Home Care Package vs Support at Home:

What Changed in 2025–26

Confused by "Home Care Package" vs "Support at Home"? Here's what changed in plain English, and what it means if you're already receiving care. 

If you've heard both "Home Care Package" and "Support at Home" and aren't sure if they're the same thing, you're not alone, a lot of families find this confusing, and honestly, so do a lot of providers.

Here's the short version: Support at Home is the new name and the new system. It officially replaced the old Home Care Packages Program (and Short-Term Restorative Care) on 1 November 2025, under the new Aged Care Act 2024.

What actually changed:

• Eight funding levels instead of four. The old system had Home Care Package Levels 1–4. Support at Home has eight classification levels, meant to match funding more precisely to a person's actual needs rather than forcing everyone into one of four broad bands.
• Quarterly budgets instead of one annual amount. Funding is now released in four instalments across the year, rather than a single yearly sum that could be managed unevenly.
• A "no worse off" promise for existing clients. If you were already receiving a Home Care Package, or had been approved and were waiting for one, before 12 September 2024, the government has committed that you won't end up paying more under Support at Home than you were paying before.
• Clearer, bundled pricing. Providers can no longer charge separate travel or admin fees on top of a service — everything has to be included in one price per service, which is meant to make comparing providers easier.

What's still settling: the price caps that were originally due to start on 1 July 2026 have been deferred. In their place, the government introduced a set of transparency and enforcement measures instead — including a quarterly national report showing the median price providers charge for each service, so families can see how their provider compares. There's also now a formal path for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to order refunds where a provider is found to be overcharging.

What this means for you: if you're still hearing "Home Care Package" from friends, family, or even some providers, that's completely normal, it was the name for nearly 20 years, and it's going to take a while for everyday language to catch up. We use both terms together on our site for exactly that reason.