How many hours a week does Classification 7 buy?
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 buys about eight to nine hours of help a week at national median prices, after care management.
- The quarterly budget of $14,915.00 is $1,147.31 a week - about $1,032.58 for services after the 10% care management cap.
- This is the first level where a visit every single day fits at median prices - if weekend loadings are managed carefully.
- An all-weekday roster reaches nine hours; a genuine seven-day roster or an allied-health-heavy week lands closer to eight.
At Classification 7, the planning question changes shape. It’s no longer “which days do we get help?” but “can we cover every day - and what does the weekend cost us?” Here’s the arithmetic behind both answers.
The maths
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Quarterly budget (2026-27) | $14,915.00 |
| ÷ 13 weeks in a quarter | ≈ $1,147.31 a week |
| − care management (capped at 10%) | − $114.73 |
| = left for services each week | ≈ $1,032.58 |
| ÷ $115 - the median personal care hour | ≈ 9 hours a week |
What a seven-day week actually costs
| Service | Rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care - one hour, Monday to Friday | $115/hr | 5 hrs | $575.00 |
| Personal care - one hour Saturday and Sunday at $143.75/hr | $143.75/hr | 2 hrs | $287.50 |
| Cleaning | $110/hr | 1 hr | $110.00 |
| Care management (10%) | - | - | $114.73 |
| Total | 8 hrs | $1,087.23 of $1,147.31 weekly budget |
Those two loaded weekend hours cost $57.50 more each week than weekday hours would - roughly $748 a quarter. That’s the price of daily continuity, and for many people at this level it’s exactly the right thing to buy. Just buy it knowingly.
| Service | Rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care | $115/hr | 5 hrs | $575.00 |
| Cleaning & laundry | $110/hr | 2 hrs | $220.00 |
| Social support (outings, appointments) | $111/hr | 2 hrs | $222.00 |
| Care management (10%) | - | - | $114.73 |
| Total | 9 hrs | $1,131.73 of $1,147.31 weekly budget |
| Service | Rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physiotherapy | $194/hr | 1 hr | $194.00 |
| Occupational therapy (half-hour review) | $222/hr | 0.5 hr | $111.00 |
| Personal care | $115/hr | 4 hrs | $460.00 |
| Cleaning | $110/hr | 2 hrs | $220.00 |
| Care management (10%) | - | - | $114.73 |
| Total | 7.5 hrs | $1,099.73 of $1,147.31 weekly budget |
Indicative only. Providers set their own prices; the 25% weekend loading is an illustration - actual loadings vary and belong in your provider’s written price list. Your contribution affects out-of-pocket cost, not hours. Compare typical hourly rates.
At Classification 7 the 10% cap is up to $1,491.50 a quarter - nearly $115 a week, or an hour of care, every week, before anyone knocks on the door. Providers may charge less than the cap. Ask for the dollar figure in writing and compare it between providers just as you would hourly rates. The fee explained.
How to get more hours from the same budget
- Compare price lists at the services you use most. A 15% saving on the Week 2 roster is about $153 a week - more than an extra hour, every week of the year. Typical rates by service.
- Interrogate loadings. If a weekday evening visit works as well as a Sunday one, or a weekend task can shift, the saving compounds across 13 weeks a quarter.
- Compare care management in dollars, not percentages - the spread between providers at this budget is hundreds of dollars a quarter. How to compare it.
- Self-manage the non-clinical roster if you have the appetite - lower fees and direct choice of workers stretch a big budget furthest. Self-management explained.
Planning a seven-day roster?
We’ll show you which providers near you can staff weekends, what their loadings look like, and how their care management charges compare.
Common questions
Can I really get a visit every day at this level?
At median prices, yes - an hour a day, seven days, plus a weekly cleaning hour fits inside the budget even with a 25%-style weekend loading, as Week 1 shows. The constraints in practice are provider staffing and your local market, which is why weekend capacity is worth asking about before you sign.
Does nursing fit in these mixes too?
Yes - swap in enrolled nurse hours ($145 median) or registered nurse hours ($180) where the roster needs them; each nursing hour displaces roughly 1.3 to 1.6 support-worker hours. Nursing is clinical care, so it’s free to you - no contribution - though it draws on the budget like any service.
What if we don’t use the whole budget one quarter?
Unspent funds roll over up to the greater of $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget - about $1,492 at this level. Funds transferred from an old Home Care Package on 1 November 2025 are exempt from that cap. The rollover rules.
Needs are still climbing - what does Classification 8 add?
Classification 8 steps up to about $20,034 a quarter - roughly eleven to twelve hours a week at median prices, with real room for daily nursing. Compare Classifications 7 and 8, and ask My Aged Care (1800 200 422) about a free reassessment.
Sources
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - Support at Home program classifications and budgets, 1 July 2026 indexation.
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing - National Summary of Support at Home Prices (median service prices), 2026.
- Support at Home Program Manual - quarterly budgets, care management cap and the defined service list.
- My Aged Care, myagedcare.gov.au - Support at Home program guidance, accessed 21 August 2026.