Australia's in-home aged care system looks different in 2026. Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. While the Commonwealth Home Support Program will continue to operate until at least 1 July 2027, it will also be integrated into Support at Home. This guide walks through both programs.
If you've been following the changes to aged care in Australia, you've probably heard two program names a lot: the Commonwealth Home Support Program and Support at Home. They sound similar, they sit under the same My Aged Care front door, but they aren't the same thing.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has been clear that this is a deliberate, staged transition. The Commonwealth Home Support Program will continue to run until at least mid-2027, so providers and clients have time to adjust before it folds into Support at Home. For now, that means both programs sit alongside each other under the same My Aged Care front door.
Two programs, one goal: helping you stay at home
The Commonwealth Home Support Program is the older and lighter of the two. It's designed for entry-level support: a few hours a week of help with the things that keep someone living comfortably at home.
Support at Home is the broader, ongoing program that replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care on 1 November 2025. It's where the bulk of in-home aged care now sits, and where most new clients will be assessed. You can read more about how Just Better Care delivers Support at Home across our network of locally owned and operated offices.
Related reading
The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) in 2026
Around 800,000 older Australians use the Commonwealth Home Support Program each year. It hasn't gone anywhere, and for now, very little has changed.
What is CHSP?
The Commonwealth Home Support Program is a government-funded entry-level support program for older Australians who need a bit of help to keep living independently at home. It's funded directly to providers in blocks rather than allocated to individual budgets, and clients pay a subsidised hourly fee for the services they use.
What can you get with CHSP?
Services available through the CHSP program cover most of what an older Australian might need to keep daily life ticking along:
- Domestic assistance: cleaning, laundry and shopping
- Personal care: help with showering, dressing and grooming
- Social support: both individual and group
- Transport: to appointments, shopping and community activities
- Meals: through Meals on Wheels and similar local services
- Home maintenance and minor modifications
- Allied health: physiotherapy, podiatry and other services
- Respite care: short-term breaks for family carers
Who is CHSP for?
The program suits people who need a small, flexible mix of supports. Typically, a few hours per week. Many older Australians stay on it for years before their needs change.
How do I get CHSP?
If you’re an older person who wants to access government-funded help at home, you need to apply for an assessment on the My Aged Care website or call the My Aged Care contact centre.
Related link
Preparing for an ACAT assessment →Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages
What is Support at Home and why did it change?
Support at Home was designed in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which identified the previous Home Care Package system as too slow, too rigid and too hard to navigate. The new program brings everything into one streamlined model and aims to give older Australians more choice and clearer pricing.
How does Support at Home funding work?
Funding under Support at Home looks different from the old Home Care Packages:
- Eight classification levels replace the previous four Home Care Package levels — from around $11,000 a year at level 1 to around $78,000 a year at level 8.
- Quarterly budgets are paid in July, October, January and April rather than as a lump sum.
- Roll-over of unspent funds is allowed up to $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget, whichever is greater. Anything beyond that is surrendered.
- Three service categories now structure your support: clinical care, independence support and everyday living.
- Co-contributions you may be asked to contribute up to 85% towards some services, depending on your financial circumstances. Clinical services are generally government-funded. You only pay for the services you receive. There are no upfront package fees or savings required.
- Care management is included. 10% Of each quarterly budget is allocated to it, so you have a dedicated person coordinating your services.
Key 2026 changes to know
If you're on Support at Home (or about to be), there are two big dates worth keeping in mind:
- 1 July 2026 — It is planned to introduce a service price cap across the Support at Home-defined list of services. This means the cost of care per hour cannot exceed the price cap
- October 2026 — showering, dressing and continence care transitions to the Clinical Care category; this category typically does not attract a participant contribution.
Our service
How Just Better Care delivers Support at Home
See how we handle quarterly budgets, care management and the day-to-day delivery of your services across our locally owned and operated offices.
