Classification 7 vs 8: 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
- This is the largest step anywhere on the scale: Classification 8 funds $20,477.12 more a year than Classification 7 - $80,137.12 against $59,660.00.
- After care management, that’s about $354 more each week - roughly three extra hours of care, or a weekly registered nurse visit and daily personal care top-ups.
- Classification 8 goes well past the old system’s ceiling - around $16,000 a year above the final value of HCP Level 4. It exists for people with the most intensive needs who want to stay home.
- Even at the top, contribution rules don’t change: same percentages as every other level, and clinical care stays free. How contributions work.
The two budgets side by side
| Measure | Classification 7 | Classification 8 | The gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterly budget | $14,915.00 | $20,034.28 | +$5,119.28 |
| Annual budget | $59,660.00 | $80,137.12 | +$20,477.12 |
| Weekly amount for services, after the 10% care management cap | about $1,033 | about $1,387 | about $354 more |
| Indicative hours a week at median prices | around 9 | around 12 | about 3 hours more |
Indicative, using national medians: personal care around $115 an hour, registered nurse $180, enrolled nurse $145, community respite $130. Plans at these levels are heavily clinical, and clinical hours are free to you, so funded hours and out-of-pocket costs diverge. Typical hourly rates.
What the gap means in real life
An extra $354 a week is not a top-up - it changes what staying at home can look like. Realistic uses of the difference:
- Care at three points in the day, every day - three additional personal care hours (around $115 an hour) spread as short morning, midday and evening visits, so no part of the day goes unsupported.
- A weekly registered nurse visit plus a standing respite block - complex clinical monitoring (around $180 an hour, free to you) alongside an extra hour or more of community respite (around $130), with budget left for household help.
- Weekend parity - enough headroom to keep Saturday and Sunday rosters as full as weekdays, including the surcharged shifts that smaller budgets have to ration.
Why you’d be assessed one rather than the other
Both levels serve people with intensive, complex needs; the Integrated Assessment Tool separates them on how continuous and how clinical the care must be. Classification 7 typically involves support at multiple points daily with substantial nursing or allied health input. Classification 8 - the highest priority the tool can assign - generally reflects needs across most of the day and week: advanced dementia requiring constant supervision, complex clinical care at home, or a combination of conditions where formal services are effectively holding the household together. Assessors weigh what would happen without that support, and at level 8 the honest answer is usually residential care. How the assessment works.
If you’re on 7 and needs have escalated - faster decline, new clinical complexity, a carer who can no longer safely continue - request a free reassessment through My Aged Care promptly. Transitioned Home Care Package clients keep upgrade-only protection at every step, so a reassessment can only move funding up from your HCP-equivalent budget, never below it.
Classifications 7 and 8 use exactly the same contribution rules as each other (and every other level): clinical care free for all, means-tested percentages on the rest, and the lifetime cap on non-clinical contributions still applying. Because so much of a level 8 plan is clinical, a large share of the extra $20,000 arrives with no contribution at all. How contributions are calculated.
Few providers do level 8 well - find one that does
A budget this size only helps if a provider can actually staff it: nurses, consistent carers, seven-day rosters. We know who has genuine capacity for high-intensity care in your area.
Common questions
Is Classification 8 more than the old HCP Level 4?
Yes, considerably. HCP Level 4 - the old maximum - was worth $63,758.20 a year at the November 2025 transition. Classification 8 carries $80,137.12 in 2026-27, around $16,000 more. It was created precisely because the old ceiling forced some people into residential care while they still wanted, and were able, to stay home with more support. Compare the systems.
What if even Classification 8 doesn’t cover everything?
Look at what can sit alongside it. The AT-HM scheme funds equipment and home modifications outside your quarterly budget - up to $15,000 on the high tier with a health professional’s prescription. Unspent funds roll over up to 10% of your quarterly budget (about $2,000 at level 8), which helps smooth heavy quarters. And for specific circumstances, short-term pathways add separate funding. It’s worth talking your situation through with My Aged Care or your care manager. The AT-HM scheme.
Dad is on 7 with advanced dementia and needs someone nearby most of the day. Is 8 realistic?
Constant supervision needs from advanced dementia are exactly the territory Classification 8 was built for, so a reassessment is worth pursuing - it’s free through My Aged Care (1800 200 422). Document the round-the-clock reality carefully: when he’s unsafe alone, what happens overnight, and what the family is providing. Be aware that even level 8 funds hours of care, not 24-hour cover, so talk honestly with the assessor about how the pieces fit. 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, AT-HM scheme and unspent funds.
- 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.