What are the four Home Care Package levels?

The four Home Care Package levels are: Level 1 for basic assistance ($11,294.22/year), Level 2 for low-level care ($19,860.56/year), Level 3 for intermediate care ($43,233.21/year), and Level 4 for high-level care ($65,543.98/year). Since 1 November 2025, these have transitioned to the Support at Home program as Transitioned HCP Levels.

Have Home Care Packages been replaced?

Yes. Since 1 November 2025, the former four-level Home Care Package program has transitioned to the new Support at Home program, which now has eight classification levels instead of four. Existing HCP recipients have been automatically transitioned to the equivalent Support at Home classification.

What services are included in a Level 1 Home Care Package?

A Level 1 Home Care Package ($11,294.22/year) covers basic assistance including domestic help, social support, meal preparation, shopping, transport, and personal care. It’s designed for people who are still independent and able to perform most day-to-day tasks on their own.

What services are included in a Level 4 Home Care Package?

A Level 4 Home Care Package ($65,543.98/year) is the highest level, supporting people who need significant daily assistance. Services include personal care, domestic assistance, nursing support, allied health services, medication management, home modifications, assistive technology, and support for changes to memory and behaviour.

How do I move from a lower Home Care Package level to a higher one?

If your care needs increase, you can request a reassessment through My Aged Care. The assessor will evaluate your current situation and may approve you for a higher classification level under the new Support at Home program, which provides funding more closely matched to your needs across eight levels.

Home Care Package Levels: What’s Covered?

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Published 10 November 2026

Home Care Package Levels: At A Glance 🔎

Home Care Package levels still exist, under a new name. If you had a Home Care Package when Support at Home started on 1 November 2025, you moved automatically to a Transitioned HCP Level with the same funding as your package.
Level 1: $11,294.22 a year ($2,823.55 a quarter)
Level 2: $19,860.56 a year ($4,965.14 a quarter)
Level 3: $43,233.21 a year ($10,808.30 a quarter)
Level 4: $65,543.98 a year ($16,385.99 a quarter)
Your budget arrives each quarter. The full quarterly amount is available from the start of the quarter. These figures apply from 1 October 2026 and are indexed each July.
The level sets your budget, not your services. What you can spend it on follows your assessment outcome and support plan, which you work out with your provider.
Unspent HCP funds are yours to keep. There is no cap on them. They can pay for approved assistive technology and home modifications, or for ongoing services once your quarterly budget is used up.
You are no worse off on contributions. If you were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024, you pay the same or less than you did under your package.
Needs changed? You can ask for a reassessment through My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.
New to aged care? Home Care Package levels are no longer handed out. New applicants are assigned one of eight Support at Home classifications instead.

The funding is a subsidy, not a payment. Services Australia holds your budget, and your provider draws on it for the services you use. It never goes into your bank account.

Please note: Since 1 November 2025, the former four-level Home Care Package program has since transitioned to the new Support at Home program, now with an expansive eight levels,* which you can learn more about in our simplified guide here.

Your Home Care Package level carried straight across to Support at Home

If you have been reading about Support at Home and wondering whether your package has disappeared, it has not. Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program on 1 November 2025, and everyone who already had a package was automatically approved for it. Nobody had to reapply. Each person moved to a Transitioned HCP Level with the same funding level as their package.

The funding is still a subsidy for home care services from a provider, and there are still four levels, based on how much help someone needs:

Level 1: basic assistance
Level 2: low-level care
Level 3: intermediate care
Level 4: high-level care

One thing to be clear on. Transitioned HCP Levels belong to people who had a Home Care Package when Support at Home started. If you are applying now, you will be assessed for one of eight Support at Home classifications instead, which our Support at Home guide explains.

The difference between the levels is the size of the budget

Every level is there to help someone live safely and independently at home and stay connected to their community. What changes from one level to the next is how much funding sits behind that. The table below shows how each Home Care Package level maps across to Support at Home, and the annual amount it carries.

The former Home Care Package program was designed to help older Australians live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. It does this by providing funded access to a wide range of support services tailored to each person’s needs.

Each level of Home Care Package has a different amount of funding, which is used to subsidise home care services from an approved provider. Since 1 November 2025, the four Home Care Package (HCPs) levels are now transitioned into the new Support at Home program.

The Four Levels of Transitioned Home Care Packages (HCPs)

There are four different levels of funding based on how much assistance someone needs:

Level 1: Basic assistance
Level 2: Low-level care
Level 3: Intermediate care
Level 4: High-level care

These Home Care Package levels are now referred to as ‘Transitioned HCP Levels,’ which we break down in detail below.

How Is Each Home Care Package Level Different?

The Home Care Package Program was intended to make life easier, safer and more comfortable, and to help people stay connected to their community while enjoying their independence at home.

So, whether it’s a little extra help around the house or more intensive care, there is support available. The graphic below gives a helpful overview of the former four levels of Home Care Packages, and how each level has since been transitioned to the new Support at Home program:

Home Care Package (HCP) Classification	Support at Home (SAH) Classification	Support at Home Annual Amount Allocated
HCP Level 1	Transitioned HCP Level 1	$11,294.22
HCP Level 2	Transitioned HCP Level 2	$19,860.56
HCP Level 3	Transitioned HCP Level 3	$43,233.21
HCP Level 4	Transitioned HCP Level 4	$65,543.98

Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty and take a much closer look at each level assigned for Home Care Packages.

