Classification 6 vs 7: 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 7 provides $10,294.73 more a year than Classification 6 - $59,660.00 against $49,365.27.
- That works out to about $178 more a week for services after care management - roughly 1.5 extra hours, or a weekly nursing visit with room to spare.
- Classification 7 approaches the value of the old HCP Level 4, the former ceiling of home care funding. Level 6 sits below anything the old system offered between its Levels 3 and 4.
- Neither level changes what you pay per hour - contribution percentages are identical, set by your means assessment. Contributions explained.
The numbers, side by side
| Measure | Classification 6 | Classification 7 | The gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterly budget | $12,341.32 | $14,915.00 | +$2,573.68 |
| Annual budget | $49,365.27 | $59,660.00 | +$10,294.73 |
| Weekly amount for services, after the 10% care management cap | about $854 | about $1,033 | about $178 more |
| Indicative hours a week at median prices | around 7.5 | around 9 | about 1.5 hours more |
Indicative, using national medians: personal care around $115 an hour, enrolled nurse $145, registered nurse $180, community respite $130. At these levels plans lean clinical, and clinical hours are free to you, so out-of-pocket costs don’t rise in step with hours. Typical hourly rates.
What the gap means in real life
At this end of the scale the question isn’t whether care happens daily - it already does. The extra $178 a week at level 7 typically closes the gaps that keep families up at night:
- A weekly enrolled nurse visit plus the garden handled - regular clinical monitoring (around $145 an hour, free to you) with fortnightly safety gardening (around $118 an hour) still covered.
- Two personal care visits a day on the hardest days - about 1.5 extra hours (around $115 an hour) lets mornings and evenings both be supported several days a week, instead of choosing one.
- Substantial extra respite - close to an hour and a half more community respite each week (around $130 an hour), often the difference between a carer coping and a rushed move to residential care.
Why you’d be assessed one rather than the other
Both classifications describe high, complex need, and the Integrated Assessment Tool separates them on intensity and risk. Level 6 usually means daily support with routine clinical input and a care arrangement that holds together. Level 7 tends to reflect care needed at multiple points across the day, heavier clinical involvement, significant cognitive decline requiring supervision, or an informal care arrangement that would collapse without formal services shouldering most of the load. Recent falls, hospitalisations and rapid changes all sharpen the picture the assessor records. How the assessment works.
If you’re on 6 and care is stretching across more of the day than your plan covers, request a free reassessment through My Aged Care - and do it when things change, not months later. Transitioned Home Care Package clients (including former Level 4 holders) have upgrade-only protection: a reassessment can lift funding but can’t land below the HCP-equivalent budget you brought across.
Levels 6 and 7 carry identical contribution settings - clinical care free, and the same means-tested percentages on independence and everyday living services. The classification moves your budget, never your rates. Much of what level 7 adds is clinical, so the extra funding is largely contribution-free in practice. How contributions are calculated.
High-needs care is a staffing question
At levels 6 and 7, what matters is whether a provider can reliably fill a complex weekly roster - nurses included. We’ll tell you who can in your area, and what they charge.
Common questions
Is Classification 7 the same as the old HCP Level 4?
Nearly, but not quite. HCP Level 4 was worth $63,758.20 a year at the November 2025 transition; Classification 7 carries $59,660.00 in 2026-27. Former Level 4 holders who transitioned keep their HCP-equivalent budget, and upgrade-only protection means reassessment can’t reduce it - so nobody is pushed down to 7 from an old Level 4. Compare the systems.
What if Classification 7 still isn’t enough?
Classification 8 sits above it at $80,137.12 a year - well beyond anything the old system offered - and reassessment is the route there if needs escalate. Separately, the AT-HM scheme funds equipment and home modifications outside your quarterly budget, and short-term pathways can add restorative or palliative support when circumstances call for it. Compare 7 and 8.
Mum was assessed at 6 but the assessor only saw her on a good day. What can we do?
This is common with fluctuating conditions and with dementia. Request a reassessment through My Aged Care (1800 200 422) - it’s free - and this time bring evidence of the ordinary days: a fortnight’s diary of care given, notes from the GP or geriatrician, and the family carer in the room to speak plainly about the load. 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 HCP transition arrangements.
- 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.