Home Care Package Inclusions and Exclusions: What’s Covered & What’s Not (2026)

Aged Care  |  Support at Home  |  Family Guidance

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Quick Answer

Home care package inclusions and exclusions, now governed by the Support at Home inclusions and exclusions list, determine exactly what your funding can and can’t pay for. In general, it can be spent on services that directly support your health, safety, and independence at home, personal care, nursing and allied health, domestic assistance, transport, social support, and assistive technology. It cannot be spent on general living costs like rent, groceries, medications, or holidays. This guide covers the full inclusions and exclusions list, the grey areas in between, and how to get real value from your funding.

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Home Care Packages Were Replaced

The old four-level Home Care Package system no longer exists for new applicants. It was replaced on 1 November 2025 by the Support at Home programme, which uses eight classification levels. If you were on a Home Care Package before that date, you automatically transitioned to Support at Home. Whether you call them home care package inclusions and exclusions, SAH inclusions and exclusions, or HCP inclusions and exclusions, this guide covers the current rules under the Support at Home programme.

Coming 1 October 2026: Personal Care Fully Funded

From 1 October 2026, the Australian Government will fully fund personal care services under Independence Services. Showering, dressing, grooming, and related personal care assistance become $0 cost for participants, the same as clinical care. This is one of the most significant improvements to home care package inclusions in the programme’s history.

Personal Care (Independence Services)

Showering, bathing and personal hygiene, dressing and grooming assistance, toileting and continence support, oral hygiene assistance, mobility assistance and safe transfers, medication prompting, skin care and pressure injury prevention, help with glasses, hearing aids and prostheses, feeding assistance where assessed, and continence aids and supplies.

Clinical and Nursing Services, 100% Government Funded

Registered nursing visits and clinical assessments, wound care and dressing management, clinical medication management, physiotherapy and exercise physiology, occupational therapy assessments, speech pathology and swallowing assessment, podiatry, dietetics and nutritional counselling, social work and counselling, continence nursing management, palliative care nursing support at home, diabetes management and education, and clinically supervised exercise programmes. All of these are fully government-funded, you pay zero regardless of income or assets.

Domestic Assistance and Everyday Living

House cleaning, vacuuming and mopping, laundry and ironing assistance, bed making and linen changes, meal preparation and cooking assistance, the labour and delivery cost of meal delivery, shopping assistance (the service, not the groceries), basic safety-related garden maintenance, minor home safety repairs, pest control for health and safety reasons, and decluttering where safety is the documented reason.

Transport and Social Support

Transport to medical and allied health appointments, transport to social activities and religious services where assessed, social support and companionship visits, escorted community activities and outings, assistance to attend seniors groups or clubs, and technology support to reduce social isolation.

AT-HM Inclusions and Exclusions (Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Scheme)

Under Support at Home, home modifications and assistive technology have their own dedicated budget stream, the AT-HM Scheme, separate from your quarterly service budget. This includes grab rails and bathroom safety rails, ramps and non-slip flooring, shower chairs and commode chairs, walking frames, wheelchairs and mobility scooters, personal emergency alarms, bed rails and pressure-relief mattresses, stairlifts and ceiling hoists where assessed, accessible bathroom modifications, communication devices, and an OT assessment for home modification recommendations.

• Housing and household bills, rent, mortgage repayments, rates, insurance, and utility bills are private living costs that exist regardless of aged care needs
• Food, groceries, and ingredients, the service of meal preparation or shopping assistance is included, the actual food bill is not
• Medications and PBS items, these must be obtained through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, not double-funded through your package. Wound care supplies for clinical needs are an exception
• Medical fees and hospital costs, GP visits, specialists, hospital charges, and private health insurance are covered by Medicare or other programmes, not your package
• Gambling, alcohol, and tobacco, absolute exclusions with no exceptions
• Holidays and leisure travel, flights, holiday accommodation, and tourism activities are excluded, though the care component of a support worker accompanying you may be fundable
• Cash payments to family or friends, family members can only be paid if formally employed by a registered provider delivering services in that capacity
• Cosmetic home renovations, aesthetic upgrades are excluded, modifications must be directly related to safety, accessibility, or mobility
• Services benefiting family members, not the recipient, funding is exclusively for the assessed care recipient
• Hairdressing and beauty therapy, generally excluded, though transport for a hairdresser to visit a bedbound person may be covered
• Items covered by other government programmes, anything available through Medicare, PBS, NDIS, DVA, or the Hearing Services Programme must be accessed through that programme instead

Exercise Programmes

Gym memberships are generally excluded, but gym or pool access can be funded if prescribed for age-related functional decline and monitored by a health professional. Tai chi and yoga are excluded unless supervised by a qualified practitioner as part of your care plan.

Computers and Tablets

Generic tablets and smartwatches are generally excluded under the current rules. A device can be funded where there’s documented clinical rationale, for example, reducing isolation or managing a health condition, particularly with evidence from an OT or GP.

