Classification 5 vs 6: what the extra funding buys
Last updated 21 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.
The short version
- Classification 6 funds $8,635.74 more a year than Classification 5 - $49,365.27 against $40,729.53.
- Once care management is set aside, that’s about $149 more a week - well over an extra hour of care at median prices, or a weekly nursing visit at no cost to you.
- Level 6 sits between the value of the old HCP Levels 3 and 4 - territory the old system simply skipped over.
- Both levels use the same contribution percentages. The classification sets the budget; your means assessment sets your rates. More on contributions.
The two budgets side by side
| Measure | Classification 5 | Classification 6 | The gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterly budget | $10,182.38 | $12,341.32 | +$2,158.94 |
| Annual budget | $40,729.53 | $49,365.27 | +$8,635.74 |
| Weekly amount for services, after the 10% care management cap | about $705 | about $854 | about $149 more |
| Indicative hours a week at median prices | around 6 | around 7.5 | well over 1 hour more |
Indicative only. Medians used: personal care around $115 an hour, community respite $130, enrolled nurse $145, registered nurse $180. Clinical hours cost more per hour but are free to you, so the service mix changes the arithmetic. Typical hourly rates.
What the gap means in real life
By this point the basics - daily personal care, the house, respite - are usually already in the plan. The extra $149 a week at level 6 tends to buy resilience. For example:
- A weekly enrolled nurse visit - wound care, medication management or continence support at around $145 a visit hour. Because nursing is clinical care, it’s free to you regardless of your means.
- A second respite block so a carer can keep working - an extra hour of community respite (around $130) each week, with a little left over for cleaning, can be the difference between a sustainable caring arrangement and a crisis.
- Evening top-ups to the personal care roster - roughly an extra hour and a quarter (around $115 an hour at the median, more with evening surcharges) so help isn’t only a morning event.
Why you’d be assessed one rather than the other
The Integrated Assessment Tool doesn’t just count tasks; it weighs how fragile the whole arrangement is. Classification 5 typically describes substantial daily support with health needs that are being managed. Classification 6 usually reflects one or more of: clinical needs requiring routine nursing, advancing cognitive decline that makes supervision part of the job, or a carer whose own health and capacity are visibly at their limit. Assessors also look at what happens when something goes wrong - who notices, who responds - and level 6 plans are built for weeks where more goes wrong. Inside the assessment.
If you’re on 5 and the wheels are wobbling - new clinical needs, a carer burning out - ask My Aged Care for a free reassessment rather than waiting for the annual cycle. For those who transitioned from a Home Care Package, upgrade-only protection applies: your funding can rise with reassessment but can’t drop below your HCP-equivalent budget.
Classification 5 and 6 share the same contribution rules: clinical care free for everyone, identical means-tested percentages on independence and everyday living services. Moving up means more funded care at the same rates - and since much of what level 6 adds is clinical, a good chunk of the extra funding arrives contribution-free. How contributions are calculated.
Clinical care changes what to look for in a provider
Around levels 5 and 6, you need a provider with reliable nursing capacity, not just a big carer roster. We’ll show you who genuinely offers both in your area.
Common questions
Does Classification 6 match one of the old HCP levels?
No - it’s new territory. At the November 2025 transition, HCP Level 3 was worth $42,055.30 a year and Level 4 was $63,758.20. Classification 6 ($49,365.27) sits between them, one of the gaps the eight-level scale was designed to fill so people don’t face a $20,000 cliff between funding levels. Compare the systems.
Do I need nursing needs to get Classification 6?
Not necessarily - there’s no single ticket to any level. Regular clinical needs are a common feature of level 6 plans, but heavy supervision needs from cognitive decline, or intensive daily support combined with a strained care arrangement, can weigh just as much in the assessment. The tool scores your overall situation, not one symptom. What assessors look at.
We’re on 5 and my husband - my carer - is exhausted. Is that relevant to reassessment?
Very. The sustainability of informal care is part of the assessment, so be frank about what he does each day and what it’s costing him. In the meantime, respite is a covered service on your current budget (around $130 an hour at the median), and it exists precisely for this. A reassessment is free through My Aged Care (1800 200 422). 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, clinical care and respite.
- 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 and reassessment guidance, accessed 21 August 2026.