Australia’s Support at Home program was introduced to help older people receive the services, equipment and home modifications they need to remain safe and independent at home.
However, misunderstandings about how the funding works can lead to unnecessary delays. A client may be told to wait while money accumulates, an equipment request may be postponed because an occupational therapist’s prescription is assumed to be mandatory, or a family may believe that approval means funding is immediately available.
For older people, even a short delay can have consequences. A person may stop showering independently, avoid leaving the house or continue using unsafe equipment while everyone waits for a process that may not actually be required.
Understanding these common Support at Home funding myths can help older people, families, care partners and health professionals move towards appropriate support sooner.
Myth 1: Support at Home Is Simply the Home Care Packages Program With a New Name
Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme on 1 November 2025, but it introduced a different funding structure.
The program includes:
- Eight classifications for ongoing services
- An Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme
- A Restorative Care Pathway
- An End-of-Life Pathway
Ongoing funding is allocated quarterly according to the participant’s assessed classification. Assistive technology and home modifications are generally funded through a separate pathway rather than the ongoing quarterly services budget.
People who transitioned from the former Home Care Packages Program may also have different arrangements relating to their previous classification and unspent funds.
The practical lesson is simple: do not rely on assumptions based on how a Home Care Package previously worked. Check the participant’s current Notice of Decision, support plan and funding allocation.
The Australian Government’s Support at Home overview explains the current classifications and pathways.
Myth 2: Clients Must Save Their Quarterly Budget to Purchase Assistive Technology
Under Support at Home, assistive technology and home modifications are funded through the separate Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme, commonly called the AT-HM scheme.
This means a participant does not usually need to leave essential ongoing services unused while trying to build up enough quarterly funding for equipment.
The AT-HM scheme may fund eligible supports such as:
- Walking aids and wheelchairs
- Shower chairs and other bathing equipment
- Toileting supports
- Personal emergency alarms
- Handrails and ramps
- Accessibility-related bathroom modifications
- Other listed equipment addressing an assessed functional need
The support must be included in the participant’s support plan, meet an assessed need and appear on the current AT-HM list.
Importantly, the participant cannot simply use remaining ongoing quarterly funds to purchase AT-HM items. The correct funding pathway must be followed. Participants who transitioned from a Home Care Package may also be required to use available Commonwealth unspent HCP funds first.
See the government’s current Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme guidance.
Myth 3: Approval Means the Funding Is Ready to Use Immediately
Assessment, approval and allocation are different stages.
An older person may be approved for ongoing services, assistive technology, home modifications or a combination of supports. The approval should appear in the person’s Notice of Decision and support plan.
However, AT-HM funding is allocated through separate Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Priority Systems. A participant may therefore receive AT-HM funding at a different time from their ongoing Support at Home funding.
Once AT-HM funding has been allocated, the participant has found a provider and the provider has completed the required notification, the funding can be accessed—even if the participant is still waiting for other approved services.
Before telling a client that funding is available, confirm:
- What has been approved
- What has actually been allocated
- The participant’s priority status
- Whether a provider has been engaged
- Whether the provider has completed the required administrative steps
- When the allocation expires
Clear communication at this stage can prevent families from ordering an item too early or waiting unnecessarily after the funds have become available.
Myth 4: Every Assistive Technology Item Requires an Occupational Therapist’s Prescription
All home modifications funded through the AT-HM scheme must be prescribed by an occupational therapist working within their professional scope.
The requirements for assistive technology are more varied.
Some simple, relatively low-risk products may not require a formal prescription or customisation. Other products may benefit from professional advice, while more complex or higher-risk equipment may require assessment and prescription by a suitably qualified health professional.
Depending on the item and the person’s needs, that professional could be an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, nurse or another appropriately qualified practitioner.
The current AT-HM list indicates whether an item is considered low risk, should be accessed under advice or should be professionally prescribed. It also identifies conditional inclusions and exclusions.
Requiring an occupational therapy prescription for every simple product may create avoidable delays. Skipping professional assessment for complex equipment, on the other hand, may result in an unsafe or unsuitable recommendation.
The level of assessment should match the risk, complexity and individual needs involved.
Myth 5: If a Product Is Helpful, Support at Home Will Automatically Pay for It
A product can be useful without being eligible for government funding.
AT-HM funding may only be used for products, equipment and home modifications included on the current AT-HM list. The item must also address an assessed need recorded in the participant’s support plan and either improve functioning or help manage disability or age-related functional decline.
Items may be excluded when they are:
- Ordinary household or discretionary expenses
- Better funded through another government or community program
- Intended mainly for workplace use
- Unrelated to an assessed functional need
- Outside the inclusions in the current AT-HM list
Conditional items may require additional evidence, a particular type of prescription or other criteria to be met.
Before recommending or ordering a product, providers and health professionals should check:
- Is the product on the current AT-HM list?
- Is the person’s need documented in the support plan?
- Does the item meet any applicable conditions?
- Is professional advice or prescription required?
- Are setup, training, delivery, monitoring or maintenance also needed?
- Has the participant’s expected contribution been explained?
This prevents a clinically reasonable recommendation from becoming stalled later because the funding requirements were not checked at the beginning.
Myth 6: Support at Home Services Are Either Completely Free or Entirely Means-Tested
Participant contributions depend on the type of service and the person’s financial circumstances.
