Classification 1: what your budget actually buys
Last updated 20 August 2026
Budget figures current as at the 1 July 2026 indexation (2026–27); median hourly prices from the mid-2026 National Summary of Support at Home Prices.
Classification 1 is the entry point to Support at Home. It isn’t designed to run your household — it’s designed to take one or two stubborn jobs off your plate so you can keep doing everything else yourself.
What $2,752.50 a quarter buys in real hours
A quarter is about 13 weeks, so Classification 1 works out to roughly $212 a week. Up to 10% of the budget can go to care management, which leaves around $190 a week for services. At the current national median prices, that’s roughly 1.5 hours of help a week. Here are two ways people commonly use it.
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | $110/hr | 1.5 hrs | $165.00 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $21.17 |
| Total | 1.5 hrs | $186.17 of $211.73 weekly budget |
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social support (an outing or visit) | $111/hr | 1 hr | $111.00 |
| Safety gardening (mowing, clearing paths) | $118/hr | 0.5 hr | $59.00 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $21.17 |
| Total | 1.5 hrs | $191.17 of $211.73 weekly budget |
Indicative only — providers set their own prices, and your contribution rate will change what you pay out of pocket. Many people at this level book fortnightly instead of weekly to get a longer visit each time. Compare typical hourly rates.
Who typically gets Classification 1
People assessed at Classification 1 are usually still largely independent. They cook, manage their medications and get out of the house — but one or two things have quietly become hard or unsafe. The vacuuming brings on breathlessness. The lawn has got away. Driving at night has stopped, so a weekly outing needs a companion. Classification 1 exists to fix exactly that kind of gap, early, before it grows into something bigger.
It’s also a common landing point after a first assessment for people who applied “to get in the system” while their needs are still light. That’s a sensible move: if your needs grow later, a free reassessment can move you up the scale without a new application.
Classification 1 is closest to the old HCP Level 1 (worth $10,986.50 a year at the November 2025 transition — former Level 1 recipients generally map to Classifications 1–2). If you transferred from an HCP, your funding can’t drop below your HCP-equivalent level — how the “no worse off” rules work.
What you’ll contribute at this level
There’s no basic daily fee under Support at Home. Clinical care — nursing, allied health and care management — is free for everyone. From 1 October 2026, personal care (showering, dressing, grooming, continence support) becomes free too. At Classification 1, though, most budgets go to everyday living services like cleaning and gardening, which carry a means-tested contribution: 17.5% for full pensioners, up to around 80% if you’re fully self-funded. See how contributions are worked out.
Make a small budget go further
At Classification 1, a $10-an-hour price difference costs you real hours over a year. We’ll show you who services your area and what they charge.
Common questions
My needs have grown since my assessment. Am I stuck at Classification 1?
No. Reassessment is free and you can request it through My Aged Care (1800 200 422) whenever your circumstances change — a fall, a new diagnosis, or simply more tasks becoming unmanageable. How reassessment works.
Does unused budget roll over if I skip a fortnight?
Some does. Unspent funds roll over each quarter up to the greater of $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget — at Classification 1 that means up to $1,000. Funds transferred from an old Home Care Package are exempt from this cap. What rolls over and what doesn’t.
Can I get equipment like a shower rail on this budget?
Small assistive technology and home modifications are usually funded separately through the AT-HM scheme, with tiers of $500, $2,000 and $15,000 over 12 months, so they don’t eat into your weekly hours. How the AT-HM scheme works.
What can’t I spend the budget on?
Groceries, ornamental gardening and landscaping, pet care, professional repairs and anything Medicare already covers are all off the list. See the full exclusions list.
Sources
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Support at Home program classifications and budgets, 1 July 2026 indexation.
- Support at Home Program Manual — classifications, care management cap and unspent funds.
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — National Summary of Support at Home Prices (median service prices), 2026.
- My Aged Care, myagedcare.gov.au — Support at Home program guidance, accessed 20 August 2026.