Support at Home: What Changed When It Launched (1 Nov 2025)
Support at Home changes explained: what the 1 November 2025 aged-care program replaced, the new levels and budgets, what you pay, and what to do next.
If you or someone you love gets aged-care help at home, the ground shifted on 1 November 2025. A new program called Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages, and it changed how funding is organised, how much you might contribute, and how services are grouped. This guide is written in plain English so you can see what actually changed and what it means for your household. It is about aged care…
What Support at Home is
Eight levels instead of four
Quarterly budgets and three service groups
What you pay: contributions and 'no worse off'
Equipment, home changes and short-term help
If you already had a Home Care Package
What to do now
Where this connects
Frequently asked questions
What did Support at Home replace?
From 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme is expected to move into Support at Home at a later stage. Existing Home Care Package clients were transferred across automatically at…
Do I have to pay for Support at Home?
Clinical care such as nursing is fully government-funded. For independence and everyday-living services, contributions are means-tested on your income and assets. A 'no worse off' principle protects people who had a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024, and grandfathered full pensioners…
What happens to my unspent Home Care Package funds?
They are not lost. Unspent Home Care Package balances at the changeover are retained for you and held separately from your new quarterly budgets, so you can still use that money on your care under Support at Home.
Is Support at Home part of the NDIS?
No. Support at Home is aged care for older Australians and is separate from the NDIS. Some families deal with both — for example, an NDIS participant helping an older parent — but the funding, rules and contributions are different systems.
Related guides
- The 'Getting the NDIS Back on Track' Act, in Plain English
- Foundational Supports Explained
- What NDIS Mandatory Registration Means for You
- NDIS Reform Tracker: Every Change and When It Starts
- The New Aged Care Act: What Families & Providers Need to Know
- The New NDIS Supports List: What's In and What's Out