Classification 2: 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 2 is for people who need a steady, predictable rhythm of help — the same couple of visits every week — rather than occasional one-offs. It funds a genuine routine without yet touching personal or clinical care.
What $4,112.84 a quarter buys in real hours
Spread over a 13-week quarter, Classification 2 comes to roughly $316 a week. After the 10% care management cap, about $285 a week is left for services — roughly 2.5 hours of help a week at national median prices. Two common patterns:
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | $110/hr | 1.5 hrs | $165.00 |
| Social support (shopping trip or outing) | $111/hr | 1 hr | $111.00 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $31.64 |
| Total | 2.5 hrs | $307.64 of $316.37 weekly budget |
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | $110/hr | 1 hr | $110.00 |
| Safety gardening (mowing, pruning, paths) | $118/hr | 1 hr | $118.00 |
| Shopping help (domestic assistance) | $110/hr | 0.5 hr | $55.00 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $31.64 |
| Total | 2.5 hrs | $314.64 of $316.37 weekly budget |
Indicative only — providers set their own prices and evening or weekend visits often cost more. Your means-tested contribution changes what you pay out of pocket. Compare typical hourly rates.
Who typically gets Classification 2
Think of Classification 2 as “managing, with backup”. People at this level usually shower and dress without help, but the physical jobs — housework, the garden, hauling shopping — are now genuinely beyond them, week in, week out. Some are recovering their footing after an illness or a bereavement and need the routine of a regular visitor as much as the practical help.
The assessors are also looking at what keeps you connected: if giving up your licence has shrunk your world, funded social support at this level is often what keeps the weekly shop, the club and the medical appointments happening.
Classification 2 sits between the old HCP Level 1 ($10,986.50 a year at the November 2025 transition) and Level 2 ($19,319.45). Former Level 1 recipients generally map to Classifications 1–2, while former Level 2 recipients map to Classification 3. If you transferred, “no worse off” rules protect your funding — how grandfathering works.
What you’ll contribute at this level
There’s no basic daily fee. Clinical care is free for everyone, and from 1 October 2026 personal care becomes free too — automatically, with nothing to claim. Most Classification 2 spending, though, sits in the everyday living category (cleaning, gardening, shopping help), where full pensioners contribute 17.5% and self-funded retirees around 80%, with a sliding scale in between. Social support sits in the independence category at lower rates. Check what you’d pay.
Two providers, two very different weeks
At median prices Classification 2 buys about 2.5 hours a week — a cheaper provider can stretch that noticeably. We’ll show you who covers your area and what they charge.
Common questions
Can I use the whole budget on one service?
Largely, yes — within your agreed care plan. If what you need most is cleaning, you can weight the budget that way. Your provider must still deliver what the plan says, and care management stays capped at 10%. How the care management fee works.
Is gardening really covered? I’ve heard it isn’t.
Safety gardening is covered: lawn mowing, pruning and clearing paths so you don’t trip. Ornamental gardening, landscaping and tree removal are not. The full covered and not-covered list.
What happens to budget I don’t use in a quarter?
Unspent funds roll over up to the greater of $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget — at Classification 2 that’s up to $1,000 a quarter. Anything transferred from an old Home Care Package is exempt from the cap. Unspent funds explained.
I need more than 2.5 hours a week. What are my options?
Ask for a free reassessment through My Aged Care rather than rationing your care — assessments respond to falls, new diagnoses and carer strain. In the meantime, a lower-priced provider or fortnightly scheduling can stretch the existing budget. How reassessment works.
Sources
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Support at Home program classifications and budgets, 1 July 2026 indexation.
- Support at Home Program Manual — classifications, service list and contribution categories.
- 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.