Visit our Support at Home page →Side-by-side: how the two programs compare
Here's the comparison most people are looking for, in one place.
| Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) | Support at Home (SAH) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Entry-level, lower-intensity in-home aged care support | Australia's in-home aged care program for both short-term pathways and ongoing services |
| Status in 2026 | Continues until at least 30 June 2027 | Live since 1 November 2025 |
| Funding model | Block funding to providers; subsidised hourly fees for clients | Eight individual classification levels with quarterly budgets and short-term pathways. |
| Service categories | Single service list (domestic, personal care, transport, meals and more) | Clinical care, independence support, and everyday living |
| Care management | Light-touch coordination | Dedicated care management, which is 10% of a participant's quarterly budget |
| Eligibility | 65+ (50+ for First Nations people) via My Aged Care | 65+ (50+ for First Nations people) via My Aged Care |
| Price caps | Hourly fee structure set by the program | Capped service pricing from 1 July 2026 |
| Best suited to | Eligible participants who are assessed as requiring basic supports to stay independent | Eligible participants who are assessed as needing ongoing and higher-need in-home care. |
How do I access either CHSP or Support at Home?
You cannot choose which program you recieve. Based on your assessed needs, you will receive a notice of determination indicating your funding level and the program. At this time, you would need to choose a provider
Get Started with a My Aged Care ACAT Assessment
Start with a My Aged Care assessment on 1800 200 422 or at myagedcare.gov.au. Your assessor will determine which program is the right fit, and at what level.
How to Prepare for your MyAgedCare Assessment → Understanding the My Aged Care ACAT Assessment →What if I need care right away?
In most cases, your best alternative is private (self-funded) care. This is a direct relationship between you and your local Just Better Care office. You can recieve private support whilst you wait for support at home, as a top-up to your existing support or support that is not covered in your plan.
What this means for older Australians and their families
On the whole, Support at Home is designed to give older Australians more flexibility, greater price transparency, and clearer pathways. The granular eight-level structure better matches funding to actual needs. Quarterly budgets and rollover rules give clients and providers more room to plan.
What hasn't changed
What hasn't changed is the underlying purpose: helping older Australians stay at home and do the things they love, with the right level of support around them. That's what Just Better Care has done for more than 20 years: on Home Care Packages, on the Commonwealth Home Support Program, and now on Support at Home.
How Just Better Care supports you in either program
Whichever program you're on, the locally owned and operated Just Better Care offices across Australia are set up to support you:
- Locally based teams. Your support workers are recruited, trained and managed by your local office, so you see consistent, familiar faces.
- Person-centred care planning. Just Better Care team members work with you to build a care plan that focuses on your goals, not just your needs.
- Specialised dementia support is available across the network for clients living with dementia, or supporting a loved one who is. See our specialised dementia support page for details.
- Private home care is available if you aren't eligible for government funding, or if you'd like to top up your funded hours. See private home care for the options.
- Help with the paperwork. A Just Better Care team member can walk you through the My Aged Care assessment process, your quarterly budgets, and any choices you need to make about service mix.
Related Reading
Home Care Packages Are Now Support at Home: What You Need to Know
A plain-language guide for anyone moving across from a Home Care Package, including how the eight new classifications work and what stays the same.
Support at Home Program Australia: Aged Care Changes 2025
An overview of the Support at Home program — what it is, who it's for, and how it differs from the Home Care Package model it replaced on 1 November 2025.
Support at Home: 10 Frequently Asked Questions
Quarterly budgets, the no-worse-off rule, the AT-HM scheme and how the Commonwealth Home Support Program transition will work, all in plain English.
Government-Funded Support at Home vs Private In-Home Care
A side-by-side look at funded aged care versus self-funded private support, and how the two pathways can sit alongside each other.
What Is Care Management Under Support at Home?
How the 10 per cent care management allocation works in practice, what your care partner does, and how reviews are coordinated within your quarterly budget.
Wellness and Reablement in Home Care: What It Means for Older Australians
How the wellness and reablement approach is delivered under both the Commonwealth Home Support Program and Support at Home, and what the national data shows.
