What is a home care package?

First published: March 2025

Home care packages are provided under the Home Care Package Program, which is partially subsidised by the government, aiming to care for those needing assistance to remain in their own homes for longer. It was found that 68% of Australians wish to age within their own homes, meaning the demand for a high-quality level of routine care is increasing.

The Home Care Packages Program consists of aid to carry out a mix of between care and service-related tasks, with the program offering:

• Help with everyday household duties
• Equipment to assist with everyday living, such as mobility walkers
• Minor home modifications which make moving around the home easier. This can include widening doorways, chair raisers, box steps and installation of grab rails
• Personal care
• Medical and clinical care in the form of nursing, physiotherapy and allied health

Who is eligible for a Home Care Package?

Recipients of a Home Care Package are those who require more support than what the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) offers, but who are able to live comfortably at home and do not require round the clock care within a residential aged care home.

The CHSP offers services that allow people to continue to live independently, including:

• Assistance around the home
• Transport
• Personal care
• Social and community support
• Meals
• Nursing care

Often, those who are part of this program only need one or two of the above to keep independent.

Home Care Packages are structured on a level basis, ranging from one to four. Level one is for a basic level of care needs, and four is for complex needs. To decide which level is the most appropriate, the program adopts a customer centric approach, giving the recipient control over what they receive, and how and when they receive them.

What is the difference between a home support and a home care package?

The key differences between a home support and a home care package is the scope of services offered. The home support package, known as the CHSP, focuses on those requiring one or two basic services in the short term. Its recipients are those who would benefit from extra assistance but are still capable of living relatively independent lives. The services are government subsidised, but you may be asked to contribute to the cost of your care.

A Home Care Package is tailored to the individual, with four levels used to meet varying needs. It’s for those who need more individualised support with complex levels of care. You are provided with a higher degree of choice and more flexibility when it comes to deciding the care that you receive. Unlike the CHSP where you will have to use multiple providers to deliver your services, you select one provider when using a Home Care Package.

Delivering a Home Care Package

Home Care Package approved providers must understand their recipients needs and wants before delivering a service. Using a holistic approach, providers work with the individuals to understand exactly what they want out of the program and tailor their services as such. The package must meet the Aged Care Quality Standards and any other relevant legislation.

There are, however, services that cannot be delivered under the Home Care Package Program. Anything that is provided must be bespoke to the individual and what they need to remain independent. It cannot be used on items or services that anyone, regardless of age, needs day to day. Examples of these are:

• Household bills
• Basic living expenses
• Any other services funded under other programs such as dental, medical and pharmaceutical

If another government funded program covers a certain service, then the Home Care Package cannot be used for this – it must be unique to the individual.

Receiving a Home Care Package

To be eligible under the Home Care Package scheme, your needs must be assessed to determine which category you fall into. The first step is registering with My Aged Care, and then your assessment which is carried out by an aged care assessor will determine which package you are able to receive.

From 1^st July 2024, the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) was introduced to assess a person’s eligibility. This responds to recommendation 28 in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s report released between 2018 – 2021 with recommendations to change the aged care system to increase the quality of services provided. The IAT allows for a more accurate and whole overview of information on the recipient to provide more tailored packages.

During an assessment, the assessor will go through your day-to-day home life, and understand your health, lifestyle, family network, current support (if any), community activities as an example.  Your assessor will then work with you to understand your goals, what support you need, your strengths and difficulties and your preferences. Once assigned a package, you can then choose who your provider will be, so you have the freedom to determine their location and when you receive the support.

There is a high demand for Home Care Packages, so the National Priority System (NPS) puts you into a category of either medium or high. At time of writing, the wait times for Home Care Packages for those who are in the medium tier are:

Level	Wait time
1	4 months
2	7 months
3	10 months
4	13 months

Those who are sitting in the high categories usually receive their care within a month.

Home Care Package subsidy rates

The Home Care Package program is divided into four levels:

• Level 1 – basic care
• Level 2 – low-level care
• Level 3 – intermediate care
• Level 4 – high-level care

Each of these levels receives a different subsidy from the government. Daily subsidy rates are:

Level	Daily subsidy rate
1	$29.28
2	$51.49
3	$112.07
4	$169.90

Supplements are available if the recipient is a veteran with a service-related mental health condition or need oxygen and enteral feeding supplements.

A recipient can be reassessed if they need to increase or decrease their level of care.

What am I expected to pay for a Home Care Package?

Personal contributions to Home Care Packages are divided into three categories of fees:

• Basic daily fee – your Home Care Package provider may ask you to pay a daily fee of up to $13.08, which will depend on your level
• Income tested care fee – this will depend on your income and whether you pay and how much you pay is decided through an assessment conducted by Services Australia. This assessment will only look at your income.
• Additional fees – this is any other amount you have agreed to pay for other care and services outside of what your package offers.

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