Aged Care Online

What is Support at Home?

on Monday, July 21, 2025

The Australian Government's new Support at Home program is a major reform to aged care, replacing the Home Care Packages (HCP) and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) programs starting on November 1 2025. It aims to streamline aged care, making it simpler, fairer, rights-based, and centered around keeping older Australians healthy, independent, and socially connected in their own homes and communities.


Key Features and Benefits
  • One unified program: From November 1 2025, Home Care Packages and STRC will merge into Support at Home. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) will follow by mid-2027. 
  • More consistent assessments: A Single Assessment System ensures fairer and more transparent funding, categorising needs into eight levels that tie to specific budgets.
  • Clearer pricing: Clinical care will be free, while other services may require income-based contributions, with provider-set prices in the first year and government price caps introduced from 1 July 2026.
  • Lifetime contribution caps: A lifetime cap on non-clinical care (like cleaning or personal support) ensures no one pays more than $130,000 overall. This protects against runaway costs.
  • Tailored pathways: The Restorative Care pathway supports short-term rehabilitation, while the End-of-Life Care pathway offers specialised hospice-style services.
  • Tech & home modifications: The program includes an Assistive Technology & Home Modifications scheme, helping with equipment and home alterations based on assessed needs. 
What You Should Know and Do
  • Expect contact from your provider: Before 1 Nov 2025, they’ll review your care plan and pricing. You’ll sign a Service Agreement - you have the right to query or decline if uncomfortable.
  • Explore the resources: Fact sheets, webinars, user guides, pricing FAQs, program manuals and video briefings are available on the My Aged Care and the Department of Health websites.
  • Plan for price caps: Over the next 12 months, discuss how your pricing might adjust, and how the shift to capped pricing in 2026 could benefit you.
Why This Matters
  • Simpler system, clearer support: A single program means it's easier to access and manage care.
  • Financial peace of mind: Caps, price oversight, and transparent assessments reduce cost surprises.
  • Choosing what you need: With clear service categories, there’s greater autonomy in selecting care services.
  • Rights at the core: The reform embeds respect, choice, and dignity into aged care.

Support at Home is a landmark reform, one of the biggest shifts in aged care in decades. For those living at home, it promises clearer paths to support and better financial protections.

If you or a loved one receives home care services, start preparing today:

  • Talk with your current home care provider about the upcoming changes
  • Read through the available fact sheets
  • Pay attention to pricing consultations over the next year
With the transformation set to take effect on November 1 2025. it's a great time to get informed, so you can stay safe and supported at home.  

Do you need help finding home care now?

Confident choices start with our Home Care Shortlist. Take the stress out of finding support - our Home Care Shortlist makes it easy to connect with trusted providers near you. Just tell us what you need and we’ll match you with qualified local providers - saving you hours of calls and confusion.

Click here to get your FREE shortlist