Is CHSP ending? No - and it now runs until at least 2029
Last updated 21 August 2026
On 20 August 2026, Health Minister Mark Butler and Aged Care Minister Sam Rae announced that CHSP will not be folded into Support at Home. It continues as a standalone program until at least 30 June 2029. Anything you read citing a “1 July 2027” transition - including many government-adjacent pages - predates this announcement and is out of date.
The short version
- CHSP is not ending. The long-planned merger into Support at Home was abandoned on 20 August 2026.
- CHSP continues as its own program until at least 30 June 2029, with grant agreements to be extended.
- Nothing changes for current clients right now - same services, same providers, same small contributions.
- Consultation on CHSP’s long-term design starts in 2026. The thing most worth watching is whether client contributions rise as part of it.
What was announced on 20 August 2026
For years the official plan was that CHSP would transition into Support at Home “no earlier than 1 July 2027”, ending the two-program era. That plan is now off. Announcing the reversal, Mark Butler said merging programs that “deliver quite different services, drawing on quite different capabilities” had never made sense to him. Sam Rae said CHSP should remain separate but become “better integrated” with Support at Home, arguing that block-funded community services “keep people well and independent before they need more intensive support.”
Concretely: the current 2025-27 CHSP grant agreements will be extended to 30 June 2029, and the government will begin consulting in 2026 on the program’s long-term design - covering the future of block funding, “fair and equitable” contributions for home care, and strengthening early intervention.
How we got here
The reversal didn’t come from nowhere. Through 2026, pressure built from several directions: a Senate inquiry into aged care reform (recommendations in June 2026), an Australian National Audit Office performance audit (May 2026), and Support at Home’s rocky first year - long waitlists and complaints about reduced hours. A campaign by the CHSP Alliance, a coalition of around 40 organisations, argued the economics bluntly: “absorbing an efficient program into a more expensive one and calling it reform is not a sound use of public money”, citing analysis that Support at Home costs 30-50% more per service hour than CHSP’s block-funded model. Around 830,000 people use CHSP - the largest aged care program in the country - so the stakes were high.
The reception was broadly positive but not uncritical. The Greens welcomed the certainty, though Senator Penny Allman-Payne noted the delay “has not come without cost.” Professor Kathy Eagar of the CHSP Alliance pointed out that the extension “did not include a significant increase in funding.”
What it means for you
- If you receive CHSP services now: nothing changes. Your services, your provider and your contributions continue as they are. There is no deadline pushing you onto Support at Home - you’d only move if your needs grow. See moving to Support at Home.
- If you’re thinking of applying: CHSP is a safe, stable choice for entry-level needs - no need to hold off because the program “might end”. See how to apply.
- If you’re on the Support at Home waitlist: CHSP remains the standard interim option, and the announcement secures that bridge for years to come.
The 2026 consultation is where the detail lands, and one item matters most to clients: whether CHSP’s small flat contributions rise toward “fair and equitable” settings closer to Support at Home’s means-tested model. Also on the watch-list: the exact contract-extension mechanics, whether funding indexation improves, and how “better integration” with Support at Home will work in practice. We’ll cover developments on our What’s changed page - no changes to what you pay have been announced.
Unsure what this means for your situation?
Whether you’re on CHSP, waiting for Support at Home, or just starting out - tell us where you’re up to and we’ll explain your options. Free, no obligation.
Common questions
Will my CHSP services change because of this announcement?
No. The announcement extends the status quo: the same services, delivered by the same grant-funded providers, with the same contribution arrangements, until at least 30 June 2029. If anything changes down the track through the consultation, providers must give notice and agree changes with you.
I read that CHSP moves into Support at Home in July 2027. Is that still true?
No - that was the official position until 20 August 2026, and plenty of websites still say it. The merger has been abandoned. If a page cites “1 July 2027”, it was written before the announcement.
Could CHSP fees go up before 2029?
Possibly - the consultation starting in 2026 explicitly covers “fair and equitable contributions” for home care, and that’s the item we’d watch most closely. Nothing has been announced, and any provider fee change requires notice and agreement under your service agreement. Today’s arrangements are covered in what CHSP costs.
What happens after 30 June 2029?
That’s what the consultation is for. The government has committed to CHSP as a standalone program until at least that date, with its long-term design - block funding, contributions, early intervention - to be settled through consultation beginning in 2026. “At least” matters: 2029 is a floor, not an end date.
Does this change anything for Support at Home participants?
Not directly. Support at Home continues unchanged for its participants. The two programs stay separate, with the government promising better integration - clearer referral pathways between them - over time. The narrow emergency rule letting a Support at Home participant briefly access CHSP also stays as is.
Sources
- Ministers Mark Butler and Sam Rae - media release, “Certainty for older Australians and aged care providers on CHSP”, health.gov.au, 20 August 2026.
- ABC News - “Government extends home support program for older Australians”, 20 August 2026.
- Australian Ageing Agenda; Inside Ageing; Health Services Daily - coverage of the CHSP extension and sector reaction, 20-21 August 2026.
- CHSP Alliance - public campaign statements and cost analysis, 2026.