Support at Home came with a new vocabulary, and the letters, assessments and provider conversations assume you already know it. Here's each term in plain words.
The essentials
Support at Home
The Australian Government program that replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025, funding services that keep older people safely at home.
Home Care Package (HCP)
The former program Support at Home replaced. It had four levels (1 to 4). Anyone holding a package on 1 November 2025 moved across without reapplying.
My Aged Care
The government's entry point for aged care, at myagedcare.gov.au or 1800 200 422. You register there, arrange an assessment and check your own situation.
Assessment
The review of your needs, arranged through My Aged Care, that sets your funding classification. Describe your harder days, not just your good ones.
Funding and budgets
Classification
The funding tier you're assessed into. There are eight classifications, replacing the old four package levels, so funding sits closer to your needs.
Quarterly budget
Your Support at Home funding, released every three months instead of once a year and spent on the services in your care plan.
Contribution
What you pay towards a service, based on your means, including whether you receive the Age Pension.
Unspent funds (carryover)
Money left at the end of a quarter. Up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget (whichever is greater) rolls into the next quarter; the rest is lost.
Care management
The coordination work a provider does to keep your care organised and compliant. Support at Home caps it at 10% of your budget.
Services and support
Service list
The government list of what Support at Home funding can and can't buy. Anything your budget pays for must be on it and in your care plan.
Clinical supports
Health services on the list, such as nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry. They're fully government funded, with no participant contribution.
Independence supports
Services that help you keep doing things yourself: personal care such as showering and dressing, transport to appointments, and social support. A means-tested contribution can apply.
Everyday living supports
Services that keep the household running: domestic assistance like cleaning and laundry, meal preparation, and home maintenance such as gardening. A means-tested contribution can apply.
Care plan
Your personal plan, built from your assessment, listing the services funded for you. A service on the general list only counts if it's in your plan. If your needs change, ask for a review.
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) Scheme
A separate stream of Support at Home funding for equipment and home changes, such as rails, ramps or mobility aids. It sits outside your quarterly budget.
Providers and control
Registered provider
An organisation approved to deliver Support at Home. It handles claiming and government compliance whether you self-manage or not. Partner with Care is one.
Self-management
You choose your own workers, services and schedule while your registered provider handles claiming, compliance and paperwork, usually for lower fees. See how self-managed care works.