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Support at Home personal care now has no contribution

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If you, or a parent you look after, gets help with showering, dressing or continence at home, Support at Home personal care no longer costs a contribution from 1 October 2026. Here’s what changed and what to check.

As at 5 October 2026. General information only, not legal, financial or medical advice. Rules can change, so check the official sources below.

In short

  • From 1 October 2026, personal care moves from the “independence” category to the “clinical supports” category.
  • If personal care is approved in your support plan and you have Support at Home funds available, you don’t pay a contribution for it.
  • It’s still paid from your Support at Home budget.
  • Personal care delivered before 1 October still attracts a contribution, even if it’s claimed later.

What changed for Support at Home personal care

Under Support at Home, what you contribute depends on the category a service sits in. Moving personal care into the clinical supports category means the Australian Government now fully funds it, so you no longer pay a contribution. It is still paid from your Support at Home budget.

What counts as personal care hasn’t changed. It still covers help with showering, dressing, eating, personal hygiene, non-clinical continence management and taking your own medication. Eligibility and approval haven’t changed either: you still need to be assessed and approved for personal care.

Who it affects

Older people on Support at Home who have personal care approved, their families, and every Support at Home provider delivering personal care. Providers must apply the change.

Also worth knowing: the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), which provides entry-level help such as domestic assistance, has been extended to 30 June 2029. The Government will consult this year on its long-term future.

What you can do now

  1. Check your next statement. Personal care delivered from 1 October 2026 shouldn’t show a contribution.
  2. If you’d like more personal care now that it costs less, talk to your provider about updating your care plan.
  3. If you need personal care but it isn’t in your support plan, talk to your provider or contact My Aged Care about an assessment.
  4. Keep an eye on your total budget. Personal care is free of contribution, but it still uses your Support at Home funds.

How Kinship can help

Accepting help with showering is one of the hardest conversations in any family, for the person and for the adult child who raises it. Taking cost out of that conversation helps.

Kinship Uniting Services has worked in disability and aged care since 2017. We’re applying to become a Support at Home provider, but we can’t take Support at Home clients yet; you can see where that’s up to. Today, through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP), under a grant that runs to 30 June 2027, we provide domestic assistance in Northern Sydney and the Southern Highlands only. Other help for older people is available via referral or partners.

If you’d like us to help with this, call 0437 733 744 and we’ll talk it through. Or send us a note through our get support page, whichever is easier for you.

Ask us: got a question about this change? Email info@kinshipunitingservices.com or call 0437 733 744, and we’ll answer it in plain English.

Common questions

Is Support at Home personal care free from 1 October 2026?

If personal care is approved in your support plan and you have Support at Home funds available, you won’t pay a contribution for personal care delivered from 1 October 2026. It is still paid from your Support at Home budget.

Do I pay a contribution for personal care delivered before 1 October?

Yes. Services delivered before 1 October 2026 still attract a contribution, even if they are claimed after 1 October.

Official sources

📞 0437 733 744 | kinshipunitingservices.com
Kinship Uniting Services, 39 Victory Road, Colebee NSW 2761
Registered NDIS provider 4-GWVHCEY

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