On 1 October 2026, personal care moved from the Independence category to Clinical Supports under Support at Home. Services in the Clinical Supports category don’t attract a participant contribution, so approved Support at Home personal care now costs you nothing out of pocket. That covers showering, dressing, continence support and help with self-administration of medication. Everything else stays the same. You still need personal care approved in your support plan, it’s still paid from your quarterly Support at Home budget, and that budget doesn’t get any bigger.
Key Takeaways
- Approved personal care services are now fully government funded under Support at Home.
- You will not pay a participant contribution for approved personal care delivered from 1 October 2026.
- You must have personal care approved in your support plan and available funding in your Support at Home budget.
- You do not need a new assessment if personal care is already approved.
- Your Support at Home budget does not increase because of this change.
- Contributions still apply to Independence and Everyday Living services, including cleaning, gardening, transport and meal preparation.
What Has Changed Since 1 October?
The definition of personal care hasn’t moved, eligibility hasn’t moved, and services still have to be approved in your support plan before your provider can deliver them. Only the contribution setting changed, which is why My Aged Care describes it as a category change rather than a new service.
Before October, Support at Home personal care sat alongside transport and social support in Independence, where a means-tested contribution applied to participants. It now sits alongside nursing and allied health in Clinical Supports, which is fully funded by the Government.
If you’ve been paying a contribution towards showering or dressing, check your October statement against your September one. The line items should look the same and the contribution column shouldn’t.
Which Support at Home Personal Care Services Are Now Fully Funded?
Support at Home personal care covers help with day-to-day activities relating to hygiene, dressing, continence and medication.
Under the Support at Home service list, the personal care services affected by the contribution change include:
- Showering and bathing
- Dressing and undressing
- Non-clinical continence management
- Assistance with eating
- Personal hygiene
- Assistance with self-administration of medication
If you are not sure whether a regular service is recorded as personal care, ask your provider. They can explain how your services are listed in your support plan, care plan, service agreement and monthly statement.
Who Pays No Contribution for Personal Care?
You will not pay a contribution for personal care delivered from 1 October 2026 when:
- Personal care is approved in your Support at Home support plan
- You have funding available in your Support at Home budget
The change applies to eligible existing and new Support at Home participants. There is no separate application for the new contribution setting. If personal care was already approved in your plan, the new arrangement should apply automatically.
Important: The relevant date is when the service was delivered, not when you receive the invoice. Personal care delivered before 1 October 2026 may still attract the previous contribution, so you may still see it in your next bill.
Does This Mean You Get More Funding?
No. Removing the contribution didn’t add anything to your Support at Home budget. Personal care still draws down on the same quarterly funding it always did, at the full price your provider charges.
What changed is how much of that price comes out of your pocket. If you’d been holding back on personal care because of the cost, ask your provider for a care plan review to see what your budget can now cover. Adding more personal care will still use up budget that would otherwise be available for other approved services.
A separate increase to Support at Home budgets and some supplements also started on 1 October 2026, to help providers meet higher award wages for registered and enrolled nurses. That funding increase is separate from the personal care contribution change.
Which Services Still Have Co-Contributions?
This contribution change applies only to personal care. Whether you contribute towards your other services depends on which category they are in and the outcome of your income and assets assessment.
Service Category | Examples | Participant Contribution |
Clinical Supports | Nursing, allied health and approved personal care | No contribution |
Independence | Transport, social support, assistive technology and home modifications | A means-tested contribution may apply |
Everyday Living | Cleaning, gardening and meal preparation | A means-tested contribution may apply |
For example, you may now have no co-contribution for help with showering but still contribute towards regular domestic assistance or gardening.
Read our article Support at Home contributions and fees for a closer look at the categories, means testing and out-of-pocket costs that can still apply.
For a broader overview of aged care costs, fees and government funding, see our Aged Care Funding Guide.
Do You Need a New Assessment?
No. If personal care is already approved in your support plan, the new contribution setting applies without another assessment.
You’d only need a reassessment if your needs have changed and you now want personal care that isn’t in your plan at all. In that case, speak to your provider or contact My Aged Care, because adding a new service type or changing your funding classification is a separate process from the contribution change.
Does This Apply to Commonwealth Home Support Program Services?
No. This change only covers approved personal care delivered through Support at Home.
The Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) runs on its own fee arrangements and hasn’t changed. If you receive CHSP, ask your provider or My Aged Care what you’ll be charged.
What To Look for on Your Next Statement
Your monthly Support at Home statement shouldn’t show a participant contribution against approved personal care delivered on or after 1 October 2026.
You may still see contributions against cleaning, gardening, meal preparation, transport and social support. That doesn’t mean the change has been missed, because those services are in Independence or Everyday Living categories where a means-tested contribution still applies.
Work through the statement line by line and check four things:
- the service delivered
- the date it was delivered
- whether it’s recorded as personal care
- any contribution shown against it
If a personal care service delivered on or after 1 October still shows a contribution, contact your provider and ask them to review and correct the charge.
First Step: Check with Your Provider
You do not need to take action for the personal care contribution change to begin. However, it is sensible to check how the arrangement applies to your services.
Ask your provider:
- Is personal care included in my current Support at Home support plan?
- Which of my regular services are listed as personal care?
- Will my service agreement or care plan be updated?
- How will personal care be shown on my next statement or invoice?
- Do I have enough available budget to receive the personal care I want?
- Can we review my care plan now that I no longer pay a contribution for approved personal care?
Your provider can explain how services are coded and billed, and whether any documents need to be updated.
Need Help Comparing Support at Home Providers?
Contributions are one part of getting value from a Support at Home budget. Prices, available services, care management, staff availability and service areas all shape what you actually receive.
Aged Care Decisions is a free comparison and placement service. We match you with suitable Support at Home providers based on the services you need, where you live and what matters to you. We’re independent. Our service is free for families, and participating providers pay us a standard fee when a successful placement occurs.
Here’s how Aged Care Decisions’ FREE aged care matching service works:
