Support at Home Calculator — Updated for 2026–2027
Support at Home Calculator: Your Contributions, Budget and Cap
Estimate your Support at Home contributions, budget and lifetime cap.
Your care and services
Your pension status
Your contribution rates depend on your means assessment. If you choose not to have one, you pay the self-funded retiree rates.
Your classification
Your Support at Home classification, or your Home Care Package level if you moved across from a package. Budgets shown are from 1 October 2026.
Services you receive
Enter the price your provider charges for each type of service, before any contribution.
Nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other allied health care. Your rate: 0%.
Showering, dressing, continence care and other help with daily personal tasks. Fully funded, with no contribution, from 1 October 2026; before then it was charged at the independence rate.
Transport to appointments, social support, respite and other help to stay independent. Your rate: 5%.
Cleaning, gardening, meals and other help around the home. Your rate: 17.5%.
Lifetime cap
Optional. Support at Home contributions and any non-clinical care contributions paid in residential aged care count toward one combined cap. If you had a Home Care Package, include the income-tested care fees you paid under it. Leave at $0 if you are just starting.
Support at Home Contribution Estimate
Rules in force from 1 October 2026
Your contribution per fortnight
$28.75
5.8% of the price of your services
$471.25 paid by the government from your budget
Based on $500.00 of services a fortnight · Full pensioner · Classification 4
- Per quarter
- $186.88
- You pay this year
- $747.50
- Government pays this year
- $12,252.50
Contribution breakdown
Each service per fortnight, at the 2026-27 rates
| Service | Rate | Price | You pay | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical supportsClinical supports | 0% | $200.00 | $0.00 | $200.00 |
| Personal careClinical supports | 0% | $100.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| Other independence servicesIndependence | 5% | $50.00 | $2.50 | $47.50 |
| Everyday livingEveryday living | 17.5% | $150.00 | $26.25 | $123.75 |
| Total | 5.8% | $500.00 | $28.75 | $471.25 |
Your quarterly budget
Classification 4 · budgets from 1 October 2026
| Item | Per quarter |
|---|---|
| Classification 4 budget | $7,632.04 |
| Care management (10%) | −$763.20 |
| Available for services | $6,868.84 |
| Services you entered | $3,250.00 |
Lifetime contribution cap
Once your contributions reach it, you pay no more Support at Home contributions
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard lifetime cap (as at 20 September 2026) | $140,652.80 |
| Contributions paid to date | $0.00 |
| Left before you reach the cap | $140,652.80 |
| Years to reach it at this spending | 188.2 years |
What this estimate covers
Read before relying on the figures
- The 2026-27 figures use the Support at Home rules in force from 1 October 2026: the contribution rates, the classification budgets from 1 October 2026 and the lifetime cap as at 20 September 2026. Per-year figures repeat the spending you entered across a full year; they don't model price, budget or cap indexation.
- Part pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders enter the rates on their Services Australia letter — the calculator does not work out a rate from income and assets.
- Not modelled: hardship assistance, the restorative care and end-of-life pathways, the assistive technology and home modifications scheme, residential care fees, and the special rules for people who pay no contributions, such as former prisoners of war and some people who have received home care since before 2014.
- This is an estimate only, not financial advice. Check your figures with the official My Aged Care fee estimator or your provider.
What's next
Reviewed by Ashma Ghimire, ASA, CPA AustraliaLast reviewed 30 September 2026
How the Support at Home calculator works out your contributions
The calculator takes the price of each service you receive, finds the contribution rate for its category and your pension status, and splits the price into what you pay and what the government pays from your budget. It shows the result per fortnight, per quarter and per year, compares your spending with your classification's quarterly budget after care management, and works out how much of your lifetime cap is left.
The 2026-27 figures use the rules in force from 1 October 2026. Personal care follows the rule in force from 1 October 2026, budgets are the published amounts from 1 October 2026, and the lifetime caps are as at 20 September 2026. This is an independent estimate, not financial advice; Services Australia assesses your rates and your provider sets its prices.
- Choose your pension status — part pensioners and CSHC holders enter the rates from their Services Australia letter.
- Say whether the no worse off principle applies — if you were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024.
- Pick your classification and enter your services — the price of clinical, personal care, independence and everyday living services per fortnight or per quarter.
- Read your contribution, budget and cap — what you pay, what the government pays, how your spending sits against your budget, and the years left until the lifetime cap.
Planning around the cost of care? Put your contribution into the budget planner, see how long your savings could support it with the super projection, or estimate your tax for the year with the tax return calculator.
Use this calculator when
- You want to know what Support at Home services will cost you each fortnight or quarter.
- You are comparing providers' prices or the mix of services in your plan.
- You moved across from a Home Care Package and want to see the no worse off rates.
- You want to see how close you are to the lifetime contribution cap.
Standard contribution rates from 1 October 2026
| Category | Full pensioner | Part pensioner or CSHC | Self-funded retiree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical supports | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Independence | 5% | 5% to 50% | 50% |
| Everyday living | 17.5% | 17.5% to 80% | 80% |
Rates are a share of each service's price. Part pensioners and CSHC holders pay an assessed rate within the range shown, and people who choose not to disclose their means pay the self-funded retiree rates. Personal care is a clinical support from 1 October 2026. The no worse off rates for Home Care Package recipients are lower — see the FAQ below.
