up to): $21,965.70
What’s included (examples): Weekly routine support across personal care and home help
Classification 4
Quarterly budget (up to): $7,424.10
Annual total (up to): $29,696.40
What’s included (examples): Frequent support to stay safe, steady, and independent at home
Classification 5
Quarterly budget (up to): $9,924.35
Annual total (up to): $39,697.40
What’s included (examples): Near-daily support, more complexity, and closer oversight
Classification 6
Quarterly budget (up to): $12,028.58
Annual total (up to): $48,114.30
What’s included (examples): Daily support, higher needs, and more health-related support
Classification 7
Quarterly budget (up to): $14,537.04
Annual total (up to): $58,148.15
What’s included (examples): Intensive daily support, multiple needs, and higher risk support
Classification 8
Quarterly budget (up to): $19,526.59
Annual total (up to): $78,106.35
What’s included (examples): Highest ongoing
Real Help for Daily Life and What Is Included
Keeping the Home Running Just the Way You Like It
Support can include help with:
- Cleaning, laundry, meal prep, and shopping
- Light gardening and keeping the home comfortable
- Transport to appointments and errands that have become harder
Supporting Your Independence and Personal Dignity
Support can also include respectful help with showering, dressing, and getting ready for the day. The goal stays simple: help that backs you up, while your choices stay front and centre.
Connection matters too. Some days, support looks like a cuppa and a proper chat. Other days, support looks like getting out to the community, or keeping a spiritual routine steady, like attending a place of worship, if that’s important to you.
Clinical and Nursing Support for Your Health Needs
Clinical supports like nursing and allied health sit in a separate category, and the government covers these without a personal contribution.
Care can include things like wound care, medication support, mobility work, physio, and other clinical services, depending on your needs and plan.
Focused Help To Get Your Loved One Back on Their Feet
Finding Your Rhythm Again Through the Restorative Care Program
Restorative care is short-term and more intensive. It suits times like recovering after a hospital stay, illness, or a fall. If found eligible, funding is around $6,000 for up to 16 weeks and is separate from any ongoing Support at Home funding. In some situations, additional funding may be approved.
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications
Separate funding is available through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme, so ramps, rails, and equipment do not have to come out of your ongoing Support at Home budget.
Taking the First Step Through the Assessment Process
For families looking to access the Support at Home program, the first step is a My Aged Care assessment.
It’s the starting point for getting help in place at home. The assessment is there to understand what’s happening day to day, where support is needed, and what level of funding may be available.
Stone can help you prepare for that conversation, so the support needed at home is clearly understood from the start.
Why Families Choose Stone for Their Support at Home Care
Care is a responsibility, not a transaction. Families come to Stone when they want steadiness, not a rotating roster of strangers.
People want to feel known. People want to feel listened to.
Stone focuses on:
- Consistent faces and respectful relationships
- Clear communication that does not leave families chasing answers
- Support that protects dignity, routine, culture, and preferences
No Need To Guess… We Have the Answers You’re After
A short chat can bring a lot of relief.
Ask about the Support at Home program, talk through home care packages transitioning, or get clarity on Support at Home funding levels.
No pressure. No hard sell.
Only real help and straight answers from someone who cares about how life feels at home.
Call 1300 031 381 or fill out our online form today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Support at Home program?
The Support at Home program is the Australian Government’s new system for in-home aged care services, which replaced Home Care Packages on November 1, 2025. It is designed to be a more flexible way to receive the help you need to stay safe and independent in your own home.
Will I lose my current support if I was already on a Home Care Package?
No. If you were approved for supports prior to 12 September, 2024, the Government has promised that you will not lose your current level of support or pay more out-of-pocket for the same services under these new rules.
What is the "10% Cap" on Care Management?
Under the new reforms, the amount a provider can charge for managing your care is strictly limited to 10% of your budget. This ensures that more of your funding goes directly toward the actual services and people coming to your home.