Support at Home Fees and Costs:

How much does Support at Home cost? It’s one of the first questions families across Melbourne and Victoria ask us, and it’s a fair one. Inviting care into your home is a big decision, and Support at Home fees shouldn’t be a mystery on top of everything else. 

Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages, and it brought a new way of working out costs. Some services are fully funded. Others ask for a contribution, depending on the type of service and your pension status. There are also new rules about unspent funds. 

This guide walks you through how fees work when you choose Chris Barnard Health as your Support at Home provider. We’ll cover how your budget is set, what care management pays for, the latest Support at Home contribution rates, and how to read your monthly statement. 

How your Support at Home budget and classification work 

Support at Home is an Australian Government program that helps older people stay independent and live safely in their own homes. It starts with an independent assessment of your care needs. That assessment decides which services you can receive and the level of funding you’re given. 

To be eligible, you need to be 65 or over (50 or over for First Nations people) and need coordinated services to stay at home. Younger people with a disability, dementia or other care needs not met through other specialist services may also be eligible. 

Your funding arrives every three months as a quarterly budget. Your Care Partner works with you to plan how it’s spent, so it covers the services that matter most to you. Each month you’ll receive a statement showing the funding received, the services delivered, any contributions and the remaining balance. 

Waiting for funding, or want more than your budget covers? You can still use our services by paying for privately funded services or top up your funded services yourself. 

Support at Home care management fees: 10% of your quarterly budget 

For everyone receiving ongoing services, 10% of each quarterly budget goes towards care management. It’s paid directly to your provider and comes out of your budget, not your pocket. 

At Chris Barnard Health, care management pairs you with a dedicated Care Partner. They get to know your goals, build your personalised care plan and budget, and check in with you at least once a month. They also coordinate your services, review your plan as your needs change, and support you through hospital stays or other transitions. 

Your Care Partner is also your advocate with My Aged Care. If your needs increase, they can arrange a reassessment on your behalf. If that reassessment places you at a higher Support at Home classification, you receive a higher level of funding, so you can access more of the care you need. 

As at 1 April 2026, care management works out to: 

Support at Home classification	Care management per quarter
1	$268
2	$401
3	$549
4	$742
5	$992
6	$1,203
7	$1,454
8	$1,953

If you moved across from a Home Care Package on a transitional level, it’s $273 (Level 1), $481 (Level 2), $1,046 (Level 3) or $1,586 (Level 4) per quarter. 

Support at Home contribution rates: what you’ll pay 

Under Support at Home, most people contribute towards some of their services. How much depends on two things: the type of service, and your pension status. 

Services fall into three groups: 

• Clinical care: nursing, allied health such as physiotherapy, podiatry and occupational therapy, nutrition support and, from 1 October 2026, personal care such as showering, dressing and continence support. These are 100% government funded, with no contribution for anyone. 

• Independence: social and community support, transport, respite and therapeutic services. 

• Everyday living: help around the home, such as cleaning, laundry, shopping, meals, gardening and minor home maintenance. 

These are the standard contribution rates from 1 November 2025: 

Pension status	Clinical care	Independence	Everyday living
Full pensioner	0%	5%	17.5%
Part pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder	0%	5%–50%, depending on income and assets	17.5%–80%, depending on income and assets
Self-funded retiree	0%	50%	80%

Good news about personal care. From 1 October 2026, personal care moved from the Independence group into Clinical care. That means you no longer pay a contribution for approved personal care delivered on or after that date. It’s still funded from your Support at Home budget, and it still needs to be approved in your support plan. Contributions for personal care delivered before 1 October 2026 still apply and won’t be refunded. 

Services Australia works out your exact rate from your income assessment. It isn’t something your provider sets, so it can’t be negotiated. Contributions are means-tested and capped annually, so there’s a limit to what you’ll pay in a year. 

Contributions are invoiced separately from your monthly statement, and they can’t be paid from your Support at Home funding. 

If you were on a Home Care Package 

If you were already on a Home Care Package, or approved for one before 12 September 2024, there’s good news. You’ll only pay contributions under Support at Home if you were already paying an income-tested fee under the old program. 

If you saved unspent funds under your Home Care Package, those funds aren’t lost. If you ever change providers, they transfer with you, though the transfer can take up to 70 days. 

Reading your monthly statement 

Each month we send you a statement showing exactly where your funding has gone. The first thing to know is that it’s not a bill. If you need to pay a contribution, you’ll receive a separate invoice. 

Here’s an example of how one month might look for a full pensioner: 

Service	Cost	Government pays	You pay
Physiotherapy (2 sessions)	$360.00	$360.00	$0.00
General house cleaning	$198.00	$163.35	$34.65
Care management	$236.25	From its own budget line	$0.00

Physiotherapy is clinical care, so the government covers it in full. House cleaning is an everyday living service, so this client pays 17.5%, the full pensioner rate. Care management comes from the 10% set aside in the quarterly budget. If this client also received approved personal care from 1 October 2026, it would show $0.00 in the “You pay” column too. 

The statement also shows your opening balance, what was spent and your closing balance. In this example, the client started the month with $1,943.59, spent $558.00 on services and finished with $1,385.59 left to use. 

Use it or lose it 

Under Home Care Packages, unspent money stayed in your account and could build up over time. Support at Home works differently. Your budget is designed to meet your needs now, not to be saved for later. 

