Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) — Who It's For and How to Access It

The Commonwealth Home Support Programme is Australia's entry-level aged care program. It provides small amounts of practical help — a few hours of cleaning per fortnight, occasional transport to medical appointments, social group activities — designed to keep older Australians living independently at home for longer.

If your parent needs more than light support (daily personal care, clinical nursing, continence management), they'll need Support at Home instead. But for the early stages of functional decline, CHSP is often the right starting point.

What CHSP Covers

CHSP operates on a "doing with, not doing for" philosophy. Services are meant to maintain existing capacity, not replace it:

• Domestic assistance — fortnightly or monthly house cleaning, laundry
• Personal care — occasional help with showering or dressing (usually limited to 1–2 hours per week)
• Transport — rides to medical appointments or social activities
• Meals — delivered meals or assistance with meal preparation
• Home maintenance — basic safety-related repairs (loose handrails, broken steps)
• Social support — group activities, community access, companionship visits
• Allied health — short-term physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry

Services are typically low-frequency. A common CHSP package might include two hours of cleaning per fortnight and one transport trip per week. The client contribution is modest — usually around $14 per service hour.

Who's Eligible

CHSP eligibility requires:

• Age 65 or older (50+ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, or 50+ if homeless or at risk of homelessness)
• Australian residency
• Functional needs that can be addressed with entry-level support

Access is through My Aged Care (online or by calling 1800 200 422). After a screening call, My Aged Care refers the applicant to a local CHSP service provider. For straightforward needs, services can often start within weeks — much faster than the Support at Home pathway.

CHSP vs Support at Home

When to Move From CHSP to Support at Home

The transition point comes when CHSP services can't keep a parent safe. Warning signs include:

• Daily personal care needs (not just occasional)
• Falls becoming more frequent despite home modifications
• Cognitive decline requiring supervised activities
• Clinical needs (wound care, medication management) beyond what CHSP allied health provides
• Carer burnout from filling the gap between CHSP hours and actual need

At that point, families should apply through My Aged Care for a comprehensive Single Assessment System evaluation. CHSP services can continue while waiting for Support at Home funding — a critical bridge given the median wait time.

What Happens When CHSP Merges Into Support at Home

The CHSP is scheduled to transition into the Support at Home framework no earlier than 1 July 2027. Until that date, both programs run independently. Current CHSP recipients will be transferred with equivalent service levels when the merge occurs.

For families navigating the gap between CHSP and Support at Home, the Australia Home Care Guide covers both programs and explains how to bridge the waiting period.

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