What services can I actually pay for with Support at Home?
Support at Home funding can pay for services that are approved in your support plan and included on the official service list. These may include nursing and allied health, personal care, respite, transport, domestic assistance and home maintenance.
Key points
- Funding must match your assessed and approved needs.
- Support at Home uses a defined service list.
- Ask for a clear service schedule and price explanation.
Support at Home can pay for approved care and services that help you remain safe, independent and connected while living at home.
The program includes three main service categories:
clinical supports
independence services
everyday living services.
You cannot automatically purchase every service on the list. Your Notice of Decision and support plan identify the services you have been assessed and approved to receive. Your care partner then works with you to decide which approved services to include in your care plan and individualised budget.
Explore only what you need
Start with the sections that feel useful now. You can come back to the others later.
01Guide sectionClinical supports
Clinical supports address health, physical function, cognition and nutrition.
They can include:
registered and enrolled nursing
physiotherapy
occupational therapy
podiatry
speech pathology
dietetics
exercise physiology
psychology and some other therapeutic services
nursing consumables, where approved
prescribed nutrition
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners and health workers.
Examples include wound care, medication support from a nurse, falls-prevention physiotherapy, mobility assessment, swallowing support and advice about managing a health condition at home.
Clinical supports are fully government funded, so no participant contribution applies when the service is approved in the support plan and sufficient funding is available.
02Guide sectionPersonal care
Personal care can include help with:
showering and bathing
dressing and grooming
toileting and continence
eating and drinking
mobility and transfers
personal hygiene
assistance with self-administered medication.
From 1 October 2026, approved personal care services are treated as clinical supports and are fully government funded, with no participant contribution.
03Guide sectionIndependence services
Independence services help you manage daily life, maintain relationships and participate in the community.
They can include:
social support at home
accompanied shopping and appointments
help attending social, cultural or community activities
transport
respite care
assistance using communication or digital technology
support to manage medication
therapeutic services that help maintain independent living.
Transport might include a worker driving you to an appointment, arranging suitable transport or accompanying you where support is required.
Respite may be provided in the home, in the community or through another approved arrangement so that an unpaid family carer can take a break.
A participant contribution may apply to independence services, based on the person’s assessed income and assets.
04Guide sectionEveryday living services
Everyday living services help with ordinary household activities that have become difficult because of ageing, illness or reduced ability.
They can include:
general house cleaning
laundry and changing bed linen
shopping assistance
meal preparation
delivered meals
gardening
minor home maintenance and repairs.
Examples might include cleaning bathrooms and floors, preparing meals, mowing a small lawn, replacing an unsafe door handle or completing minor repairs that reduce an age-related safety risk.
Everyday living services attract the highest participant contribution rates because they relate more closely to ordinary living expenses.
05Guide sectionMeals and food
Support at Home may pay for:
a worker helping you prepare meals
preparation and delivery of suitable meals
prescribed nutrition where clinically required
assistance with eating, where approved.
It generally does not pay for ordinary groceries or the full cost of food.
For delivered meals, the participant generally pays the first 30% as the food component. Their assessed everyday-living contribution is then applied to the remaining 70% preparation and delivery component.
06Guide sectionAssistive technology
Assistive technology is funded separately through the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme when approved during the assessment.
It may include:
walking sticks and walking frames
wheelchairs
shower chairs and bath boards
commodes and toileting equipment
modified cutlery and food-preparation aids
communication devices
other products that make everyday activities safer or easier.
Funding tiers are generally:
low: up to $500
medium: up to $2,000
high: up to $15,000.
Higher assistive-technology amounts may be approved in some circumstances where supporting evidence is provided.
07Guide sectionHome modifications
Home modifications can also be funded separately where they are assessed as necessary.
They may include:
grab rails
bathroom handrails
ramps
stair lifts
lever taps or door handles
non-slip flooring treatments
other safety and accessibility changes.
An occupational therapist may need to assess and prescribe the modification. The provider then coordinates quotes, installation and any required approvals.
08Guide sectionCare management
All ongoing Support at Home participants receive care management.
Your care partner can help with:
developing your care plan
setting up an individualised budget
organising services
monitoring spending
coordinating workers and health professionals
reviewing whether services are meeting your goals
responding when your needs change
requesting a Support Plan Review where necessary.
Care management is funded through a separate portion of Support at Home funding rather than being purchased as an ordinary hourly service from the main quarterly service budget.
09Guide sectionShort-term pathways
Support at Home can also fund services through separate short-term pathways.
These include:
Restorative Care Pathway
Time-limited support intended to improve or maintain function, confidence and independence. It may include allied health, nursing, exercise and practical support.
End-of-Life Pathway
Additional home-based care for eligible people expected to have three months or less to live and who want to remain at home.
Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme
Separate upfront funding for approved equipment and changes to the home.
10Worth checkingWhat can Support at Home generally not pay for?
Support at Home is not a general income or lifestyle allowance.
It generally cannot be used for:
rent, mortgage payments or household bills
ordinary groceries
restaurant meals or takeaway food
holidays, flights or holiday accommodation
general vehicle purchase, registration, fuel or maintenance
entertainment tickets and club memberships
pet food, grooming or routine pet care
major renovations unrelated to an assessed age-related need
repairs that are the responsibility of a landlord or insurer
services for other people living in the home
medical, hospital, dental or pharmaceutical costs more appropriately funded through Medicare, the PBS, private health insurance or another government program
cash payments or unrestricted reimbursements
services that are not connected to the person’s assessed aged care needs.
The official service list contains detailed examples of what is in and out of scope, and the exclusions are not exhaustive.
11Practical actionCan I choose how to spend my budget?
You have flexibility, but it is not unrestricted.
You can generally change the mix, frequency or amount of services you receive where:
the services are on your approved service list
they address your assessed needs and goals
enough funding is available
your provider can deliver or arrange them.
For example, you may decide to use less cleaning and more social support if both services are approved and the change remains consistent with your support plan.
You cannot usually redirect the budget toward a new service that was not approved. If your needs have changed, your care partner can help request a Support Plan Review.
12Practical actionQuestions to ask your provider
Before agreeing to a service, ask:
Is this service listed in my approved support plan?
Which contribution category does it fall under?
What is the full price?
How much will I personally contribute?
Does the price include travel, administration and subcontractor costs?
How many hours or services can my quarterly budget afford?
Is equipment or a professional assessment charged separately?
Are there alternative services that may achieve the same goal at a lower cost?
Will this purchase reduce the funding available for essential services later in the quarter?
The practical rule is:
Support at Home can pay for approved care, clinical support, personal assistance, household help, transport, respite, meals, equipment and safety modifications but only where the service is permitted, assessed as necessary and recorded in the person’s support arrangements.
13Guide sectionWhat should I do next?
Check your Notice of Decision and support plan, then ask providers to explain exactly which approved services they can deliver, their prices and how much support your quarterly budget is likely to buy.
14Guide sectionHelpful Local Home Help resources
Want to apply this answer to your situation?
Liz already knows which guidance page you are reading, so you can ask a follow-up without starting the topic again.