Published by SESI Care Services · Updated November 2026 · 3-minute summary
Quick answer: You apply for Support at Home through My Aged Care — online in about 15–20 minutes with your Medicare card, or by calling 1800 200 422. An assessor then visits you at home, and if you’re approved you receive a classification between 1 and 8 that sets your quarterly budget. Clinical care, including personal care since 1 October 2026, costs you nothing; you contribute towards other services based on your means.
Key takeaways
- Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. If you were told years ago to apply for a “package”, this is the program you apply for now.
- One front door: My Aged Care. Apply online, call 1800 200 422, visit a Services Australia centre, or ask your GP to refer you.
- You don’t pay for the assessment, and applying commits you to nothing.
- Approval gives you a classification from 1 to 8, each with a quarterly budget — from about $2,760 up to about $20,074 per quarter at current rates.
- Nursing, allied health and personal care are free to you. Since 1 October 2026 the government fully funds personal care — help with showering, dressing and medications — with no participant contribution.
- There can be a wait for ongoing funding. A priority system decides the order, interim funding of 60% of your budget can start sooner, and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme can help in the meantime.
- You choose your provider — and you can change providers without losing your funding.
What is Support at Home, and who can apply?
Support at Home is the Australian Government’s program that funds older people to keep living in their own homes, and it replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care when the new Aged Care Act commenced on 1 November 2025.
It funds the practical things that keep daily life working: nursing care, personal care such as showering and dressing, help around the house, meals, transport, social support, allied health like physiotherapy and occupational therapy, assistive equipment, and home modifications.
You can generally apply if you are:
- 65 or older, or
- 50 or older and an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, or
- 50 or older and homeless or at risk of homelessness,
and you’re finding everyday tasks harder because of your health, mobility or memory. If you’re not sure, My Aged Care has a short “Should I apply?” checker that takes a few minutes.
One boundary worth knowing: if you’re under 65 and your support needs come from a permanent disability, the NDIS is usually the right system, not aged care. The two don’t combine, and the choice at 65 matters — we’ve written a separate guide on what changes at 65.
Step 1: How do I apply for an assessment?
You apply once, through My Aged Care, and there are four ways to do it.
Online is usually fastest. The application form takes about 15–20 minutes and the only document you need is your Medicare card. You can complete it for yourself or on behalf of a parent — the form asks for their consent.
By phone on 1800 200 422. This is the better route if forms are hard work, if your situation is complicated, or if you simply want to talk it through with a person first.
Through your GP or another health professional, who can send a referral — useful after a hospital stay or a new diagnosis, because the clinical detail goes in with the application.
In person at a Services Australia service centre, where staff can sit with you and complete it.
Whichever way you apply, be honest about your worst days, not your best ones. Many older people understate how much they’re struggling — the application isn’t a test to pass, it’s the information the assessor uses to understand what you need.
Step 2: What happens at the aged care assessment?
An assessment organisation contacts you to arrange a visit, usually within two to six weeks of applying, and the assessment itself normally happens at your home.
The assessor is from the government’s assessment workforce, not from any provider, and the visit typically runs about an hour. They’ll ask about your health, how you manage daily tasks like cooking, showering and getting around, your memory, your home set-up, and the support you already get from family. They’re building a picture of what help would keep you living safely and independently at home.
A few things make the visit more useful:
- Have someone with you. A family member or friend can fill gaps, take notes, and say the things you might play down.
- Have your details ready — Medicare card, GP’s name, a list of medications, and any specialist letters or hospital discharge summaries.
- Keep a one-week diary beforehand of what was hard: the shower you skipped because it felt unsafe, the meal that didn’t happen, the garden that’s got away from you. Concrete examples carry more weight than “I manage okay”.
- Mention falls, even near-misses. Falls history directly shapes what gets approved.
If you’ve noticed a parent slipping but they insist they’re fine, our guide to the signs an older adult may need more support can help you decide whether it’s time to start this conversation.
Step 3: What does the outcome mean?
After the assessment, a delegate reviews the assessor’s findings and you receive a Notice of Decision letter. If you’re approved, it comes with two important things.
