Commencing 1 October 2026, personal care services delivered under Support at Home will move from the ‘independence’ category to the 'clinical supports' category. Personal care services include help with tasks such as showering, dressing and non-clinical continence management. The reclassification means these services will no longer attract participant contribution payments (co-payments). 

Under the Support at Home program established by the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth), participants are required to make co-payments calculated as a percentage of the registered provider's fee, varying by service type.  Co-payments of between 5% and 50% of the registered provider's fee apply to the 'independence' service category. Co-payments do not apply to 'clinical supports' service category.

The application of co-payments to these personal care services under the Support at Home program attracted sustained criticism from sector bodies, advocates and crossbench members of Parliament, with reports that some recipients were reducing or forgoing basic care due to the cost

Key changes

Following the announcement:

• personal services, including showering, dressing and continence care, will be reclassified under the 'clinical supports' service category and will no longer attract co-payments;
• the changes will take effect for personal care services delivered from 1 October 2026, with the current fee arrangements remaining in place until that date; and
• co-payments for services under the 'independence' and 'everyday living' service categories will continue.

Importantly, services delivered under the residential aged care framework remain unchanged. Showering, dressing and continence management will continue to be classified as 'non-clinical care' under that framework.

Implications for providers

Providers should prepare for the October 2026 transition by reviewing and, where necessary, updating service agreements, fee schedules and care plans to reflect the reclassification. We expect further detail, including any necessary amendments to the Aged Care Rules 2025 (Cth), will be released in coming weeks.

We would be happy to discuss how these changes may affect your operations and how best to prepare for the transition.

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.