Classifications for ongoing services
Each participant receives one of 8 funding classifications for ongoing services. Their classification is determined in their aged care assessment.
You will work with participants to spend this amount on care and services in the Support at Home service list, according to their assessed needs.
The table below outlines the funding amounts for each ongoing service classification and include 10% allocated for care management. The quarterly budgets and annual amounts are effective from 1 November 2025 and are subject to change in July each year in line with indexation.
| Classification | Quarterly budget | Annual amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,682.75 | $10,731.00 |
| 2 | $4,008.61 | $16,034.45 |
| 3 | $5,491.43 | $21,965.70 |
| 4 | $7,424.10 | $29,696.40 |
| 5 | $9,924.35 | $39,697.40 |
| 6 | $12,028.58 | $48,114.30 |
| 7 | $14,537.04 | $58,148.15 |
| 8 | $19,526.59 | $78,106.35 |
View the current funding amounts in the Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements.
Managing the quarterly budget
Budgets are allocated quarterly. Participants can carry over unspent funds up to $1,000 or 10% (whichever is greater) to the next quarter.
If a participant's existing budget cannot meet their needs, they may need to be reassessed to receive a higher classification and budget. You should consider how they can optimise existing funding or services to best meet participant needs.
You can enter into a private agreement with a participant for additional services, outside their budget. Participants will pay for the total cost of these extra services.
Learn more about individualised budgets.
Funding for transitioned HCP care recipients
Participants who transitioned from the Home Care Packages (HCP) Program received a funding level for ongoing services that’s equivalent to their previous funding.
Older people assessed as eligible for a HCP as of 31 October 2025 were transitioned to the Support at Home Priority System. When a place becomes available, these participants will receive an ongoing funding level equivalent to their approved HCP.
These participants will be approved for a Support at Home classification if they are reassessed for a higher classification.
The table below outlines the quarterly and annual amounts for transitioned HCP care recipients (current as of 1 November 2025).
| HCP classification | Support at Home classification | Support at Home quarterly budget | Support at Home annual amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCP Level 1 | Transitioned HCP Level 1 | $2,746.63 | $10,986.50 |
| HCP Level 2 | Transitioned HCP Level 2 | $4,829.86 | $19,319.45 |
| HCP Level 3 | Transitioned HCP Level 3 | $10,513.83 | $42,055.30 |
| HCP Level 4 | Transitioned HCP Level 4 | $15,939.55 | $63,758.20 |
These funding amounts are indexed on 1 July each year.
View the current funding amounts in the Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements.
Unspent HCP funds
Transitioned HCP care recipients retained their unspent funds to use in Support at Home for:
- accessing assistive technology and home modifications
- extra services, once they spend their entire quarterly budget.
No carryover limit applies to unspent HCP funds. These funds will be transferred if a participant changes to a new provider.
Find out how to manage the different types of unspent HCP funds.
Short-term services
Different funding amounts and classifications apply for participants accessing short term pathways:
- Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme has separate needs-based funding for 12 months (in most instances):
- Low - $500
- Medium - $2,000
- High - $15,000 (or more in some cases).
- Restorative Care Pathway funding of around $6,000 for up to 16 weeks.
- End-of-Life Pathway funding of around $25,000 for 12 weeks.
Care management funding
For ongoing services, 10% is deducted from each participant’s quarterly budget to fund care management activities. The care management supplement funds additional support for specific participant groups.
For Restorative Care Pathway and End-of-Life Pathway, you claim care management against the relevant funding account.
For more information about funding for care management.
Interim access to funding
To ensure participants aren’t waiting longer than necessary for Support at Home funding, they may be assigned interim funding. Decisions to allocate full or interim funding will depend on demand compared to available funding.
Interim funding is 60% of their total funding classification, to allow participants to access critical services. They are allocated their remaining funding when it becomes available – this amount is not backdated.
When a participant receives interim funding, they can find a provider and enter into a service agreement. You will need to work with the participant to prioritise services within their interim budget, while they wait for the remaining funding to be available.
Interim funding does not apply to the End-of-Life Pathway or Restorative Care Pathway.
For more information about interim funding, refer to Chapter 6 of the Support at Home program manual.
How we pay providers
You can claim a payment for a service after you have delivered it.
Services Australia holds government funding accounts and amounts on behalf of the participant. Services Australia will validate the claim before processing the payment.
For more information on provider payment arrangements.
Pooled funding trial
We will run a pooled funding trial in the first half of 2026.
Pooled funding allows participants to combine part of their ongoing budgets to access services on a more flexible or as-needed basis, similar to a subscription model.
The trial will test how pooled funding could benefit participants living in a:
- group setting (e.g., retirement village)
- close-knit community with shared cultural background
- small rural town or remote community with a small number of providers.
For example, participants in a retirement village could pool funds to access 24/7 nursing support, rather than arranging separate nursing services.
We will provide more information to the sector and invite Support at Home providers to apply to participate in the trial shortly.
To help us design the trial, we are running online workshops with Support at Home providers from 2-3pm (AEDT) on 10, 11 and 13 November 2025.
Register your interest by 5pm (AEDT) 5 November to attend a workshop or provide written feedback on the trial design.
Resources for participants
To help participants understand how Support at Home funding works, you can share:
- Support at Home funding allocation fact sheet for participants
- Classification and budgets fact sheet for participants
- Classification and funding fact sheet for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Find out more
Read Support at Home program manual:
- Chapter 6 (assessment and access to Support at Home services)
- Chapter 9 (participant budget and contributions).
- Chapter 13 (Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme).