Michael, 55, spent an evening researching home care for his dad, Peter, 82 — and came away more confused than when he started. Half the websites talked about "Home Care Package level 3", others mentioned "level 1 to 4 funding", and the government site talked about eight classifications and quarterly budgets. Which is it? Michael just wants to know one thing: how much support will his dad actually get, and who decides?

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

Michael's confusion is completely understandable — the internet is still full of information about a system that no longer exists. Here's the current picture, in plain English.

Levels 1–4 are gone. There are now 8 classifications.

For years, government home care came as a Home Care Package at one of four levels — level 1 for basic needs through to level 4 for high needs. If you've been Googling "home care package level 3", that's the old system.

On 1 November 2025, Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages. The four levels were replaced by eight funding classifications. More classifications means finer steps between them — so instead of a big jump from one level to the next, funding can sit closer to what your parent actually needs. People who were on a Home Care Package were transitioned to the new system; for exactly how an existing package maps across, check with My Aged Care (1800 200 422), as individual circumstances vary.

Who decides the classification?

Not you, and not the provider — the assessment does. Your parent's needs are assessed through My Aged Care under the Single Assessment System, and the outcome places them in one of the eight classifications. That's why the assessment conversation matters so much: an honest picture of your dad's harder days, not just his good ones, is what gets the classification right the first time.

Classifications set a quarterly budget

Each classification comes with a quarterly budget — funding arrives every three months rather than as one annual bucket. A few things families should know about how that budget works:

  • It's spent on services from the government's service list, as set out in your parent's care plan — across clinical supports, independence supports and everyday living supports.
  • Unspent funds of up to $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget (whichever is greater) carry over to the next quarter — so a quiet month isn't money down the drain.
  • Care management is capped at 10% of the budget under Support at Home. How much of the rest reaches actual services depends heavily on the provider's charges — which is worth comparing carefully.

The question most families forget to ask: "Of Dad's budget, how much reaches him as actual care?" With Partner with Care's self-management support at around 10–15% of the package — versus the 30–40% common under traditional care management — the same classification can buy significantly more hours of real support.

Needs change. Classifications can too.

A classification isn't set in stone. If your dad has a fall, receives a new diagnosis, or simply needs more help than he did a year ago, you can request a reassessment through My Aged Care — with his consent — and his classification and budget can be reviewed. Families are often the first to spot the gap between the plan and reality, which is why we give family members their own login and live budget view. You can see how that works on our for families page, or get in touch if you're trying to make sense of an approval letter right now.