Support at Home Explained: Aged Care's Program for Living at Home

If an older person is not on the NDIS, the aged care system is usually where support for living at home comes from, and that system changed recently. The old Home Care Packages were replaced by a single program called Support at Home. Because the assistive technology and home modifications funding many families care about sits inside this program, it helps to understand the whole structure. This article maps Support at Home and shows where the equipment funding fits.

What Support at Home is

Support at Home is the aged care program for services and supports that help an older person live safely and independently at home.

The Support at Home program was introduced in November 2025, replacing the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-term Restorative Care Programme. As of 2026-06-27 · Support at Home program - My Aged Care

It brought two older programs together, and its purpose is broad: it funds services, products, equipment and home modifications, coordinated around a person’s assessed needs. An aged care assessment determines whether someone is eligible for ongoing or short-term services.

Ongoing care

For people who need continuing help, Support at Home provides ongoing care set by a funding classification.

People approved for ongoing Support at Home services are assigned one of 8 classifications with funding, set by their assessed care needs. As of 2026-06-27 · Support at Home program - My Aged Care

The classification reflects how much help a person needs, from everyday tasks like cleaning, meals and getting around, up to more complex needs such as nursing care or in-home therapy. Someone with more complex needs has access to more care at home, and every classification includes funding for care management.

One change worth knowing sits within ongoing care.

From 1 October 2026, the Australian Government will fully fund personal care services, so an approved person can access them at no out-of-pocket cost. As of 2026-06-27 · Support at Home program - My Aged Care

Short-term pathways

Alongside ongoing care, the program runs a set of time-limited pathways for specific situations.

Alongside ongoing care, Support at Home offers 3 short-term pathways: the Restorative Care Pathway, the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme, and the End-of-Life Pathway. As of 2026-06-27 · Support at Home program - My Aged Care

The Restorative Care Pathway is short-term care to help a person regain function and stay independent. The End-of-Life Pathway provides additional care at home in a person’s final months. And the middle one, the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme, is the one that funds equipment and home changes. The aged care equipment funding article covers its tiers and assessment in full.

Equipment funding beyond the standard tiers

The AT-HM scheme is tiered, but it is not a hard ceiling. Where a person’s assessed needs call for more, there is a defined route above the top assistive technology tier.

AT-HM participants may access assistive technology funding over $15,000 where required to meet their assessed needs, through a request form with supporting evidence. As of 2026-07-01 · Support at Home AT-HM scheme - Department of Health

Remote areas get specific recognition too, because the cost of delivering equipment and building work is higher a long way from a city.

A person living in a remote area (Modified Monash Model 6 or 7) who is allocated an AT-HM home modifications high tier pays a contribution on 66.6% of the total cost. As of 2026-07-01 · Support at Home AT-HM scheme - Department of Health

There is also a scheme still in development worth flagging so it is not mistaken for something available today.

In May 2026, the government announced that exploration of a National Assistive Technology Loans scheme would be expanded to include the broader assistive technology sector; the scheme is not yet available. As of 2026-07-01 · Support at Home AT-HM scheme - Department of Health

What it costs

Support at Home is not free for everyone. A person usually contributes towards the cost of their services, based on the service delivered and what they can afford, with income and asset details worked out by Services Australia. Clinical supports, such as nursing and the therapy that wraps around equipment, are treated differently and are not something a person is asked to contribute to. Because contributions apply to the services actually received, the real figure depends on a person’s own plan.

Where to go next

Support at Home is administered by the aged care system, separately from the NDIS, and eligibility and funding are decided by an aged care assessment rather than by any supplier. The Other Schemes and Aged Care guide sets Support at Home alongside CAPS, DVA, and the state programs, and the official Support at Home page carries the current detail on services, costs, and how to arrange an assessment.