Home Care Help is an independent guide. We are not My Aged Care or the Australian Government.
Home Care Help Independent guide to Support at Home

Home care wait times in the ACT

Last updated 21 August 2026 · Reviewed when new wait-time data is released

The short version

  • People in the ACT are taking around 300 days from application to services starting - roughly the national median of 294 days, despite Canberra’s compact, all-metro geography.
  • The queue is national: your priority category and approval date decide your place, not living in the ACT. Medium and standard priority approvals typically wait 8-11 months for funding.
  • Nationally, 106,977 people were waiting at 30 June 2026.
  • CHSP interim services can start in the meantime - and the ACT’s own CASP program helps some people aged care doesn’t cover.

How long are Canberrans waiting?

Figures current as at 21 August 2026. The territory median is from the Aged Care Act 2024 Wait Times Report (covering 1 November 2025 - 31 March 2026); the national queue figure is My Aged Care data to 30 June 2026.

The government’s first Wait Times Report put the ACT’s median at around 300 days from application to services commencing - essentially the national median (294), between Victoria’s 273 and Queensland’s 322. Being honest about the data: the ACT is a small market (4,325 people receiving Support at Home at 31 March 2026), the figure comes from a single report, and small-market medians should be read as a rough guide rather than a precise forecast.

It’s a fair question why a compact, entirely metropolitan territory doesn’t beat the national average. The published data doesn’t say. What it does show is that the queue driving most of the wait is national - so Canberra’s density helps with the parts that happen locally, but can’t shorten the queue itself. One local wrinkle: many providers service Canberra through combined NSW-ACT operations, and cross-border servicing with Queanbeyan and the surrounds is routine, so your realistic provider list is bigger than an ACT-only search suggests.

One national queue - the ACT doesn’t have its own waitlist

Approval for Support at Home places you in the National Priority System, one queue for the whole country. Your position depends on your priority category - urgent waits about a month, high 1.5-3 months, medium and standard 8-11 months - and your approval date within it. Nothing about a Canberra address changes either. Our national waitlist guide explains the full mechanism.

What you can do while you wait in the ACT

  • Ask about CHSP interim services. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme covers entry-level help - cleaning, meals, transport - while you wait, and it’s continuing as its own program until at least 30 June 2029. Ask My Aged Care (1800 200 422) for a CHSP referral. See how CHSP works and CHSP in the ACT.
  • Request a priority review if circumstances change. A hospital stay, a fall, a new diagnosis or a carer who can no longer manage can justify a higher priority category. A GP letter or discharge summary strengthens the request.
  • Check territory programs. The ACT’s Community Assistance and Support Program (CASP) provides territory-funded in-home support for people who aren’t eligible for Commonwealth aged care - worth knowing for younger family members or while eligibility is sorted out.
  • Know who’s in your corner. ADACAS (ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service) is the territory’s free, independent aged care advocacy body, reachable through OPAN on 1800 700 600.

Not sure what to do while you wait?

Tell us your situation and we’ll point you to interim services in Canberra and the surrounds - no cost, no obligation.

Get matched with a provider Read: while you wait

Finding a provider in the ACT

You’ll have 56 days to sign a service agreement once your budget is released. Choice in Canberra is narrower than in Sydney or Melbourne, but Canberra-based providers plus the national names servicing the ACT through NSW operations give you a workable shortlist - see providers in the ACT. If you’re just over the border, our ACT and surrounds guide covers cross-border servicing.

Common questions

Does applying from the ACT change how long I wait?

No. The queue is national - priority category and approval date decide your place, wherever you live. The ACT’s median of around 300 days reflects the whole local journey, not a separate territory queue.

Can I use a NSW provider from Canberra or Queanbeyan?

Often, yes. Many providers run combined NSW-ACT operations and service Canberra and Queanbeyan interchangeably. What matters is that the provider is registered and actually covers your suburb - ask directly, and compare a cross-border shortlist rather than an ACT-only one.

Can I get help before my funding arrives?

Yes. CHSP interim services can often start within weeks, priority reviews exist for changed circumstances, and short-term pathways such as restorative care bypass the queue for those who qualify. Start with CHSP in the ACT.

Sources

  1. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Aged Care Act 2024 Wait Times Report (System Governor, May 2026), covering 1 November 2025 - 31 March 2026.
  2. My Aged Care / Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home data to 30 June 2026 (106,977 in the National Priority System).
  3. Support at Home Program Data Report, Q3 2025-26 (GEN Aged Care Data) - territory recipient numbers at 31 March 2026.
  4. Support at Home Program Manual - National Priority System and priority categories.
Get matched with a provider →