Support at Home in 2026: free personal care is coming — and four more changes families should know

The Support at Home program is not standing still. Since it began on 1 November 2025, the Government has announced a series of changes — one of them very good news for almost every client. Here is what has happened, in plain language.

1. Personal care moves to a 0% participant contribution from 1 October 2026

This is the big one. From 1 October 2026, personal care — showering, bathing, dressing, continence support, help with eating and hygiene, and support with taking medication — moves into the clinical supports category, which means the government pays 100% and your contribution drops to $0, regardless of your income or pension status.

The change was announced in April 2026 after reports that some older people were skipping showers and care visits to avoid co-payments, and it was funded with around $1 billion in the May Federal Budget. You don't need to do anything — if personal care is in your support plan, the change happens automatically. Contributions for everyday living services (like cleaning and gardening) are unchanged.

What it means with us: from 1 October 2026, approved personal care has a 0% participant contribution — services must be included in your support plan and available within your budget. If you've been rationing personal care to save your budget for other things, talk to us — it may be time to rebalance your weekly plan (our budget planner makes this easy to see).

2. Price caps deferred — and stronger protection against overcharging

Government-set price caps were due to start on 1 July 2026 but have been deferred with no new start date. Instead, the regulator received stronger powers: it can now order providers to refund overcharging, act on providers who fail to issue monthly statements, and publicly report enforcement. Providers were also asked to limit price increases voluntarily.

What it means with us: nothing changes at Rosewood Gardens — our full price list has always been published openly, you receive itemised monthly statements, and we support the push for transparent pricing across the sector.

3. Faster package releases — but the waitlist is real

The May 2026 Budget included $389.8 million to accelerate the release of Support at Home packages. Even so, the national queue grew to about 107,000 people by 30 June 2026, with average waits around 10 months from approval to service. The lesson for families: don't wait for a crisis to apply. Register with My Aged Care as soon as daily tasks start becoming difficult — and read our guide on preparing for your assessment.

4. Most new clients start on 60% of their budget

Around 93% of recently released packages began as an interim 60% allocation of the approved budget, typically moving to the full amount after about ten weeks. If your letter shows an interim amount, plan around that figure first — our budget calculator shows your full classification budget, so multiply the quarterly figure by 0.6 while you're on the interim allocation, or call us and we'll plan it with you.

5. A human now has the final say on assessments

After sector advocacy, the Government legislated human oversight of the Integrated Assessment Tool in July 2026 — meaning an algorithm no longer has the last word on how much support you receive, and incorrect outcomes can be overridden. If you believe your classification doesn't reflect your real needs, you can request a review — and we help our clients do exactly that.

🌹 We’re here to help

Have questions about what this means for you or your family? Call 1300 845 766 for a friendly, no-obligation chat with our local team.

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Sources

This article is general information only, current at August 2026, and not clinical or financial advice — see our Clinical Disclaimer. Figures and rules are confirmed at your assessment.