Before making a Home Care Package claim

Support at Home has replaced the Home Care Packages Program. This information applies to care periods before 1 November 2025.

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Find out more about the Support at Home program on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Home Care Packages

Care recipients need 2 assessments to work out their government funding for home care:

  • An Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) assessment to learn the care recipient’s needs and recommend and approve suitable services.
  • An Aged care calculation of cost of care to work out how much the recipient will pay towards their aged care costs.

When a care recipient starts care, you need to register the aged care entry record on the Aged Care Provider Portal (ACPP).

Fees

In general, there are 2 types of fees paid by people who get a Home Care Package:

  • Basic daily fee is paid by everyone and is set by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
  • Income-tested care fee is paid by people who can afford to pay towards their aged care, based on their income.

You can ask your care recipient who’s getting government-subsidised home care to pay a basic daily fee. You can also charge an income-tested care fee if their income is above a certain level. There may also be fees for additional care and services.

We work out the income-tested care fee, based on the income details of the care recipient. We decide:

  • if they can pay an income-tested care fee
  • what amount the fee will be.

We’ll write to you and the care recipient if there are any changes.

Page last updated: 21 November 2025.
QC 74104