Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) reforms

What's new

CHSP and the Aged Care Act 2024

The Aged Care Act 2024 started on 1 November 2025 which means there are changes for CHSP clients and providers.

Action required by unassessed clients

To keep accessing government funded aged care services from 1 November 2025, all CHSP clients:

• must be registered with My Aged Care
• have an aged care assessment.

We encourage clients to check if you’ve been assessed for aged care before. If you have, you don’t need to take any action. You will continue receiving services without disruption.

Existing clients who aren’t sure or haven’t had an assessment before should contact their CHSP provider as soon as possible to check. You will need to request an assessment through My Aged Care to continue accessing services.

You can also contact My Aged Care.

New age limits

From 1 November 2025, the Act limits entry to funded aged care services to people with care needs who are:

• aged 65 years or over
• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and aged 50 years or over
• homeless or at risk of homelessness and aged 50 years or over
• existing clients who were approved for aged care before 1 November 2025.

People aged 45 to 49 who already get services through CHSP can keep getting these services if they were assessed before 1 November 2025.

To meet their obligations under the Act, from 1 November 2025 providers can only deliver government funded CHSP services to clients who are registered and have been assessed for aged care.

Find more information about the Act changes for CHSP:

• letter to CHSP providers
• fact sheet for CHSP providers
• fact sheet for CHSP clients.

CHSP 2025–27 funding extension

The CHSP has been extended from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2027. 

Providers cannot roll over any unspent funds or any other funds related to their 2024–25 grant agreement into 2025–27.

The CHSP 2025–27 Manual

The CHSP 2025-27 Manual provides an overview of the program, provider responsibilities, funding and program changes from 1 November 2025 under the Act.

A summary of changes document outlines the key changes to the Manual and Appendices.

Appendix H also provides a guide for CHSP providers on program changes under the Act.

See the CHSP 2025–27 Manual which came into effect from 1 November 2025.

Service mapping guidance and DEX reporting changes – Stage 1

Due to the staged implementation of systems in support of the Act, the client assessment and My Aged Care referrals will continue to refer to the old (pre-1 July 2025) service list. In contrast, the new CHSP service list has been implemented in the Data Exchange (DEX) for monthly reporting.

When receiving referrals and communicating with clients, CHSP providers will need to map services from the old to the new list for the 4 month period from 1 July to 1 November 2025. 

A fact sheet has been developed to assist providers with their service list mapping and should be read in conjunction with the DEX guidance materials and CHSP service catalogue 2025–27.

From 1 July 2025: Data Exchange (DEX) reporting requirements changed to ensure services align to the new CHSP service list and improve visibility of services being accessed by clients.

DEX changes will occur in 2 stages

Stage 1: Reporting has been aligned with the new service list from, 1 July 2025.

Stage 2: Reporting of service type at a more granular level will occur within the 2025-26 financial year.

For further information see the DEX Stage 1 provider toolkit (service list changes) and the DEX Data Dictionary. See the DEX Stage 2 provider toolkit for more guidance on the My Aged Care ID reporting requirements.

Aged care reforms

The reforms change in-home aged care through:

• a new Aged Care Act, which commenced on 1 November 2025 including the CHSP
• the Support at Home program, replaced the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program and Short-Term Restorative Care (STRC) Programme on 1 November 2025.
• the Single Assessment System, which helps older people more easily access aged care and adapt services as their needs change.

The CHSP will transition to Support at Home no earlier than July 2027.

Changes to the CHSP

From 1 November 2025, the Act:

• regulate CHSP providers the same way as other aged care programs
• standardises the CHSP service list which will means new service type names and descriptions.

We will support changes to the CHSP under the new Aged Care Act on 1 November 2025 and transition to Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.

We have developed a fact sheet for clients and a letter and fact sheet for providers explaining the changes to the CHSP from 1 November 2025 and what you need to do to maintain your services. 

We held a provider webinar on 13 March 2025 and frequently asked questions and answers are available.

We also held a sector readiness webinar on 12 June 2025 and the slides and recording are now available. A frequently asked questions and answers guidance document is also available.

We also conducted a survey with CHSP providers in November 2024 to seek feedback on proposed changes.

For more information about changes to CHSP, see:

• CHSP 2025-27 extension – provider update June 2025
• CHSP 2025-27 extension – provider update May 2025
• The new regulatory model – Guidance for CHSP providers
• CHSP 2025-27 extension – provider update December 2024
• Proposed changes to CHSP service list from 1 July 2025 – Fact sheet
• CHSP 2025–27 service catalogue
• Proposed changes to CHSP Data Exchange from 1 July 2025 – Fact sheet.

CHSP Service Agreements, Provision of Information and Care Services Plan guidance documents

The Service Agreement between CHSP providers and clients brings together important requirements of the current CHSP and the new Act requirements in one place. 

We have developed the following guidance material to support CHSP providers:

• Service Agreement template and user guide
• Provision of Information checklist and user guide
• Care and Services checklist.

CHSP services come under the Aged Care Act

Under the Act, CHSP clients must be assessed as eligible for the CHSP through an aged care assessment to receive government-subsidised CHSP services.

The vast majority of CHSP clients have been transitioned under the Act because they have previously been assessed as eligible for the CHSP.

CHSP providers should only be providing CHSP services to people who have been assessed as eligible to receive those services. This includes clients who were grandfathered under the CHSP from previous programs.

Grandfathered CHSP clients are not exempt from having an aged care assessment and must do so (if they have not already applied for an assessment) to continue to receive CHSP services.

For more information, please read:

• CHSP client transition letter for providers
• CHSP client transition provider fact sheet 
• Letter template for unassessed CHSP clients.

Sector Support and Development (SSD) consultation schedule

We will consult with in-home aged care providers and aged care sector peak bodies to design a new in-home aged care sector support system, not just for the CHSP. 

This will:

• support capacity building
• better enable the carer workforce and volunteers
• have more structured funding for peak bodies and sponsorship arrangements.

Contact