Under the current contribution structure:
- Clinical supports, including nursing and physiotherapy, do not require participant contributions.
- Independence services generally involve moderate contributions.
- Everyday living services generally involve higher contributions.
- Most AT-HM items require a participant contribution.
- AT-HM prescription and wraparound services are treated as clinical supports and are fully government funded.
The person’s income, assets and pension status help determine their individual contribution rate. Some people who were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package by the government’s specified transition date are protected by the “no worse off” principle.
From 1 October 2026, personal care services will move to the Clinical Supports contribution category. Eligible participants with personal care included in their support plan will no longer pay a contribution for those services.
Because contribution arrangements can change, providers should explain the expected cost before services begin or equipment is ordered. Participants can review the latest Support at Home contribution guidance and use the My Aged Care fee estimator.
Myth 7: Unused Quarterly Funding Will Continue Accumulating Until the Client Needs It
Ongoing Support at Home budgets are allocated quarterly, but unspent funding does not accumulate without limit.
At the time of publication, participants can generally carry over the higher of:
- $1,000, or
- 10% of their quarterly budget, including applicable supplements.
This makes timely planning important. Delaying approved services because the client wants to “save the whole budget for later” may mean the expected amount is not available in a future quarter.
Care partners should work with participants to use funding according to their assessed needs while avoiding rushed or unnecessary spending. If the current classification no longer meets the person’s needs, the appropriate response may be reassessment—not repeatedly reducing essential services to make the budget stretch further.
Current information is available on the government’s Support at Home funding classifications page.
Myth 8: The Entire Quarterly Budget Is Available for Direct Services
For participants receiving ongoing Support at Home services, 10% of the quarterly budget is deducted to fund care management.
This care management funding is handled separately and is used for activities such as:
- Care and service planning
- Monitoring and reviewing support
- Responding to changing needs
- Coordinating services
- Providing participant support and education
It is not simply an additional pool that can be redirected towards domestic assistance, transport, equipment or other direct services.
Understanding the difference between the total classification amount and the amount available for direct services can prevent unrealistic service plans and unexpected shortfalls.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing provides more information about how Support at Home care management is funded.
Myth 9: If the Approved Funding Is Insufficient, Nothing Can Be Done
An initial approval or funding tier does not always remain appropriate as a person’s circumstances change.
A support plan review or reassessment may be needed when:
- The person’s mobility or functional ability has declined
- Their home environment has changed
- The approved AT-HM tier cannot cover the prescribed support
- New safety risks have emerged
- Their existing ongoing classification no longer meets their care needs
- More evidence has become available about the person’s requirements
For example, if an AT-HM funding tier is not sufficient, the provider may request a support plan review and submit supporting evidence. More complex or higher-cost requests may require a quote, valid prescription or additional clinical information.
The solution is not to keep the client waiting without explanation. The provider or health professional should identify what evidence is missing, who is responsible for obtaining it and when the request will be followed up.
Myth 10: Clients Must Stay With Their Current Provider or Lose Their Funding
Support at Home participants can change providers.
A participant’s ongoing funding, including eligible unspent funds, generally moves with them to the new provider. AT-HM supports that are already being arranged should also be coordinated between the outgoing and incoming providers, with the participant’s agreement.
Changing providers still involves administrative steps. The participant will need to choose a new provider, enter into a service agreement and ensure the transition is properly coordinated.
Concerns about losing funding should not prevent an older person from asking questions, comparing options or seeking a provider that can better meet their needs. The government’s guidance on changing Support at Home providers explains the process.
How Professionals Can Help Prevent Funding Delays
A timely Support at Home process begins with accurate information and clear responsibility.
When a client needs a new service, assistive technology or home modification:
- Review the Notice of Decision and support plan. Confirm what has been assessed and approved.
- Identify the correct funding pathway. Determine whether the request belongs under ongoing services, AT-HM or another short-term pathway.
- Check the current service or AT-HM list. Do not rely on an outdated list or previous Home Care Package rules.
- Match the assessment to the level of risk. Avoid requesting unnecessary reports for simple equipment, but obtain appropriate professional input for complex supports.
- Gather evidence early. Clarify whether quotes, measurements, clinical records, photographs or prescriptions will be needed.
- Confirm allocation—not only approval. Find out whether funding is available to use and whether further provider action is required.
- Explain contributions before proceeding. Clients should understand any likely out-of-pocket cost before committing to a service or purchase.
- Escalate changing needs promptly. Request a support plan review or reassessment when existing approvals no longer reflect the person’s situation.
- Give the client a clear update. Explain what has been completed, what is still required, who is responsible and when the next follow-up will occur.
Final Thoughts
Funding systems can be complex, but older people should not be left without support simply because everyone is uncertain about the rules.
The most common delays occur when approval is confused with allocation, ongoing funding is confused with AT-HM funding, or unnecessary assessment requirements are added to a straightforward request.
By checking the participant’s support plan, confirming the correct pathway and identifying evidence requirements early, providers and health professionals can help clients access suitable support sooner.
The goal is not merely to complete a funding process. It is to help older people remain safe, confident and independent in the homes and communities they know.
This article provides general information about Australia’s Support at Home program. Program rules, contribution arrangements and eligible service lists may change. Information should be checked against current My Aged Care and Australian Government guidance before services or products are arranged.