Dorothy, 79, had her Level 3 Home Care Package humming along nicely — a cleaner on Tuesdays, physio on Thursdays, and a gardener once a month. Then November 2025 arrived and, with it, letters about "Support at Home", "classifications" and "quarterly budgets". Dorothy didn't want a new system; she wanted her Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her daughter kept asking one sensible question nobody had answered simply: what actually changed, and what stayed the same?

Dorothy's story is an illustrative scenario, created to show how Support at Home works in practice. It is not a real client testimonial.

On 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages across Australia, alongside the new Aged Care Act and strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. If you had a package like Dorothy did, here's the honest picture — some real changes, and some reassuring continuity.

What carried over

People already receiving a Home Care Package were moved into Support at Home — you didn't lose your place or start again. The goal of the program is the same as it always was: helping you stay in your own home, living life your way, for as long as possible. Dorothy's Tuesdays and Thursdays didn't need to change; the framework around them did.

Four levels became eight classifications

Home Care Packages came in four levels, which meant big jumps between funding steps. Support at Home uses eight funding classifications, so funding can be matched more closely to your assessed needs. Your classification comes out of your assessment through the Single Assessment System — the entry point is still My Aged Care (myagedcare.gov.au, 1800 200 422).

Annual budgets became quarterly budgets

Instead of a single annual amount, your funding is now released every quarter. Unspent funds don't accumulate indefinitely: up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget (whichever is greater) carries over to the next quarter. This changes how you plan — steady, paced spending now beats stockpiling.

A defined service list, in three categories

Support at Home comes with a government service list that groups everything into clinical supports (fully government funded), independence supports, and everyday living supports (where participant contributions can apply, depending on your means). It's clearer than the old arrangements — less room for different providers giving different answers about what's allowed.

Care management costs are now capped

Under Support at Home, care management is capped at 10% of your budget. That's worth knowing, because under the old system administration and management fees varied enormously between providers — and every dollar spent on management is a dollar not spent on care.

The headline for Dorothy: same home, same goal, same right to choose — new plumbing. Eight classifications instead of four levels, quarterly budgets instead of annual ones, a defined service list, and a cap on care management. If anything about your own transition looks odd, check with My Aged Care (1800 200 422) or ask your provider to explain it plainly.

What stayed exactly the same

The things that matter most didn't move. You still receive care in your own home. You still have the right to choose who comes through your door and when. And if you want real control, self-managing your Support at Home budget is still very much an option — you pick your workers, services and schedule, while a registered provider like Partner with Care handles claiming, compliance and the government-facing paperwork, with your budget visible live on screen. For Dorothy, the change turned out to be less about losing her routine and more about finally seeing where every dollar goes.