Can Support at Home pay for meal preparation?
Yes. Support may include help preparing meals or accessing suitable meal services when this is in your support plan.
Key points
- Yes. Support may include help preparing meals or accessing suitable meal services when this is in your support plan.
- The service must match an approved assessed need.
- Availability, price and participant contribution can still vary.
Yes. Support at Home can pay for approved meal preparation and meal delivery services when they are included in your support plan and help you continue living safely and independently at home.
Meal support can include:
a worker helping you prepare and cook meals in your home
help with peeling, chopping, handling utensils or safely using kitchen equipment
preparing meals that meet health, swallowing, cultural or religious requirements
supplying and delivering suitable pre-prepared meals
support to maintain adequate nutrition and hydration.
Support at Home generally does not pay for:
ordinary groceries or meal ingredients
takeaway food or restaurant delivery
meals for other people in your household
food costs that you would normally pay yourself.
This means the program may fund the assistance involved in preparing or delivering the meal, but you will generally remain responsible for the cost of the food or ingredients.
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01Guide sectionHow are delivered meals funded?
Delivered meals are calculated differently from in-home meal preparation because ordinary food is not funded through Support at Home.
The cost of a delivered meal is generally divided into:
30% for the food component, which the participant pays
70% for preparing and delivering the meal, which can be supported through the person’s Support at Home funding.
The participant’s assessed everyday living contribution rate is then applied to the 70% preparation and delivery component.
This means the participant always pays the initial 30% food component, plus an additional contribution based on their pension and financial status.
02Guide sectionExample: an $18 delivered meal
For a delivered meal costing $18:
The food component is 30%, or $5.40
The preparation and delivery component is 70%, or $12.60
The participant’s assessed contribution percentage is applied to the $12.60 preparation and delivery component-not to the full $18.
Full pensioner
A full pensioner has an everyday living contribution rate of 17.5%.
Food component paid by participant: $5.40
17.5% contribution on the $12.60 service component: $2.21
Total paid by participant: approximately $7.61
Government funding pays: approximately $10.39
Part pensioner
A part pensioner’s contribution rate is individually assessed and may be between 17.5% and 80%.
For example, if the person’s assessed contribution rate is 40%:
Food component paid by participant: $5.40
40% contribution on the $12.60 service component: $5.04
Total paid by participant: $10.44
Government funding pays: $7.56
Self-funded person without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
The everyday living contribution rate is 80%.
Food component paid by participant: $5.40
80% contribution on the $12.60 service component: $10.08
Total paid by participant: $15.48
Government funding pays: $2.52
The meal provider should clearly explain:
the total price of each meal
the amount treated as the food component
the amount treated as preparation and delivery
the participant contribution applied to the service component
the amount claimed from Support at Home funding.
People covered by transitional arrangements or the no worse off principle may have different contribution rates.
03Guide sectionHow much will I need to contribute?
Meal preparation and meal delivery are classed as everyday living services. Your personal contribution is therefore based on the everyday living contribution rate set after your income and assets assessment.
The standard rates are:
Full pensioner: 17.5%
Part pensioner or eligible Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder: between 17.5% and 80%
Self-funded person without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card: 80%
Person who does not disclose the required income and asset information: 80%
The government pays the remaining percentage from your Support at Home funding.
04Guide sectionExample: one hour of meal preparation
The current national median price for one hour of meal preparation is approximately $100, with most reported weekday prices ranging from $70 to $115. These are comparison figures, not mandatory prices.
For a meal-preparation service priced at $100:
Full pensioner
A full pensioner contributes 17.5%.
Participant pays: $17.50
Government funding pays: $82.50
Part pensioner
A part pensioner’s rate is individually assessed and could fall anywhere between 17.5% and 80%.
For example, if Services Australia sets the contribution rate at 40%:
Participant pays: $40
Government funding pays: $60
Being a part pensioner does not automatically produce a particular rate. The actual percentage depends on the person’s assessed income and assets.
Self-funded person without a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
The contribution rate is 80%.
Participant pays: $80
Government funding pays: $20
These amounts are in addition to any groceries or ingredients the person purchases.
05Guide sectionWhat should I do next?
Check whether this service type appears in the Notice of Decision and support plan.
Ask the provider how it will be delivered, how often and at what agreed price.
Request a Support Plan Review if the service is needed but is not currently approved.
06Guide sectionHelpful Local Home Help resources
07Guide sectionCheck the official guidance
Check the official Support at Home service guidance. Aged care rules, funding amounts and program guidance can change, so check the current official information before making an important care or financial decision.
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