Hearing Aids and Air Conditioning

Hearing aids available through the Hearing Services Programme must be obtained through that channel. Air conditioning installation is excluded as a general home improvement, but can be funded with documented clinical evidence of a genuine medical need, such as severe heat sensitivity from a health condition.

Alternative Therapies and Pet Care

Massage and alternative treatments are generally excluded unless clinically prescribed. General pet care is excluded, though certified assistance animals may be supported, and walking a pet during a genuinely care-related social support visit may be fundable.

What does “inclusion” actually mean under a home care package? DEFINITION

An inclusion is simply a service or item your funding is legally permitted to pay for, because it directly supports your health, safety, or ability to live independently at home. An exclusion is anything that falls outside that purpose, general living costs, lifestyle spending, or items already funded through another government programme.

Can I buy a fridge with my home care package? GENERALLY NO

A standard household fridge is generally excluded, it’s considered a general household item rather than something specifically supporting your care needs. The exception is a specialised appliance genuinely required for a documented clinical reason, such as safe medication storage, which would need OT or GP documentation to be considered.

Can I buy a computer with my home care package? DEPENDS

Under current rules, generic tablets and computers are harder to justify. They can be funded where there’s a documented clinical rationale, such as reducing social isolation or managing a health monitoring app, ideally supported by an OT or GP assessment.

Can I buy a mobility scooter with my package? YES

If assessed as necessary for mobility and independence. Mobility scooters are specifically listed in the AT-HM scheme, and an OT or physiotherapist assessment may be required.

Can I pay my family member to care for me? NO

Direct cash payments to family members are excluded. A family member can only be paid if formally employed by a registered provider delivering services in that capacity.

Can I use my package for physiotherapy? YES, FREE

Physiotherapy is a clinical care service, 100% government-funded under Support at Home. You pay nothing, regardless of income or assets, and the same applies to OT, speech pathology, podiatry, and dietetics.

Can I pay for Meals on Wheels with my package? PARTLY

The delivery and labour component can be funded. The cost of the food itself cannot, so the service fee is fundable while any ingredient cost isn’t.

What’s included in a lower vs higher classification? NOTE

All eight Support at Home classification levels access the same service list, the difference is the annual funding amount, not which services you can access. A lower classification (around $16,000/year) and the highest classification ($78,106/year) can both access personal care, nursing, allied health, domestic assistance, and the AT-HM scheme. Budget determines how much of each service you receive, not which services are available. Read our guides to home care package levels and the Level 4 home care package.

Can I use my package for in-home respite care? YES

In-home respite, a support worker coming to your home so your regular carer can take a break, can be funded. Residential respite is funded separately through the government’s annual residential respite entitlement, see our guide to short-term respite care and how long someone can stay in respite care.

10 Tips to Get Maximum Value From Your Package

• Use your clinical care entitlements first, they’re 100% free and often underused
• Get an OT assessment early, it’s funded as clinical care and can unlock home modification funding
• Document every care need specifically, vague requests are often declined
• Review your care plan every quarter through My Aged Care as your needs change
• Understand the 10% care management cap, at least 90% of funding must go to actual services
• Carry forward unspent funds, up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget, whichever is greater
• Ask about the AT-HM scheme for modifications, it has its own separate funding stream
• Keep records of all services and invoices, you’re entitled to a transparent accounting
• Be honest about your worst days during assessments, not your best, so funding reflects real needs
• Consider changing providers if services aren’t being delivered as planned, you have that right at any time

Does a Level 2 home care package include the same services as Level 4?

Yes. All classification levels access the same inclusions list, personal care, nursing, allied health, domestic assistance, transport, and the AT-HM scheme. The difference between levels is the size of the annual budget, not which services are available to you.

Are CHSP inclusions and exclusions the same as Support at Home?

They follow the same general principle, funding services that support health, safety, and independence while excluding general living costs. CHSP is a separate, lower-intensity, fee-for-service program, and it won’t merge into Support at Home until 2027 at the earliest.

What can I spend my aged care package on in 2026?

Personal care, nursing and allied health (all free), domestic assistance, meal preparation (not the food itself), transport, social support, home modifications, assistive technology, continence aids, and in-home respite care. It cannot be spent on groceries, rent, bills, medications, holidays, alcohol, gambling, cash to family, or general entertainment.

What are the Support at Home inclusions and exclusions?

They follow the same principles as the old HCP inclusions and exclusions, with clinical care now 100% government-funded, personal care becoming fully funded from 1 October 2026, and stricter rules around purchasing goods like tablets or smartwatches without documented clinical justification.

What’s the home care package exclusion list?

Rent, mortgage and utilities, food and groceries, medications and PBS items, medical and hospital fees, private health insurance, gambling, alcohol and tobacco, holidays, cash to family, cosmetic renovations, hairdressing, and anything available through Medicare, NDIS, PBS, or DVA. The key test is always whether it directly supports health, safety, and independence.

Are lower classifications excluded from certain services?

No. All eight Support at Home classifications access the same service list. The difference is the annual budget amount, not which services are available. What limits lower classifications is budget, not service exclusions.

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