Services excluded under Home Care Packages Program

You cannot use Home Care Packages to fund services and items that everyone – regardless of age – needs and pays for with general income. See what services are excluded and how to advise care recipients.

What Home Care Packages fund

In line with the intent of the program, Home Care Packages can only fund services, supports or items that meet assessed ageing-related care needs.

As the provider, you are responsible for understanding what items and services the Home Care Packages Program funds and doesn’t fund. These are listed in the: 

Read about what services are included under the Home Care Packages Program.

Services you cannot provide

You cannot use Home Care Package funding to pay for:

  • items that would usually be paid for with general income, such as household bills, other basic living expenses and insurances
  • food, unless it is part of enteral feeding needs
  • permanent accommodation costs, such as mortgage payments or rent
  • Home Care Package fees
  • home modifications or capital items that do not relate to care needs
  • travel or accommodation for holidays
  • entertainment, such as club memberships, tickets to sporting events, apps, subscriptions and hobbies
  • gambling
  • services or items covered by Medicare or the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, including over-the-counter medications
  • fees or charges for other types of care that the Australian Government fully or partly funds.

Additionally, all items and services in a care recipient’s individualised budget must benefit the care recipient. They must not be for the use of family members or carers. 

Exceptions

Exceptions can be made if the item, service or support:

  • will meet a care recipient’s assessed ageing-related care needs
  • cannot be funded under another government-subsidised program, including state and territory schemes.

For more information, see part 9 of Home Care Packages Program Operational Manual.

Guidance for care recipients

You should work with your care recipients to ensure funding:

  • is used appropriately and transparently
  • does not cover excluded items or services. 

To help your care recipients understand the types of services they can access, provide them a copy of:

Learn more

Read more about excluded services in:

Date last updated:

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