What you’ll pay on Classification 6

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 6 provides $12,341.32 a quarter ($49,365.27 a year) - close to the old top Home Care Package, funding daily 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.

Nearly $50,000 a year of care - here’s your slice of it

Classification 6 funds around $949 a week of services, and at this level most plans include personal care every day. The budget arrives means-test-free; what varies from person to person is the contribution - your percentage of each non-clinical service’s price. Nursing, allied health and the care management fee (capped at 10% of the budget, about $1,234 a quarter here) are clinical and free to every participant.

Three worked examples

Prices are the mid-2026 national medians - personal care about $115 an hour, cleaning $110, gardening $118, social support $111 - over a 13-week quarter at weekday rates. Stan’s percentages are an illustrative mid-range; part-pension rates run anywhere from 30% down to 5% on independence and from 17.5% up to 80% on everyday living, depending on the means assessment. Sketches, not quotes.

Val, full pensioner

Classification 6 · $12,341.32/qtr: Weekly: 1 hr personal care six days a week, plus 1 hr cleaning
Her contribution: ≈ $54/week
Why: 5% across six personal care hours ($34.50) and 17.5% on the clean ($19.25). From 1 October 2026: ≈ $19/week.

Stan, part pensioner

Classification 6 · $12,341.32/qtr: Weekly: 4 hrs personal care, 1 hr social support, 2 hrs cleaning
His contribution: ≈ $292/week
Why: Illustrative mid-range rates: 30% on independence ($171.30) and 55% on everyday living ($121). From 1 October 2026: ≈ $154/week.

Meredith, self-funded

Classification 6 · $12,341.32/qtr: Weekly: 5 hrs personal care, 1 hr cleaning; safety gardening each fortnight
Her contribution: ≈ $423/week
Why: Around 50% of personal care ($287.50) and around 80% of the everyday living lines ($135.20). From 1 October 2026: ≈ $135/week.

What flips on 1 October 2026

Personal care dominates every mix above, so the 1 October 2026 reclassification transforms these bills: Val about $54 down to about $19; Stan about $292 down to about $154; Meredith about $423 down to about $135. Meredith’s drop is the largest because she currently pays around 50% on five personal care hours a week - nearly $290 that simply stops.

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.

Compare what daily care really costs near you

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Common questions

Is the nursing my plan includes free even though I’m self-funded?

Yes. Clinical care - registered and enrolled nursing, physio, OT, podiatry, care management - is free for everyone, with no means test. Contributions only ever apply to independence and everyday living services.

Could I actually reach the lifetime cap at this level?

It’s possible for self-funded participants: at about $423 a week, Meredith would contribute roughly $22,000 a year, though from October that falls to about $7,000. Once non-clinical contributions total $137,917.01 ($86,185.23 grandfathered), they stop permanently - and old home care fees you’ve already paid count toward it.

I transitioned from a Home Care Package Level 4 - do these rates apply to me?

Not necessarily. If you had your package (or an approval) on 12 September 2024, the grandfathering arrangements cap what you pay at HCP-era levels - many full pensioners keep paying nothing at all. Check our grandfathering guide before assuming these figures.

Do evening hours change my percentage?

Your percentage stays the same, but it applies to a higher price - surcharged evening or weekend hours mean a proportionally higher dollar contribution. Where your routine allows it, weekday daytime hours keep both the budget and your share lower.

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).