From 1 October 2026, Australia’s Support at Home program will fully fund approved personal care with no participant contribution, so eligible older Australians can receive personal care support at home without out-of-pocket costs as long as the service is approved and fits within their Support at Home budget. Support at Home subsidy rates and some supplements will also increase to help fund higher award wages for registered and enrolled aged care nurses.

For older Australians receiving or applying for Support at Home services, and for families and carers helping them plan care, the most immediate change is personal care. If personal care is included in your support plan and you have enough available funding in your Support at Home budget, you will no longer need to make an out-of-pocket contribution for those services from 1 October.

There is an important detail, however. Fully funded does not mean unlimited care, and it does not mean the service sits outside your Support at Home budget. This update also affects how you think about allied health support at home, including Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech Pathology, Exercise Physiology, and Psychology/Counselling, because understanding what is fully funded, what still comes from your budget, and how nursing wage changes affect service delivery can make planning your care much easier while helping you stay safe and independent at home.

Information in this article is current as at September 2026.

What changes to Support at Home on 1 October 2026?

There are two main changes.

The Australian Government confirmed the changes in its 15 September 2026 Support at Home update. The new support at home program replaced the Home Care Packages Program from November 2025. It uses eight ongoing classifications or funding levels instead of the four levels used in Home Care Packages.

Personal care will have no participant contribution from 1 October

This is the change most likely to affect older people directly.

Until 30 September 2026, personal care sits within the Independence contribution category. Depending on a person’s financial circumstances, they may be required to contribute towards the cost of those services, with the home cost shaped by the relevant service category, any need to pay contributions, and pension status; for Independence supports, co-payments can range from 5% to 50%.

From 1 October 2026, personal care moves to the Clinical Supports category for contribution purposes. This means the participant contribution becomes zero. Under Support at Home, you only pay for services you actually receive.

Personal care can include support with everyday activities such as:

• showering and personal hygiene
• dressing
• eating
• non-clinical continence support
• assistance with self-administration of medication.

The change applies automatically. My Aged Care states that participants do not need to apply for the new contribution arrangement.

Does “fully funded” mean personal care is free?

In terms of the participant contribution, yes. From 1 October 2026, an eligible participant will not make an out-of-pocket contribution towards approved personal care.

But there are two conditions.

Personal care must be approved in the person’s Support at Home support plan, and the person must have sufficient available funding in their Support at Home budget.

Personal care still uses the participant’s Support at Home budget. The change removes the participant contribution. It does not create a separate unlimited pool of funding for personal care.

This distinction matters when planning how a quarterly budget is divided between different approved services.

What happens to personal care received before 1 October?

The date the service is delivered matters.

Personal care services delivered before 1 October 2026 remain subject to the contribution arrangements that applied at the time, even if the provider submits the claim after 1 October.

Personal care delivered on or after 1 October 2026 attracts no participant contribution where the service is approved and sufficient Support at Home funding is available.

What is not changing?

The change does not alter what personal care means or who is eligible to receive it.

The Australian Government has confirmed there is no change to the scope of personal care, the activities that can be delivered, workforce roles, qualifications or delivery models. Participants still need to have been assessed and approved for personal care. Support at Home funding classifications run from 1 to 8 based on a person’s care needs and are designed to provide ongoing support over the long term, while these contribution categories remain among the key features of the funding structure.

Other Support at Home contribution categories also continue.

Clinical Supports have a 0% participant contribution, meaning these clinical care services are fully government funded. These include clinical care services such as nursing care and eligible allied health.

Independence services can still attract participant contributions for services other than personal care, including help with everyday tasks.

Everyday Living services, including domestic assistance and gardening, continue to attract participant contributions based on the person’s financial circumstances, as non clinical services and everyday living supports rather than fully funded clinical care.

These are the main categories for ongoing services, separate from short-term pathways in the broader program design.

So, while the personal care change is significant, it does not mean that every Support at Home service becomes contribution-free on 1 October.

What happens to Support at Home nursing funding?

The second change relates to higher award wages for aged care nurses.

Registered and enrolled aged care nurses received an award wage increase from the first full pay period on or after 1 August 2026 following the Fair Work Commission’s Aged Care Work Value Case.

From 1 October 2026, the Australian Government will increase Support at Home subsidy rates and several supplements to help providers meet these increased nursing costs.

The funding increase applies to areas including the Support at Home subsidy rate, Veterans Supplement, Dementia and Cognition Supplement, Oxygen Supplement, Enteral Feeding Supplement, Top-up Supplement and Care Management Supplement.

For participants, there is one particularly important point:

Your Support at Home classification does not change because of the nursing wage funding increase.

Your budget may increase to accommodate the additional nursing cost, but you are not automatically moved to a different Support at Home classification.

Can my provider increase the price of nursing?