Level 1 Home Care Package

A Level 1 Home Care Package is designed to support people who need only very basic assistance at home. The amount of funding per year for this level is $11,294.22.

People with a level 1 package are still independent and able to perform most day-to-day tasks on their own. Some of the common services used are:

Domestic assistance
Social support
Meal preparation
Shopping
Transport
Personal care

Are you familiar with the new Support at Home program? Effective since 1 November 2025, see what a SAH Level 1 Classification looks like here.

Find A Level 1 Provider

Level 2 Home Care Package

A Level 2 Home Care Package is aimed at supporting people who have low-level care needs. The amount of funding per year at this level is $19,860.56.

People with a level 2 package require a little more care but are still able to perform a lot of tasks around the home themselves. Services for a level 2 care recipient may include:

Personal care
Domestic assistance
Loan of basic care equipment
Social support
Meal preparation
Shopping
Transport
Basic home and garden maintenance
Some nursing care

Are you familiar with the new Support at Home program? Effective since 1 November 2025, see what a SAH Level 2 Classification looks like here.

Find A Level 2 Provider

Level 3 Home Care Package

A Level 3 Home Care Package supports people who need quite a bit more help in order to remain safely in their home.

Funding for level 3 packages sits at $43,233.21 per year, which can be used for:

Personal care
Domestic assistance
Household assistance
Assistance with aids and appliances
Social support
Meal preparation
Medication management
Nursing support
Allied health support
Shopping
Transport
Support with changes to memory and/or behaviour

Are you familiar with the new Support at Home program? Effective since 1 November 2025, see what a SAH Level 3 Classification looks like here.

Find A Level 3 Provider

Level 4 Home Care Package

A Level 4 Home Care Package is intended to support people who require high-level care. People at this level receive $65,543.98 worth of funding per year.

People with high-level or complex care needs may be eligible to receive comprehensive assistance with:

Personal care (showering/dressing etc)
Domestic assistance (laundry/cleaning etc)
Assistance with aids and appliances
Social support
Meal preparation
Medication management
Nursing care
Allied health support
Shopping
Transport
Support with changes to memory and/or behaviour

Are you familiar with the new Support at Home program? Effective since 1 November 2025, see what a SAH Level 4 Classification looks like here.

Find A Level 4 Provider

Getting the Most From Your Home Care Package Funding

To make the most of your funding, it’s vital you find the right home care provider. But this can be tricky without expert help. The options can feel overwhelming, and understanding what services are available, what costs are involved and how to get your unique needs met takes time and know-how.

At CareAbout, we take the time to understand exactly what you need so that we can match you with quality care that’s just right for you. We exist because we believe that absolutely no one should feel alone when seeking the quality aged care they deserve.

That’s why we’re Australia’s leading home care matching service. We’ve helped thousands of families make the most of their aged care funding – and we’re ready to help you too. The system is already complex, overwhelming and stressful enough. Our dedicated, expert-led team takes the guesswork out of the equation. We cut through the noise and get straight to finding the quality aged care you deserve.

Our service is completely free of charge and we’re 100% ready to CareAbout You. Simply freecall us at 13 13 00 to get in touch today.

Find A Quality Provider

Related Articles

Level 1 Home Care Packages

Level 2 Home Care Packages

Level 3 Home Care Packages

Level 4 Home Care Packages

Home Care Packages: Key Statistics

As of June 2024, 275,000 Australians were using home care packages — a 283% increase from 71,900 in 2017 (GEN Aged Care Data, AIHW, 2024).

The distribution across levels shows that 41% of recipients were on Level 2, 33% on Level 3, 21% on Level 4, and just 5.4% on Level 1 — meaning the majority of Australians require low to intermediate care (GEN Aged Care Data, AIHW, 2024).

The median length of stay on a home care package is 16 months, and 41% of home care recipients are aged 85 and over (GEN Aged Care Data, AIHW, 2024). The Australian Government allocated $7.5 billion to home care packages in 2023–24 (GEN Aged Care Data, AIHW, 2024).

Sources

GEN Aged Care Data, AIHW, People Using Aged Care, 2024 — gen-agedcaredata.gov.au
GEN Aged Care Data, AIHW, People’s Care Needs in Aged Care, 2024 — gen-agedcaredata.gov.au
GEN Aged Care Data, AIHW, Spending on Aged Care, 2024 — gen-agedcaredata.gov.au

“One thing that catches families off guard is how much the funding varies between levels. A Level 1 home care package gives you around $11,294 a year, but a Level 4 is over $65,544 — that’s a huge range. If you’re on a lower level and your needs have genuinely changed, don’t just accept it. Request a reassessment through My Aged Care. We’ve seen many families successfully move to a higher classification.”

— Calum Buchanan, Chief Operating Officer, CareAbout

10+ years in Australian aged care | Helping senior Australians navigate the aged care system

Last updated 10 November 2026

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