A guide for families

What you pay for Support at Home, in plain English

By the Supportd team · Checked against official sources on 26 October 2026

The short answer

Under Support at Home your parent pays nothing for clinical supports such as nursing and, from 1 October 2026, personal care; they pay a share of the price for independence services and a bigger share for everyday living services like cleaning and gardening. How big that share is depends on a Services Australia income and assets assessment: full pensioners pay 5% and 17.5%, while self funded retirees without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card pay 50% and 80%.

Three kinds of service, three levels of contribution

A contribution is a percentage of the price the provider charges for each service your parent actually receives. The government pays the rest of the price to the provider. Which percentage applies depends on the type of service:

Clinical supports, such as nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry: no contribution. From 1 October 2026, personal care such as help with showering and dressing is also fully funded for people approved for it.
Independence, such as transport, respite care, remedial massage and support to attend appointments: a moderate contribution.
Everyday living, such as cleaning, gardening, shopping and meal preparation: the highest contribution.

Care management has a 0% contribution. Equipment and home modification items are treated like independence services, while prescribing them and helping your parent use them safely carry no contribution.

The rates for pensioners and self funded retirees

My Aged Care publishes these participant contribution rates:

Full pensioner: 0% for clinical supports, 5% for independence, 17.5% for everyday living.
Part pensioner, or self funded retiree with a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card: 0% for clinical supports, between 5% and 50% for independence, and between 17.5% and 80% for everyday living, tapered according to their income and assets.
Self funded retiree without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, or anyone who does not disclose their income and assets: 0% for clinical supports, 50% for independence, 80% for everyday living.

The pension here includes the Age Pension and other income support payments. People who get no government payment may still qualify for lower rates if their income and assets are low, but only if they give their financial details to Services Australia.

The income and assets assessment

Services Australia does the assessment for most people, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for people on a means tested DVA payment. Full and part pensioners do not need to fill anything in, because their pension details are used. Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders and self funded retirees need to complete the form SA456 (Support at Home, Calculation of your cost of care) if Services Australia does not already have their current details.

A few things families often ask about:

The family home (the principal home) is exempt from the assets test for Support at Home.
For a couple, half of their combined income and assets is counted, no matter whose name things are in.
Financial assets are counted using a deemed rate of income, not what they actually earn.
The assessment can be done at any time, even before care starts, but the fee advice letter is only valid for 120 days.
Skipping the assessment is allowed, but your parent may then be charged the highest rates.

The lifetime cap

There is a lifetime cap on contributions, to protect people who receive aged care for a long time. It was $140,652.80 as of 20 September 2026, and it is indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year. It is a combined cap that also counts the non clinical care contribution paid in residential aged care. Services Australia tells your parent and their provider when they reach it.

If your parent had a Home Care Package before September 2024

People who were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024 are covered by the no worse off principle:

If they were assessed as paying an income tested care fee, they pay the same or less under Support at Home.
If they were assessed as not paying that fee, they will never be asked to pay contributions under Support at Home.
A grandfathered lifetime cap of $88,934.57 (as of 20 September 2026) applies.

Prices matter as much as percentages

Because the contribution is a percentage of the provider’s price, the price itself makes a real difference. Providers set their own prices, but they must publish the price they most frequently charge for each service on My Aged Care and on their own website, and agree prices with your parent in the service agreement. They cannot charge separate administration or travel fees.

The Support at Home fee estimator on My Aged Care lets you enter your parent’s financial details and a provider’s prices to estimate what they would pay before you commit.

If paying is a struggle

Your parent pays contributions to the provider, on a schedule agreed in the service agreement, and only after services are delivered. If they face genuine financial hardship, they can apply to Services Australia for financial hardship assistance, also called a fee reduction supplement, which can cover some or all of their contributions while the hardship lasts.

My Aged Care recommends getting independent financial advice before deciding how to pay for aged care. Services Australia’s Financial Information Service is free.

Next steps

Read the full picture in Support at Home explained.
Browse home care providers by suburb, Support at Home funded or private.
Ask us to find home care for your parent. A real person looks for providers near them, free for families.
Look up unfamiliar words in the aged care glossary.

Supportd is a directory of providers. We are not a care provider, we are not part of My Aged Care, and we cannot assess eligibility or speed up funding.

Tell us what your parent needs

Leave your details and a real person on our team will look for help at home near you and come back to you within a few hours.

Common questions

Is nursing free under Support at Home?

Yes. Clinical supports such as nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry have no contribution. From 1 October 2026 personal care, such as help with showering and dressing, is also fully funded for people approved for it.

How much does a full pensioner pay for Support at Home?

Nothing for clinical supports, 5% of the price of independence services and 17.5% of the price of everyday living services such as cleaning and gardening.

Does the family home count in the Support at Home assets test?

No. The principal home is exempt from the assets test for Support at Home.

Is there a cap on what my parent will pay?

Yes. There is a lifetime cap on contributions, $140,652.80 as of 20 September 2026, indexed twice a year. A lower grandfathered cap applies to some people who had a Home Care Package before 12 September 2024.

What if my parent cannot afford their contributions?

They can apply to Services Australia for financial hardship assistance. If approved, the government pays some or all of their contributions while they are in hardship.

All aged care guides →

Sources

General information only, last checked on 26 October 2026. Rules, wait times and amounts change, so check the official sources for the latest. For advice about your own situation, call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.