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CHSP in New South Wales

Last updated 21 August 2026

The short version

  • The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) is the entry-level home help program - occasional cleaning, meals, transport, minor home mods - with small per-service contributions, typically around $5-$15 an hour for domestic help.
  • CHSP is not ending. On 20 August 2026 the government confirmed it stays a standalone program until at least 30 June 2029 - the old "1 July 2027" merger date is dead. More on what that means.
  • NSW has a quirk most states don't: the public health system itself delivers CHSP. Local Health Districts provide community nursing and allied health - and under NSW Health's statewide policy, they charge no client contribution for those services.
  • Some NSW councils are stepping back from home support and handing their CHSP services to community organisations. Your services continue - the organisation running them changes.

How CHSP works in NSW

CHSP is the same program everywhere in Australia: the government block-funds around 1,300 organisations to deliver task-based help at home, and around 830,000 older Australians use it - making it by far the biggest aged care program in the country. It suits people who need one or two types of support, a few hours a fortnight, rather than a full care package. If that's you, CHSP is faster to start and much cheaper than Support at Home.

What's distinctive in NSW is who delivers it. Alongside the big not-for-profits, NSW Health is itself a CHSP provider: Local Health Districts deliver CHSP services - most visibly community nursing and allied health - under a statewide client contribution policy (PD2025_015). That policy sets contributions for most services but charges nothing for community nursing and allied health, and requires hardship waivers so that inability to pay never blocks a service. If your CHSP nursing comes through your local health district, don't be surprised when there's no bill.

Large not-for-profits - names like Anglicare, BaptistCare, HammondCare and IRT - also run home support at scale across Sydney and regional NSW. Provider footprints change, so always confirm who currently holds CHSP funding in your area through My Aged Care's Find a Provider tool (or ask us).

Reading something that says CHSP ends in 2027?

It's out of date. Anything citing a "1 July 2027" transition predates the government's 20 August 2026 announcement that CHSP continues standalone until at least 30 June 2029. Read our summary of the announcement.

Councils stepping back

A quieter shift is happening at council level. Some NSW councils that historically ran home support are exiting: Bega Valley Shire has announced it will withdraw from ageing and disability services, and Burwood Council transferred its CHSP services to the Ethnic Communities Council. If your council is your CHSP provider and this happens to you, three things to know: your eligibility doesn't change, your services should transfer to the incoming organisation, and you're entitled to written notice explaining who takes over and when. It's also a fair moment to ask whether your contribution rates or workers will change - and to compare other local providers if you're not happy with the answer.

Getting CHSP in NSW

Access is national - there's no separate NSW application. Register with My Aged Care (1800 200 422 or myagedcare.gov.au), have a phone screening, then a home support assessment - usually at your home, and more a conversation than a test. You'll receive referral codes and can start with any local CHSP provider that has capacity, typically within days to a few weeks. There's no national queue for CHSP. The honest caveat: in some areas, especially regional NSW, providers can be full - if the first one can't take you, contact others on your referral list and ask My Aged Care to re-refer you. Our step-by-step application guide walks through the whole process.

CHSP while you wait - and in the regions

NSW is Australia's largest home care market, and its Support at Home waitlist reflects that: the median wait from application to services starting was around 300 days in the first official wait-times report. If you've been approved for Support at Home and are waiting, CHSP is the standard bridge - My Aged Care can refer you for interim CHSP services so you're not unsupported while you wait. See our guide to the waitlist in NSW.

In regional NSW, CHSP often matters more than the newer program: nearly 40% of CHSP clients nationally live outside major cities, and in western and far-west NSW the block-funded local CHSP outlet - or the health district - may be the most practical support available. See providers in regional NSW for who covers your area.

Not sure whether CHSP or Support at Home fits?

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Common questions

Is CHSP ending in NSW?

No. The planned merger into Support at Home was abandoned on 20 August 2026 - CHSP continues as a standalone program until at least 30 June 2029, with consultation on its long-term design starting in 2026. Your services continue as normal. Full details here.

My council has handed its home support to another organisation. What happens to me?

Your eligibility and assessment don't change - CHSP funding attaches to you via My Aged Care, not to the council. The incoming organisation should contact you with a transfer plan and a new service agreement. Check the contribution schedule before signing, and if you'd rather choose a different provider, you can: ask My Aged Care to refer you elsewhere.

Why is my CHSP nursing free when my cleaning isn't?

If your nursing or allied health comes through a NSW Local Health District, NSW Health's statewide policy charges no client contribution for those services. Other services (like domestic assistance) usually carry a small contribution set by the provider. Every CHSP provider must also have hardship arrangements - inability to pay should never stop a service. See CHSP fees explained.

Sources

  1. My Aged Care, myagedcare.gov.au - Commonwealth Home Support Programme, accessed August 2026.
  2. Ministers Butler and Rae, media release, 20 August 2026 - CHSP to continue standalone until at least 30 June 2029 (as reported by ABC News and sector press).
  3. NSW Health - Client contribution policy for NSW Health CHSP services (PD2025_015, April 2025).
  4. Bega Valley Shire Council and Burwood Council announcements on home support service changes, 2025-26.
  5. CHSP 2025-27 Program Manual and Client Contribution Framework, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
  6. Report on Government Services 2026 (Productivity Commission) - CHSP client numbers.
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