Your classification. Ongoing care is approved at one of eight levels, each with a quarterly budget. These are the amounts current from 1 October 2026, per the Department of Health’s funding classifications:
| Classification | Quarterly budget | Roughly per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,757.89 | ~$11,000 |
| 2 | $4,120.89 | ~$16,500 |
| 3 | $5,645.23 | ~$22,600 |
| 4 | $7,632.04 | ~$30,500 |
| 5 | $10,202.32 | ~$40,800 |
| 6 | $12,365.48 | ~$49,500 |
| 7 | $14,944.20 | ~$59,800 |
| 8 | $20,073.50 | ~$80,300 |
Each budget includes 10% for care management, and unspent funds can carry over to the next quarter up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is greater — so a quieter quarter isn’t money lost.
Instead of an ongoing classification, the assessor may approve a short-term pathway: the Restorative Care Pathway (around $6,000 of intensive allied health over up to 16 weeks, aimed at getting strength and confidence back after a setback) or the End-of-Life Pathway (around $25,000 over 12 weeks, usable for up to 16, for people who want to spend their final months at home).
Your support plan and priority category. The support plan lists the service types you’re approved for. The priority category — urgent, high, medium or standard — decides how quickly funding is released to you.
How long will I wait, and what helps in the meantime?
Approval and funding are two separate moments, and it’s better to know that upfront.
Ongoing funding is released through a national priority system based on your priority category and approval date. People assessed as urgent receive full funding straight away. For everyone else there can be a wait of some months, depending on demand.
Three things soften the wait:
- Interim funding. If your wait runs longer than expected, you can be allocated 60% of your budget so the most important services start now, with the remaining 40% following when full funding becomes available.
- The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). This separate, simpler program funds entry-level help — domestic assistance, meals, transport, social support — often while people wait for Support at Home. It has been extended to 30 June 2029, so it isn’t going anywhere soon.
- Apply early. Because the queue works on approval date, the single best move is not waiting for a crisis. If daily tasks are getting harder now, apply now.
Once funding is allocated, you generally have 56 days to enter a service agreement with a provider and begin services — another reason it pays to research providers while you wait rather than after.
What will Support at Home cost me?
The government pays most of the cost; what you contribute depends on the type of service and your means.
Services sit in three categories, per the participant contributions rules:
- Clinical supports — no contribution, for anyone. Nursing and allied health have been free to participants from the start, and from 1 October 2026 personal care joined them: the government now fully funds help with showering, dressing, toileting and medications, whatever your income.
- Independence supports — moderate contribution. Things like transport and social support, with the rate set by your means.
- Everyday living supports — highest contribution. Cleaning, gardening and meal preparation: the tasks most people pay for across their whole lives.
Your rate comes from an income and assets assessment with Services Australia — do this early, because services can’t be priced for you without it. Full pensioners pay the least; lifetime caps limit what anyone can be asked to contribute; and if you already held a Home Care Package before 1 November 2025, a “no worse off” principle means you won’t pay more than you did under the old system.
For worked examples of what this looks like in dollars, see our guide to what in-home aged care support costs in Victoria.
Step 4: How do I choose a provider and start services?
Funding sits with you, not with any provider — so this choice is genuinely yours, and you can change later without losing your budget.
Use My Aged Care’s Find a provider tool or ring 1800 200 422 for a list of registered providers in your area, then talk to two or three. The questions that separate providers quickly: Can you actually staff my suburb and my preferred times? Will I see the same support workers each week? How fast can you start? What do you charge against my budget for care management? Our guide to comparing Support at Home providers in Victoria goes deeper on this.
Once you choose, the provider works with you to build a care plan around your support plan, you sign a service agreement, and services begin. From there your provider claims against your quarterly budget and you receive statements showing exactly where it went.
SESI Care Services is a registered provider delivering Support at Home services across Victoria — personal care, domestic assistance, community nursing, allied health and community access — so if Victoria is home, we’re one of the providers you can weigh up.
What happens after services start?
