Support at Home Contribution Rates and Fees Explained (2026)

The Support at Home program changed how Australian families pay for home care. The flat basic daily fee is gone. Administration fees are capped. And out-of-pocket contributions now depend on what type of service your parent uses and how much they earn.

Here's how the fee structure works.

The Basic Daily Fee Is Gone

Under the old Home Care Packages program, every recipient paid a basic daily fee of roughly $12 per day (~$4,380/year), regardless of income or services used. This fee was abolished on 1 November 2025 when Support at Home launched.

In its place, a service-based co-contribution model applies. The amount a parent pays depends on the category of service and their financial means.

Co-Contribution Rates by Service Type

Support at Home divides services into three bands, each with different contribution requirements:

Clinical care is fully government-funded for everyone — no co-contribution regardless of wealth. This covers nursing visits, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, wound care, and speech pathology.

The financial impact concentrates on everyday living supports. A self-funded retiree paying 80% of domestic assistance at $95/hour is effectively paying $76/hour out of pocket — barely a discount on hiring a private cleaner.

The 10% Care Management Cap

Under the old HCP system, providers could charge up to 35% of the package value in combined administration and package management fees. Support at Home caps care management at exactly 10% of the quarterly budget.

For a Classification 4 quarterly budget of ~$7,617, the care management deduction is $762. The remaining $6,855 must go entirely toward direct care services. Care management covers care plan development, regular reviews, My Aged Care reporting, and coordination of services.

Any provider charging more than 10%, or adding separate administrative surcharges on top, is violating the program rules. Report this to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

Lifetime Contribution Caps

To prevent unlimited financial exposure, the government imposes lifetime caps on total non-clinical co-contributions:

• New participants (entered from 1 November 2025): ~$137,917 lifetime cap
• Grandfathered participants (pre-12 September 2024): ~$86,185 lifetime cap

Once the cap is reached, co-contributions for independence and everyday living supports drop to zero. Clinical care was already at zero. These caps are indexed biannually and apply across all aged care services (home care and residential combined).

What About the October 2026 Change?

Currently, personal care (showering, dressing, grooming) sits in the "independence supports" band at 5% co-contribution for full pensioners. From 1 October 2026, personal care is scheduled to reclassify as clinical care — moving to 0% co-contribution for all recipients.

This change will reduce out-of-pocket costs for families whose parents receive daily personal care. For a parent receiving 2 hours of personal care per week at $100/hour, the saving is roughly $130 per quarter for full pensioners.

How to Minimise Fees

Submit Form SA456 early. Self-funded retirees and CSHC holders who don't submit their means assessment default to maximum contribution rates.

Maximise clinical services. Clinical care is fully funded. Structuring a care plan to include regular nursing visits, allied health, and medication reviews uses the budget most efficiently.

Watch the quarterly rollover. Unspent budget above $1,000 (or 10% of the quarterly amount) is forfeited. Plan service levels to use the full allocation each quarter.

The Australia Home Care Guide includes a quarterly budget planning worksheet and provider fee comparison tool to help families optimise their care plan spending.

See more Australia guides →