At the end of each quarter, you can carry over $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is higher. Anything above that goes back to the government. This is what people mean by the “use it or lose it” rule. 

The good news is that you no longer need to save for big items like walkers or home modifications. They’re now covered by a separate pool of funding called the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme. 

How AT-HM funding works: 

• It’s separate from your quarterly budget. Equipment and home changes don’t reduce the money available for your everyday care. 

• It covers two types of support. Assistive technology includes items like walkers, shower chairs and mobility aids. Home modifications include changes like grab rails, ramps and accessible bathrooms. You can be approved for one or both. 

• It’s approved through your aged care assessment. Your support plan will show your approved funding tier: low, medium or high. The tiers are $500, $2,000 and $15,000, and assistive technology funding can go above $15,000 if your assessed needs require it. 

• Funding is usually available for 12 months. Your provider arranges and sources the items or modifications for you. 

• Contributions apply. Your usual Support at Home contribution rates apply to AT-HM items. 

If you think you need equipment or home modifications, talk to your Care Partner. They can help you request an assessment and, once approved, organise everything from quotes to installation. 

To make the most of your budget, stay in touch with your Care Partner. Together you might: 

• add services such as cleaning, meal preparation, social support or transport 

• book allied health appointments, like physiotherapy, podiatry or occupational therapy 

• review your care plan if you regularly have money left over, since a different mix of services may suit you better 

What funding doesn’t cover 

Support at Home funding is for care and support, so it can’t be used for everything. It doesn’t cover: 

• everyday expenses you’d normally pay from your income, including household bills, heating and cooling 

• food, except as part of enteral (tube) feeding 

• rent, mortgage payments or other housing costs 

• home changes that add value to your property but aren’t related to your care, safety or independence 

• holidays, entertainment, club memberships or gambling 

• blinds, bedding and linen (unless the linen is for incontinence) 

• services covered by Medicare or the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme 

• residential respite, or your Support at Home fees 

If there’s something you’d like that funding won’t cover, talk to your Care Partner. We can help you decide what matters most, or you can pay privately for extra support. 

Looking ahead: your contributions count later too 

Many people don’t realise that what they pay now can reduce what they pay later. 

If you move into an aged care home in the future, you may be asked for a non-clinical care contribution. It covers things like help with bathing, mobility and lifestyle activities. That contribution has a lifetime cap: you stop paying once you reach $137,917.01 in total, or after four years of contributions, whichever comes first. 

The contributions you pay under Support at Home count towards that same lifetime cap. So every dollar you contribute while living at home brings you closer to the point where those care contributions stop. 

Why families across Melbourne choose Chris Barnard Health 

Understanding Support at Home fees is one part of choosing a provider. The other is knowing who’ll be coming into your home. 

Our own in-house care workforce. We have one of the largest in-house care workforces in Victoria. The people who care for you are trained, supported and guided directly by us, not agency staff who come and go. That means familiar faces and consistent care for every dollar of your budget. 

A dedicated Care Partner from day one. Your Care Partner builds your care plan and budget with you, checks in at least once a month, and helps you make the most of your funding. If your needs change, they advocate for you with My Aged Care and can arrange a reassessment for higher funding. In your first month, you’ll also receive a comprehensive nursing assessment. 

Statements that are easy to understand. Each month you’ll get a clear statement showing your budget, what was spent, and what the government paid versus what you contributed. We’ve made our statements simpler on purpose. We’re not trying to trip you up or make aged care any more confusing than it already is. 

Help making the most of every quarter. With the “use it or lose it” rule, unspent funds above the carryover limit go back to the government. Your Care Partner keeps an eye on your budget and suggests ways to use it before the quarter ends, such as extra cleaning, meal preparation, allied health appointments or a review of your care plan. 

Support at Home costs: frequently asked questions 

How much does Support at Home cost? 
 
Clinical care, such as nursing, physiotherapy and, from 1 October 2026, personal care, costs nothing. For independence and everyday living services, you contribute a percentage set by Services Australia. That ranges from 5% and 17.5% for full pensioners up to 50% and 80% for self-funded retirees. Care management comes from your budget, not your pocket. 

Can I get more funding if my needs change? 
 
Yes. Your Care Partner can advocate for you with My Aged Care and arrange a reassessment. If you’re reassessed at a higher classification, your funding increases. 

Do I pay for personal care? 
 
Not from 1 October 2026. Approved personal care, such as help with showering and dressing, is now part of Clinical care, so there’s no contribution. 

Can I negotiate my client contribution? 
 
No. Services Australia sets it from your income assessment. It’s means-tested and capped annually. 

Are home care costs different from aged care home costs? 
 
Yes. Aged care homes have their own fees, such as a basic daily fee and accommodation costs. But your Support at Home contributions count towards the lifetime cap on non-clinical care contributions if you later move into a home. 

What happens to unspent funds? 
 
You can carry over $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is higher. The rest returns to the government. 

Can I get support while I wait for funding? 
 
Yes. You can pay privately for our Support at Home services while you wait, or to top up your funded services. 

Questions about your costs? 

Every situation is different, and Services Australia can give you a personalised assessment of your contribution. As a Support at Home provider in Melbourne, our team is always happy to talk you through your budget, your statement or your options. 

Call us on 1300 602 469, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or email homecare@chrisbarnardhealth.com. 

By Natasha Stagler
Marketing Coordinator