Classification 6: 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.
At Classification 6, care becomes a genuine daily system: personal care every day, nursing on the roster, and enough domestic support that the household keeps running around it. This is high-needs territory — the first of three levels that map to the old top-tier Home Care Package.
What $12,341.32 a quarter buys in real hours
Spread over roughly 13 weeks, Classification 6 delivers about $949 a week — around $854 for services once care management (capped at 10%) is set aside. That’s roughly 6.5 to 7 hours of care a week at national median prices. Three realistic rosters:
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care (daily visits) | $115/hr | 5 hrs | $575.00 |
| Cleaning & laundry | $110/hr | 1.5 hrs | $165.00 |
| Enrolled nurse (medication oversight) | $145/hr | 0.5 hr | $72.50 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $94.93 |
| Total | 7 hrs | $907.43 of $949.33 weekly budget |
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care | $115/hr | 4 hrs | $460.00 |
| Registered nurse (wound care, clinical review) | $180/hr | 1 hr | $180.00 |
| Cleaning | $110/hr | 1 hr | $110.00 |
| Social support | $111/hr | 0.5 hr | $55.50 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $94.93 |
| Total | 6.5 hrs | $900.43 of $949.33 weekly budget |
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care | $115/hr | 4.5 hrs | $517.50 |
| Cleaning & laundry | $110/hr | 1.5 hrs | $165.00 |
| Physiotherapy (half-hour session) | $194/hr | 0.5 hr | $97.00 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $94.93 |
| Total | 6.5 hrs | $874.43 of $949.33 weekly budget |
Indicative only — providers set their own prices, weekend and evening care usually costs more, and your contribution rate changes what you pay out of pocket. Compare typical hourly rates.
Who typically gets Classification 6
Classification 6 is assessed where needs are high across the board: help is required every single day, and there’s a clinical dimension that won’t manage itself — complex medications, wounds that need dressing, oxygen, or a progressing condition such as dementia where supervision and routine are part of staying safe. Many people at this level use a wheelchair or walker for every transfer, and unassisted showering is no longer an option on any day.
A family carer is usually deep in the picture, and the budget is partly what keeps that arrangement viable — respite hours and daily worker visits sharing the load so the carer can keep going. If that balance is tipping, say so at assessment: carer strain is a legitimate and important input.
Former HCP Level 4 recipients ($63,758.20 a year at the November 2025 transition) map to Classifications 6–7 depending on assessed needs. Classification 6 is the lower rung of that pair — if you held a Level 4 and transitioned, your funding stays at its HCP-equivalent value and can only move up on reassessment. How the “no worse off” rules work.
What you’ll contribute at this level
The good news at high classifications: most of the budget is free care. Nursing, physiotherapy and care management carry no contribution for anyone, and from 1 October 2026 personal care — the biggest single line in every Classification 6 roster — becomes free for everyone too, automatically. That typically leaves only cleaning and similar everyday living services attracting a means-tested contribution. Non-clinical contributions also count toward a lifetime cap of $137,917.01 ($86,185.23 if you’re grandfathered). See how contributions work.
Daily care needs a provider who can actually staff it
At Classification 6 the question isn’t just price — it’s whether a provider can reliably fill a seven-day roster in your area. We’ll tell you who can.
Common questions
Is 6.5 hours a week really enough for daily care?
The rosters above assume short daily visits — a common pattern is 30–45 minutes each morning. If your needs are longer than that each day, raise it at assessment or request reassessment; Classifications 7 and 8 fund substantially more time. Cheaper-than-median providers also stretch the same budget further.
Can weekend visits fit in the budget?
Yes, but weekend and evening surcharges are common and they eat hours faster. Ask each provider for their full price list — including surcharges — before signing, and compare. Typical rates and what to ask.
Dad had a dementia supplement on his old package. Does that continue?
Funds transferred at the November 2025 transition carried across in full, but the old dementia and cognition supplement is not re-granted after reassessment under Support at Home. Factor that into any decision to seek reassessment — it’s worth confirming your own numbers with My Aged Care first. Reassessment explained.
What if we need a burst of extra help after a hospital stay?
The Restorative Care Pathway can fund around $6,000 of allied-health-led support over up to 16 weeks (extendable to around $12,000 via a Support Plan Review) on top of your classification budget. Ask about it before discharge. How the pathway 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, restorative care and contribution categories.
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — National Summary of Support at Home Prices (median service prices), 2026.
- Australian Government announcement, 26 May 2026 — personal care free from 1 October 2026.