Quarterly budgets from 1 October 2026
| Classification | Per quarter | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Classification 1 | $2,757.89 | $11,031.56 |
| Classification 2 | $4,120.89 | $16,483.55 |
| Classification 3 | $5,645.23 | $22,580.93 |
| Classification 4 | $7,632.04 | $30,528.15 |
| Classification 5 | $10,202.32 | $40,809.27 |
| Classification 6 | $12,365.48 | $49,461.91 |
| Classification 7 | $14,944.20 | $59,776.80 |
| Classification 8 | $20,073.50 | $80,294.00 |
| Transitioned HCP level 1 | $2,823.55 | $11,294.22 |
| Transitioned HCP level 2 | $4,965.14 | $19,860.56 |
| Transitioned HCP level 3 | $10,808.30 | $43,233.21 |
| Transitioned HCP level 4 | $16,385.99 | $65,543.98 |
Budgets include care management: 10% of each quarterly budget goes to it before services. Transitioned Home Care Package levels apply to people who moved across from a package.
Sources: My Aged Care — Support at Home costs and contributions · My Aged Care — Support at Home fee estimator
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Support at Home contributions?
Support at Home replaced Home Care Packages on 1 November 2025. Under it, the government funds a quarterly budget for your services, and you pay a contribution: a share of the price of each service, set by the service's category and your pension status. The government pays the rest of the price from your budget. For 2026-27, this calculator uses the rules in force from 1 October 2026. Enter the prices your provider charges to see your contribution per fortnight, per quarter and per year.
What are the three Support at Home service categories?
Every service sits in one of three categories. Clinical supports — nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and other allied health care — carry a 0% contribution whatever your pension status. Independence services — such as transport to appointments, social support and respite — are charged at your independence rate. Everyday living services — such as cleaning, gardening and meals — are charged at your everyday living rate.
Do you pay a contribution for personal care under Support at Home?
Not from 1 October 2026. From that date personal care, such as showering, dressing and continence care, counts as a clinical support, so it carries a 0% contribution. Before that date it was an independence service, charged at the independence rate. The calculator applies whichever rule is in force for the financial year you select.
What contribution rates do pensioners and self-funded retirees pay?
On the standard rates in force from 1 October 2026, full pensioners pay 5% of the price of independence services and 17.5% for everyday living. Self-funded retirees pay 50% and 80%. Part pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders pay a rate between those figures, set by their means assessment. Clinical supports carry 0% for everyone.
How is a part pensioner's contribution rate worked out?
Services Australia works out an individual rate for part pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders from their income and assets, somewhere between the full pensioner and self-funded retiree rates, and sends it in a letter. This calculator does not model that income and assets assessment: choose Part pensioner or CSHC holder and enter the independence and everyday living rates from your letter. If you don't have a letter yet, the official My Aged Care fee estimator can give you an estimate.
What is the no worse off principle?
If you were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024, the no worse off principle keeps your contributions from rising above what you would have paid under the old arrangements. You pay the no worse off rates instead of the standard ones: 0% for independence and 0% for everyday living as a full pensioner, up to 25% and 25% as a self-funded retiree. You also have a lower lifetime cap of $88,934.57 as at 20 September 2026. These rates are a maximum: your contributions can't be more than you paid under your Home Care Package, a ceiling the calculator doesn't model. If you paid no income-tested care fee under your package, you never pay contributions — choose Full pensioner with the Home Care Package option turned on to see $0.
What is the Support at Home lifetime cap?
There is a cap on the contributions you pay over your lifetime. As at 20 September 2026 the standard lifetime cap is $140,652.80, and it is shared with the non-clinical care contributions you pay if you later move into residential aged care. People under the no worse off principle have a lower cap of $88,934.57 as at 20 September 2026, and the fees they paid under their Home Care Package count toward it. The caps are indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year. Once you reach your cap you pay no more contributions and the government pays for your services in full. Enter what you have already paid and the calculator shows how much of the cap is left and how many years your current spending would take to reach it.
Why is 10% taken from my quarterly budget?
10% of each quarterly budget goes to care management — developing and reviewing your care plan and helping manage your services. You pay no contribution on it, and the rest of the budget is left for services. For 2026-27, the budgets from 1 October 2026 run from $2,757.89 a quarter for classification 1 to $20,073.50 for classification 8, with separate budgets for people who moved across from a Home Care Package.
What happens to Support at Home budget I don't spend?
Unspent budget carries over to the next quarter, up to the greater of $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget. Going the other way, services beyond your budget are paid privately at full price and don't count toward your lifetime cap. When the services you enter cost more than your budget has for services, the calculator shows that excess as paid privately, sharing your budget across your services in proportion to their price.
What if I don't disclose my income and assets?
If you choose not to have a means assessment, you are charged the self-funded retiree rates — the highest — of 50% for independence services and 80% for everyday living on the standard rates. Choose Means not disclosed in the calculator to see that estimate.
Can I get help if I can't afford my contributions?
Financial hardship assistance is available through Services Australia for people who can't pay their contributions. The calculator does not model hardship arrangements; contact Services Australia or My Aged Care to ask about applying.
Is this calculator financial advice?
No. It is an estimate built on the published Support at Home rules for the financial year you select, not financial advice. Your provider's prices, your classification and your assessed rates decide what you actually pay. Check your figures with the official Support at Home fee estimator on the My Aged Care website, or ask your provider.