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Home Care Help Independent guide to Support at Home

Moving from CHSP to Support at Home: when it’s time, and what changes

Last updated 21 August 2026

The short version

  • Moving happens by reassessment, not automatically - you (or your GP or provider) ask My Aged Care for a comprehensive assessment when needs grow beyond entry level.
  • You gain a lot: an individual quarterly budget, coordinated care management, and far more funded hours.
  • The big change is fees: CHSP’s flat, small contributions are replaced by means-tested percentages - and former CHSP clients are not covered by the “no worse off” grandfathering rules.
  • Your CHSP services continue while you wait for assessment and funding - there shouldn’t be a gap.
  • Since 20 August 2026 there is no forced move on the horizon: CHSP runs until at least 30 June 2029, so you move when your needs say so, not a deadline.

When it’s time to think about moving

The usual triggers: you need more hours than CHSP’s few-hours-a-fortnight design; you need several services working together; you need regular clinical care such as nursing or ongoing allied health; or things have changed quickly after a hospital stay or a fall. If your provider or family keep patching gaps, that’s the signal.

Timing is a genuine judgement call. Support at Home waits are long - commonly months in the standard priority category - and CHSP is cheaper for most people, so advisers often suggest staying on CHSP while it genuinely meets your needs. But don’t wait so long that unmet needs cause decline. If things are deteriorating, document it (GP notes, hospital discharge summaries, provider observations) and seek reassessment early - the queue means the decision is best made ahead of the crisis, not during it.

How the move works

  1. Ask My Aged Care for a new assessment

    1 phone call

    Call 1800 200 422. You, a family member, your GP or your CHSP provider can trigger it. Reassessment is free.

  2. Have the comprehensive assessment

    Weeks, depending on the backlog

    This is the fuller assessment using the Integrated Assessment Tool. It assigns you one of eight Support at Home classifications and a priority category. Be candid about your worst days - the classification decides your budget.

  3. Keep your CHSP services while you wait

    Until funding is released

    Your existing CHSP services continue through the assessment and the National Priority System queue. No gap should occur - if anyone suggests stopping services in the meantime, push back.

  4. Choose a provider and start Support at Home

    56 days to sign once funding is released

    When your funding letter arrives you have 56 days to sign with a registered provider (a 28-day extension is possible). Once Support at Home services start, your CHSP services stop.

The fee change, plainly

Under CHSP you might pay $5-$15 an hour for cleaning regardless of your finances. Under Support at Home, contributions are means-tested percentages of each service’s full price: clinical care is free for everyone, independence services run from 5% (full pensioner) to around 50% (self-funded), and everyday-living services like cleaning and meals run from 17.5% to around 80%. Former CHSP clients are not protected by the “no worse off” rules - those apply only to people who had or were approved for a Home Care Package at 12 September 2024. For part-pensioners and self-funded retirees especially, cleaning-and-meals-type services usually cost more per hour after the move - in exchange for far more total funded support. See the worked examples before you decide.

A question worth asking

Many organisations are both CHSP and Support at Home providers. If you like your current support worker, ask whether the same organisation - even the same person - can keep supporting you after the move. Continuity is often possible, but only if you raise it early.

Weighing up whether to move?

Tell us your situation and we’ll help you think through the timing, the fee change, and which providers cover both programs in your area - free, no obligation.

Get matched See the 8 classifications

Common questions

Will I lose my CHSP services while I wait for Support at Home?

No. CHSP services continue during assessment and while you’re in the funding queue. They stop only once your Support at Home services actually begin. If you’ve been approved but are waiting, that’s exactly the situation CHSP interim support is for.

Do I have to move to Support at Home by a certain date?

No. The planned folding of CHSP into Support at Home was abandoned on 20 August 2026 - CHSP continues as a standalone program until at least 30 June 2029. You move if and when your needs outgrow CHSP, not because of a program deadline. More on the announcement.

Am I protected by the “no worse off” rules?

Only if you had a Home Care Package, were on its waiting list, or were assessed or approved for one on or before 12 September 2024. Time on CHSP alone doesn’t qualify. Most people moving from CHSP pay the standard means-tested Support at Home contributions - check what that means for you with Services Australia before you commit, and see our grandfathering guide.

Can I go back to CHSP if Support at Home doesn’t suit?

Ongoing services sit in one program at a time, and the system is designed around needs going up rather than down. If your Support at Home arrangement isn’t working, usually the better fixes are switching providers or asking for a Support Plan Review. Talk to My Aged Care about your options before making any change.

Once I’m on Support at Home, can I still use CHSP occasionally?

Only in one narrow emergency situation: an urgent health or safety need, when your quarterly budget is fully spent, for around two months at most, and only if a CHSP provider has spare capacity. You pay normal CHSP contributions for it. If the need lasts, the answer is a Support Plan Review for a higher classification.

Sources

  1. My Aged Care, myagedcare.gov.au - assessment and reassessment guidance, accessed August 2026.
  2. Support at Home Program Manual - classifications, service agreements and contribution settings.
  3. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - CHSP 2025-27 Program Manual (v2, November 2025), program interaction rules.
  4. Sector guidance on the “no worse off” principle and CHSP-to-Support at Home transitions, including Aged Care Decisions, 2026.
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