Classification 8: what the highest 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.
Classification 8 is the top of the Support at Home scale — and it funds more care at home than the old system ever did. At over $80,000 a year, it exists for people whose needs would otherwise point to residential care, but who can stay home with the right daily support.
What $20,034.28 a quarter buys in real hours
Across a 13-week quarter, Classification 8 delivers about $1,541 a week — roughly $1,387 for services after the 10% care management cap. At national median prices that’s roughly 11 hours of care a week, enough for a substantial visit every single day plus clinical care around it. Three realistic rosters:
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care (daily, over an hour a day) | $115/hr | 8 hrs | $920.00 |
| Registered nurse (complex clinical care) | $180/hr | 1 hr | $180.00 |
| Cleaning & laundry | $110/hr | 2 hrs | $220.00 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $154.11 |
| Total | 11 hrs | $1,474.11 of $1,541.10 weekly budget |
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care | $115/hr | 7 hrs | $805.00 |
| Enrolled nurse (two visits) | $145/hr | 2 hrs | $290.00 |
| Cleaning & laundry | $110/hr | 1.5 hrs | $165.00 |
| Physiotherapy (half-hour session) | $194/hr | 0.5 hr | $97.00 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $154.11 |
| Total | 11 hrs | $1,511.11 of $1,541.10 weekly budget |
| Service | Median rate | Hours / week | Cost / week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal care | $115/hr | 7 hrs | $805.00 |
| Registered nurse | $180/hr | 1 hr | $180.00 |
| Community respite (weekly block) | $130/hr | 2 hrs | $260.00 |
| Cleaning | $110/hr | 1 hr | $110.00 |
| Care management (10%) | — | — | $154.11 |
| Total | 11 hrs | $1,509.11 of $1,541.10 weekly budget |
Indicative only — providers set their own prices, and at this level of care, evening and weekend surcharges make a real difference to the total. Your contribution rate changes what you pay out of pocket. Compare typical hourly rates.
Who typically gets Classification 8
Classification 8 is reserved for the most complex needs assessed in the program — people who need help with essentially every activity of daily living, alongside significant ongoing clinical care. Typical assessments involve advanced dementia with high supervision needs, late-stage neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease or advanced Parkinson’s, or severe frailty with multiple unstable health conditions.
The defining question at this level is usually “home or residential care?” — and Classification 8 was created so that money isn’t the thing that decides. The old system topped out at HCP Level 4; this level funds roughly a quarter more. That said, funded hours still don’t cover around-the-clock supervision, so a workable plan almost always pairs the budget with family support, technology (alarms, sensors, equipment through the AT-HM scheme’s $15,000 tier) and a provider experienced in complex care.
Classification 8 has no old-system equivalent: at $80,137.12 a year it clearly exceeds the old HCP Level 4, which was worth $63,758.20 at the November 2025 transition. Former Level 4 holders map to Classifications 6–7 — reaching Classification 8 requires a reassessment showing needs beyond the old top level. How the two systems compare.
What you’ll contribute at this level
Almost everything in a typical Classification 8 roster is, or soon will be, free of contributions. Nursing, allied health and care management are clinical care — free for everyone. From 1 October 2026, personal care becomes free too, automatically; in Mix 1 above, that shifts nearly $1,100 of weekly services into the no-contribution column. Respite and cleaning keep their means-tested contributions, counted toward the lifetime cap of $137,917.01 ($86,185.23 if grandfathered). If contributions are a genuine barrier, hardship provisions exist — no one should go without care over cost.
Complex care needs an experienced provider
Not every provider can staff daily complex care with nursing oversight. We’ll help you find the ones in your area who genuinely can — and compare what they charge.
Common questions
Is there anything above Classification 8?
Within the ongoing classifications, no — 8 is the top. But short-term pathways can add funding on top: the Restorative Care Pathway (around $6,000, extendable to around $12,000) after a setback, and the End-of-Life Pathway (around $25,000 over 12 weeks) where prognosis is short. Restorative care · End-of-life support.
Eleven hours a week isn’t 24/7. How do families make it work?
By layering: funded visits anchor the day, family or informal carers cover the gaps, respite protects the carer, and AT-HM-funded equipment (up to $15,000 with a health professional’s prescription) reduces the physical load. If the layers still don’t hold, that’s an honest signal to discuss residential respite or care with your family and My Aged Care — without any rush.
How much unspent budget can roll over each quarter?
The greater of $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget — at Classification 8 that’s up to about $2,003, the largest rollover allowance in the program. Funds transferred from an old Home Care Package are exempt from the cap entirely. Unspent funds explained.
Can we self-manage to stretch the hours further?
Self-management arrangements can reduce overheads and give you more choice of workers, though the provider remains responsible for clinical safety — which matters a great deal at this level. What self-management involves.
Sources
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Support at Home program classifications and budgets, 1 July 2026 indexation.
- Support at Home Program Manual — classifications, short-term pathways and the AT-HM scheme.
- 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.