Making Sense of the New Support at Home Levels

Trying to make sense of aged care funding? You may have reached the point where you’re highlighting lines on a spreadsheet and calling for another cup of tea (or something stronger!). 

The new Support at Home program means more funding levels, quarterly budgets and different contribution rules depending on the type of support you receive. It can feel like a lot at first, especially if you are working through it for yourself, your partner or a loved one.

To help you, we’ve put together a guide covering: 

• The 8 Support at Home levels
• How aged care quarterly budgets work in Australia
• Suncare’s Support at Home services. 

What changed under Support at Home?

Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025, moving from 4 package levels to 8 ongoing care classifications. This gives My Aged Care more room to match funding to the level of help someone needs at home.

Your level is set through a My Aged Care assessment, which looks at your health, daily routine, mobility, home life and current supports.

Suncare does not decide your level. But once your funding is confirmed, we can help you make sense of it – including what services may be available, how your quarterly budget works and how to plan support around day-to-day life.

The 8 Support at Home levels

Each level has an annual funding amount, split into 4 quarterly budgets. The table below shows the current funding levels and the types of support they may typically help cover.

Use it or lose it: how quarterly budgets work

Your budget is not paid into your bank account. It is allocated to your provider and used to pay for approved services in your care plan.

Under Support at Home, money is managed every 3 months rather than across one full year. Unused quarterly funding no longer builds up over time as it did under Home Care Packages. A limited amount, usually only around 10%, can be carried into the next quarter, but most remaining unused funds are returned to the government.

To put it another way, Support at Home is not designed to build up like savings. There’s no point in holding onto it for a rainy day – it’s there to fund the help you need now so you can live your life to the full.

So, consider what would make your life more manageable. What drains your energy?

What do you put off doing because it feels difficult to arrange? Which household tasks get on top of you? And how would you like to spend your days?

With those insights, you might choose to use some of your available funding for:

• Support so you can get to social events, medical appointments or haircuts with your favourite stylist.
• Help with domestic chores to relieve the pressure of laundry, food shopping and meal prep
• Home maintenance assistance so the grass is mowed regularly and the gutters are cleared before storm season.

What about care management?

Around 10% of your quarterly Support at Home budget is set aside for care management. This is built into the funding model. It helps cover the planning and coordination that keeps your support organised, reviewed and responsive.

Care management may include:

• Helping you understand your funding and approved services
• Building and reviewing your care plan
• Coordinating services and appointments
• Keeping track of your budget
• Checking in when your needs change
• Helping with reassessment requests if your current level no longer fits.
  

That leaves around 90% of your quarterly budget for direct services.

How costs are shared

Support at Home services sit across 3 main categories:

• Clinical care: This is fully funded by the government, meaning there is no contribution for approved services such as nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, continence support or wound care.
• Independence services: These can include personal care, transport, social support, mobility help and respite, and may require a moderate contribution.
• Everyday living services: These include cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, shopping, gardening and home maintenance, and usually have the highest contribution.

Let’s say you receive an hour of nursing, which costs $220. Because this is considered clinical care, it is fully funded by the government, meaning it costs you nothing out of pocket.

Now, let’s say you receive an hour of cleaning (domestic assistance), which costs $130. Because this is an everyday living service, it may require a co-contribution from you. If the government sets your contribution rate at 17.5%, you would pay $22.75 for that hour of cleaning, and the government would pay the remaining $107.25.

How Suncare can help

Suncare home care services are designed to help older Queenslanders keep living at home, with practical support that fits around real life.

That might mean:

• A nurse visiting you at home while you’re recovering from surgery
• A lift to an appointment.
• A meal prepared before the afternoon slump hits.
• Regular help with cleaning and laundry so you can enjoy a cuppa with your daughter when she visits, not watch her do chores for you.

Once your Support at Home level is confirmed, Suncare can help you:

• Understand your funding approvals
• Plan your aged care quarterly budget in Australia
• Arrange the services to match your care needs
• Understand possible contribution costs
• Review your budget before the quarter ends
• Request a reassessment if your needs change.

Let’s talk 

If you are trying to understand the Support at Home program in QLD, Suncare can help you work through it.

No pressure. No jargon. Just a friendly conversation about what support might look like for you or someone you love.

Call Suncare on 1800 786 227 or contact us to talk through your options.

Disclaimer

All information is general and not intended as a substitute for professional advice.