What you’ll pay on Classification 3

Last updated 21 August 2026

Figures current as at 21 August 2026: quarterly budgets indexed 1 July 2026; lifetime caps indexed 20 March 2026; median prices from the mid-2026 National Summary of Support at Home Prices.

The short version

Classification 3 comes with $5,634.20 a quarter ($22,536.81 a year) - a middle-of-the-scale budget for steady weekly support.
Clinical care - nursing, allied health and care management - is free for everyone, and personal care becomes free for everyone from 1 October 2026.
Contributions apply only to independence services (5-50% of the price) and everyday living services (17.5-80%).
The budget itself is not means-tested - everyone on this classification gets the same amount. Only your share of each service’s price depends on your means.

Same budget for everyone - different bills

Two neighbours on Classification 3 hold exactly the same $5,634.20 a quarter - around $433 a week of services. But their bills can look very different, because contributions are a means-tested slice of each non-clinical service’s price. A full pensioner pays 5% on independence services and 17.5% on everyday living; a self-funded retiree pays around 50% and around 80%. Clinical care, including the care management fee (capped at 10% of the budget), costs everyone nothing.

Three worked examples

Assumptions, stated plainly: median national prices (personal care ≈ $115/hr, cleaning ≈ $110, social support ≈ $111, gardening ≈ $118, home maintenance ≈ $150, enrolled nurse ≈ $145); a 13-week quarter; standard weekday hours with no surcharges. Ken’s part-pension rates are an illustrative mid-range only - Services Australia sets the real figure.

Beryl, full pensioner

Classification 3 · $5,634.20/qtr: Weekly: 2 hrs personal care, 1 hr cleaning; a nurse visit each month
Her contribution: ≈ $31/week
Why: 5% across two personal care hours ($11.50) plus 17.5% on cleaning ($19.25); nursing is free. From 1 October 2026: ≈ $19/week.

Ken, part pensioner

Classification 3 · $5,634.20/qtr: Weekly: 1 hr personal care, 1 hr social support, 1 hr cleaning; monthly safety gardening
His contribution: ≈ $138/week
Why: Illustrative mid-range rates: 30% on independence ($67.80) and 50% on everyday living ($69.75). From 1 October 2026: ≈ $103/week.

Anne, self-funded

Classification 3 · $5,634.20/qtr: Weekly: 2 hrs personal care, 1 hr cleaning; monthly home maintenance
Her contribution: ≈ $233/week
Why: Around 50% of personal care ($115) and around 80% of the everyday living lines ($118). From 1 October 2026: ≈ $118/week.

After 1 October 2026, the gaps narrow

Personal care becomes free clinical care for everyone on 1 October 2026. Beryl’s weekly total falls from about $31 to about $19, Ken’s from about $138 to about $103, and Anne’s roughly halves - about $233 down to about $118. The heavier your mix leans on personal care, the bigger the drop.

Already had a package or an approval on 12 September 2024?

The “no worse off” grandfathering arrangements protect people who, at 12 September 2024, had a Home Care Package, were on the National Priority System, or had been assessed or approved. If that’s you, you keep HCP-era fee arrangements for life - full pensioners who paid no income-tested care fee keep paying $0 - and a lower lifetime cap applies. Read how grandfathering works.

Whatever your rates, contributions don’t run forever. Once your non-clinical contributions reach $137,917.01 over your lifetime, you stop contributing altogether - and the cap is $86,185.23 for grandfathered participants. If contributions are genuinely unaffordable, financial hardship provisions exist through Services Australia; nobody should go without care because they can’t contribute.

Two hours a day? An hour a week? Let’s price your mix

Every Classification 3 plan is different. Tell us yours and your pension status, and we’ll estimate your weekly out-of-pocket before you commit to a provider.

Get matched - it’s free How contributions work

Common questions

My neighbour is on Classification 3 and pays less than me. Why?

Almost certainly a different means assessment, a different service mix, or a cheaper provider - the budget itself is identical for everyone at this level. Check the percentage on your monthly statement, and if your finances have changed, ask Services Australia to reassess.

Is physiotherapy really free at this level?

Yes - allied health such as physio, occupational therapy and podiatry is clinical care, free for every participant regardless of means. It draws on your quarterly budget, but you contribute nothing.

If I don’t spend the whole $5,634.20, do I lose it?

Not immediately. Unspent funds roll over up to the greater of $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget - at this level 10% is about $563, so the $1,000 floor is what applies. Funds transferred from an old Home Care Package are exempt from that cap. See unspent funds.

My needs are growing - what’s the next step up worth?

Classification 4 carries $7,617.13 a quarter, about $2,000 more. Reassessment through My Aged Care is free, and our 3 vs 4 comparison covers what tends to tip the decision.

Sources

Support at Home Program Manual - service categories, individual contributions and classification budgets.
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, health.gov.au - Support at Home classifications and quarterly budgets (indexed 1 July 2026).
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - National Summary of Support at Home Prices (median service prices), 2026.
Services Australia, servicesaustralia.gov.au - aged care means assessment; lifetime cap on non-clinical contributions (indexed 20 March 2026).