CHSP in the ACT
Last updated 21 August 2026
The short version
- CHSP runs in Canberra exactly as it does nationally: entry-level help at home - cleaning, meals, transport, social groups - with small per-service contributions, typically around $5-$15 an hour for domestic help.
- It's not ending. On 20 August 2026 the government confirmed CHSP continues standalone until at least 30 June 2029. What that means.
- The ACT is a compact, all-metro market: choice is narrower than Sydney or Melbourne, but there are no remote-area gaps, and many providers service Canberra from combined NSW & ACT operations.
- Under 65? The territory's own CASP program is usually the right door, not CHSP.
How CHSP works in Canberra
There are no ACT-specific CHSP rules - it's the national program: government grants fund around 1,300 organisations Australia-wide to deliver task-based help to about 830,000 older people. You pay a small contribution per service (typically $8-$12 for a delivered meal, $3-$10 per transport trip), the government covers the rest, and every provider must offer hardship reductions so inability to pay never blocks a service. CHSP suits people who need one or two kinds of help a few hours a fortnight; anything more points to Support at Home.
Delivery in the ACT comes from a small but workable mix: Canberra community not-for-profits such as Community Services #1 deliver CHSP locally, and larger "NSW & ACT" organisations service the territory from combined footprints - with cross-border servicing into Queanbeyan and the NSW surrounds routine in both directions. We'll be honest: there's little ACT-specific CHSP data published beyond the national settings, so the practical step is checking who currently holds CHSP funding for your suburb via My Aged Care's Find a Provider tool - or asking us.
The ACT runs its own Community Assistance and Support Program (CASP) - territory-funded in-home support for people who aren't eligible for Commonwealth aged care, including younger people. If you're under 65 (under 50 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), CASP is usually the right door, via ACT community services rather than My Aged Care.
Getting CHSP - and what to do while you wait
Access is national: register with My Aged Care (1800 200 422 or myagedcare.gov.au), have a phone screening, then a home support assessment at your home - more a conversation than a test. You'll get referral codes and can start with any provider that has capacity, usually within days to a few weeks; there's no national queue for CHSP. Our application guide walks through it.
If you've been approved for Support at Home, expect a wait even in the capital - the ACT's median from application to services starting was around 300 days in the first official wait-times report, roughly the national middle despite the compact geography. CHSP is the standard bridge: My Aged Care can refer you for interim CHSP services while you wait. See the waitlist in the ACT. For coverage in the surrounding region and cross-border areas, see providers around the ACT.
Want to know your Canberra options?
Tell us your suburb and what help you need. We'll tell you which program fits and which providers - ACT-based or cross-border - can start soonest.
Common questions
Is CHSP ending in the ACT?
No. The government confirmed on 20 August 2026 that CHSP continues as a standalone program until at least 30 June 2029 - the previously planned 2027 merger into Support at Home was abandoned. Anything you read citing "1 July 2027" is out of date. Read our summary.
Can a NSW-based provider deliver my CHSP services in Canberra?
Yes - CHSP funding is Commonwealth, not territory-based, and many organisations hold grants covering both the ACT and surrounding NSW. What matters is that the provider's funded service area includes your address. My Aged Care's referral process handles this automatically; if you live in Queanbeyan or the surrounds, the same logic applies in reverse.
Sources
- My Aged Care, myagedcare.gov.au - Commonwealth Home Support Programme, accessed August 2026.
- Ministers Butler and Rae, media release, 20 August 2026 - CHSP standalone until at least 30 June 2029 (as reported by ABC News and sector press).
- Community Services #1 - Commonwealth Home Support Programme, Canberra.
- ACT Government - Community Assistance and Support Program (CASP).
- Aged Care Act 2024 Wait Times Report (System Governor, May 2026) - state and territory median waits, Nov 2025-Mar 2026.
- CHSP 2025-27 Program Manual and Client Contribution Framework, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.