What the New Support At Home Changes Mean for Existing Recipients

Please note: The new Support at Home program has been deferred by the Australian Government and is now scheduled to commence on 1 November 2025. The information is current at the time of publication, based on the most recent government updates. Please note that further details or changes may be announced in the coming months. 

From 1 July 2025, the Australian Government will begin transitioning existing recipients of the Home Care Package (HCP) program to the new Support At Home program. The new Support at Home program aims to provide better funding support and greater accessibility for older Australians to receive care services tailored to their needs.

If you are currently on an HCP or are awaiting funding for an approved home care package, here’s what you need to know about how the new Support At Home changes will affect you. 

How will existing HCP recipients transition over to the Support At Home program?

All existing Home Care Package recipients will automatically transition into the Support At Home program by 1 November 2025. No separate application process or additional assessment is required. 

Older Australians on the National Priority System will also be automatically transitioned into the Support At Home program once funding becomes available. These are individuals who have been approved for a home care package but have not yet started receiving funding. 

What if your home care needs have changed?

If your current home package no longer meets your home care needs, you can apply for a reassessment under the Support At Home program from 1 July 2025. Under the Support At Home program, participants will be assigned one of eight funding levels and additional short-term care pathways (if applicable). 

The Support At Home uses the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) to determine the home care needs of participants and tailor a support plan and services to address these needs. 

Considerations during the Support At Home transition

• Wait times

There will be a wait time for Home Care Package recipients who transition to Support at Home funding. Wait times will vary based on the assigned priority rating of the participant (Urgent, High, Medium, Standard). To ensure that participants can start accessing home care services sooner, 60% of the approved budget will be available for use when wait times exceed expectations. The remaining 40% will be allocated when funding becomes available. 

• Unchanged level of funding 

HCP recipients will receive the same amount of funding under the Support At Home program as in their existing HCP funding allocation. This ensures that existing recipients can continue to access the same level of care services. 

• Retaining unspent HCP funds

If recipients have any unspent HCP funds by the time of transition (currently set to be 1 November 2025), it can be retained for future use. HCP funds carried over into the Support At Home program will not expire and can be used to access additional services once the quarterly budget has been exhausted.

• New budget allocation

Support At Home funding will be divided into 4 budgets that each cover 3 months of the year. Participants who do not spend the entire budget can carry over $1,000 or 10% of each quarterly budget (whichever is higher) to the next 3-month period. This provides greater flexibility to meet unplanned needs. 

• No contributions required for clinical supports

Existing HCP recipients will no longer be required to make any contributions under the new Support At Home program when accessing clinical support services, such as nursing, physiotherapy, counselling services, and the prescription of nutritional products related to medical conditions. 

• Contributions are based on services accessed

Under the HCP, funding was used to cover all of the costs for the services at the approved level of care. Changes in the Support At Home program mean that participants will only make contributions for services received, providing more flexibility in how the budget can be used. The amount of Support At Home contributions participants need to make will depend on the level of pension support and the type of home care service. 

• No worse off guarantee for contributions

Changes to the way contributions work under the Support At Home program include a no-worse-off guarantee for existing HCP recipients. This means that participants will never need to contribute more than previously—only at the same level or less. 

At Respect, we recognise that the changes introduced by the Support At Home program can be overwhelming for home care recipients. If you or a loved one is an existing HCP recipient looking to understand how home care will change during this transition, get in touch with us. We can answer any questions you have about the Support At Home program and guide you with easy-to-follow next steps for accessing home care in Sydney, Victoria, and Tasmania.

Navigating the Change

Do you have questions about the Support at Home program? Do you need help navigating the upcoming changes? We know this is a big shift, and we’re here to help. Please reach out so we can assist you and your family with your questions, as well as with getting on the national priority system queue (only applicable for new clients) before the changes are here.

Here’s what you can do next:

Email us on gethomecare@respect.com.au

Call us on 1300 144 144 (option 2, then 1)

Book a free Support at Home consultation

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