Starting services isn’t the end of the journey — three things are worth knowing about from day one.
You’ll receive monthly statements. Your provider must show what was delivered, what it cost, what came out of your quarterly budget and what contribution you paid. Read them, at least for the first few months. Statements are where mismatches show up early — a service billed that didn’t happen, or care management charges higher than you expected.
Your needs can be reassessed as they change. A fall, a new diagnosis, a carer who can no longer help as much — any of these can justify a higher classification. You don’t wait for an anniversary; you or your provider can contact My Aged Care and request a reassessment whenever your situation genuinely shifts. Keep that one-week diary habit from the first assessment: it’s just as persuasive the second time.
You can change providers without losing funding. Your budget belongs to you. If the roster is unreliable, the communication poor, or the travel charges eating your budget, you can move to another provider — your classification and remaining funds travel with you. If something more serious goes wrong, raise it with the provider first; beyond that, the Older Persons Advocacy Network (1800 700 600) offers free advocacy, and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission handles complaints about any registered provider.
What are the most common mistakes when applying?
After enough of these conversations with families, the same handful of missteps come up again and again.
Waiting for a crisis. The priority queue runs on approval date, so the application made “when things get worse” starts the clock months later than it needed to. Apply when tasks are getting harder, not when they’ve become impossible.
Performing wellness for the assessor. A lifetime of self-reliance makes many older people minimise. The assessor can only fund the needs they’re shown — the skipped showers and near-falls have to be said out loud, which is why having a family member in the room matters.
Skipping the means assessment. The Services Australia income and assets assessment isn’t optional paperwork for later; without it, your contribution rates can’t be set and providers can’t invoice you properly. Start it as soon as you apply.
Assuming approval means money tomorrow. Approval sets your classification; funding arrives via the priority system. Families who know this line up CHSP help or a small amount of private care for the gap instead of being blindsided by it.
Choosing a provider in a rush. The 56-day clock after funding allocation catches people who haven’t looked at providers yet. Use the waiting period to compare two or three, so that when funding lands you’re signing an agreement you’ve already thought through.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the whole Support at Home application take?
The online application takes 15–20 minutes, the assessment organisation usually makes contact within two to six weeks, and the assessment itself is a single home visit. The longer variable is the wait for ongoing funding after approval, which depends on your priority category and national demand — urgent cases are funded immediately, others can wait months. Applying early is the best protection.
Can I apply for Support at Home on behalf of my mum or dad?
Yes. You can complete the online form or make the call for them, with their consent, and be their support person through the assessment. Many applications are started by a son or daughter who noticed things slipping before their parent was ready to say so.
Do I need a doctor’s referral to apply?
No. You can apply directly online or by phone with nothing more than a Medicare card. A GP referral is simply another door in — useful when there’s recent clinical history, like a hospital stay, that should travel with the application.
What if I’m not happy with my assessment outcome?
You can ask for a review. Your Notice of Decision letter explains how, and there are timeframes attached, so act on it promptly rather than sitting with a classification that doesn’t match your needs. If your needs change later, you can also request a reassessment at any time.
Is Support at Home the same as a Home Care Package?
It’s the replacement. Home Care Packages ended on 1 November 2025, and everyone who held one was moved onto Support at Home with “no worse off” protections on what they pay. The big differences: eight funding levels instead of four, quarterly budgets instead of an annual lump, and no contribution on clinical or personal care.
Can I get help privately while I wait for funding?
Yes. Privately funded home care needs no assessment and no approval — you simply engage a provider and pay directly. Some families use a small amount of private care to bridge the gap between approval and funding, then switch to the Support at Home budget when it’s released.
Talk to SESI
If you’re starting the Support at Home journey — or helping a parent start it — and want to talk through what services could look like once funding comes through, we’re happy to help, with no obligation.
Tell us what’s going on: sesi.com.au/referral · Call: 1800 017 374
This guide is general information based on Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and My Aged Care program rules current at November 2026. It is not advice about your individual circumstances. For applications and assessments, contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or visit myagedcare.gov.au.
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