A provider may review its nursing prices because of the higher award wages.

If your provider proposes increasing the price of nursing services, My Aged Care states that the provider must discuss the proposed change with you, explain why the increase is required and obtain your agreement before changing the price. Any approved change should also be reflected in your service agreement with registered providers before charges change.

You can ask for more information and take time to consider a proposed change before agreeing.

Support at Home providers are also required to set prices that are reasonable, transparent and all-inclusive, publish commonly charged prices and agree on prices with participants before charging them.

What about allied health under Support at Home?

For older Australians using allied health services, this is an important part of the funding system to understand.

Allied health and other therapeutic services sit within Clinical Supports under the Support at Home service list. Eligible allied health and other clinical care services are government funded under Clinical Supports, with a 0% participant contribution, but they are still subject to the person’s approved funding.

The government’s Support at Home service list includes professions such as Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Exercise Physiologists, Psychologists and Speech Pathologists. The purpose of these services is to help an older person regain or maintain physical, functional or cognitive abilities that support safety and independence at home.

Again, the service must be consistent with the person’s assessed needs, approved services and available funding.

This means the 1 October change does not suddenly make allied health contribution-free. Eligible Clinical Supports were already funded without a participant contribution.

What changes is that personal care now joins them at the 0% participant contribution level, helping provide the right support for a person to remain safe and independent at home.

A simple example of how the changes work

Consider an older person who has a Support at Home plan that approves:

Personal care for help showering and dressing, Physiotherapy to improve balance and reduce falls risk, and domestic assistance for cleaning.

From 1 October 2026:

Personal care: 0% participant contribution, subject to available budget.

Physiotherapy: 0% participant contribution because it is a Clinical Support.

Domestic assistance: the participant may still need to contribute because it remains an Everyday Living service.

The three services can therefore sit within the same Support at Home plan but have different contribution arrangements.

Do you need to do anything before 1 October?

For the personal care contribution change itself, no application is required. The change applies automatically from 1 October for eligible personal care services. If you are new to the program, you can also access aged care services and access support through My Aged Care.

It is still worth reviewing your support plan and budget with your provider if:

your current mix of services no longer reflects your needs, you want to understand how much funding is available for personal care, your health or functional needs have changed, or you want to know whether approved Clinical Supports such as allied health could help you remain more independent at home.

Support at Home participants can work with their provider to change the mix of services they use from their approved service list. If needs have changed more substantially, a reassessment may be appropriate. An aged care assessment helps determine eligibility for aged care services under Support at Home. You can apply for an assessment straight away through the aged care website.

How allied health can help you stay independent at home

Support at Home is designed around helping older people remain safe, healthy and independent in their own homes for longer while also making it easier to support a loved one at home.

At Bloom Healthcare, our Support at Home allied health services can support practical goals and, alongside Assistive Technology and Home Modifications, reduce strain on family carers:

Occupational Therapy

• Occupational Therapy for daily living, home safety, equipment, Assistive Technology and Home Modifications, including checking for fall risks and recommending safety features, with some supports having pre-approved funding tiers.
• Equipment, home setup changes and practical assistive recommendations can make daily care safer and easier at home.

Physiotherapy

• Physiotherapy for mobility, strength, balance, falls prevention and physical function, especially where mobility challenges affect safe function at home.

Exercise Physiology

• Exercise Physiology for safe, tailored exercise that supports strength, endurance and ongoing independence.

Speech Pathology

• Speech Pathology for communication and swallowing difficulties.

Psychology/Counselling

• Psychology/Counselling for emotional wellbeing, adjustment, confidence and the psychological impact of ageing, illness or reduced independence.

Daily Challenges

Home support can also help identify daily challenges such as:

• Meal preparation
• Mobility
• Transport to appointments
• Accessing additional services where needed

Medication Management

• Pill organisers or digital reminders can help streamline medication routines.
• Keeping an accessible master list of medications and healthcare appointments is recommended.

Caregiver Support

Bloom Healthcare provides allied health support at home, in the community and through telehealth where appropriate. Establishing routines and timely check-ins can help families coordinate support, reduce stress and preserve independence.

• Respite care and caregiver self-care are also important for preventing burnout.
• Regular communication and links with external support systems can reduce isolation and strengthen family support.

Family Involvement

• Involving the older person in decisions and sharing responsibilities can support dignity.
• This approach helps relatives feel like contributors rather than burdens.

Make a Referral

Who may benefit from a referral?

If you or someone you support is using Support at Home and could benefit from allied health support, Bloom Healthcare can help.

Our team provides Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology, Speech Pathology and Psychology/Counselling to help older Australians maintain independence, mobility, safety, communication and wellbeing at home.

Make a Referral

Other Good Articles to Read

Support at Home vs Home Care Packages

How Support at Home Helps Older Australians Stay Independent

Support at Home Funding Explained