The 8 classifications: how much funding each level gets
Last updated 20 August 2026
Figures current as at the 1 July 2026 indexation
The short version
- Support at Home has 8 classifications. Each comes with a quarterly budget, from $2,752.50 (Classification 1) to $20,034.28 (Classification 8).
- Your classification is decided by a Single Assessment arranged through My Aged Care — you can’t pick a level, and providers can’t change it.
- Budgets are indexed each 1 July; the current figures include the 2.6% increase applied on 1 July 2026.
- Care management is capped at 10% of your quarterly budget, and unspent funds roll over up to the greater of $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget.
Current budgets, all 8 levels
| Classification | Quarterly budget | Annual budget |
|---|---|---|
| Classification 1 | $2,752.50 | $11,010.01 |
| Classification 2 | $4,112.84 | $16,451.35 |
| Classification 3 | $5,634.20 | $22,536.81 |
| Classification 4 | $7,617.13 | $30,468.51 |
| Classification 5 | $10,182.38 | $40,729.53 |
| Classification 6 | $12,341.32 | $49,365.27 |
| Classification 7 | $14,915.00 | $59,660.00 |
| Classification 8 | $20,034.28 | $80,137.12 |
The annual figure is simply four quarters added together — funding is actually released quarter by quarter. Each classification link above goes to a detailed guide for that level.
The budget is not money paid to you. It’s an amount your chosen provider draws on to deliver services from the defined service list. What you personally contribute depends on the service category and your means — clinical care is free for everyone, and the rest is explained in our contributions guide.
Providers can charge at most 10% of your quarterly budget for care management — the coordination work behind your services. Under the old Home Care Packages this could run to 20%, so the cap roughly doubles the budget share left for actual hours of help. Care management sits in the clinical category, so it costs you nothing out of pocket. More in our care management guide.
How your classification is decided
After you register with My Aged Care (myagedcare.gov.au or 1800 200 422), an assessor visits your home and works through the Integrated Assessment Tool — a structured conversation about what you can manage, what’s getting harder, your health, your supports and your home. It’s the same Single Assessment for everyone, whichever program you end up in.
You then receive a Notice of Decision stating your classification and any short-term pathways you’ve been approved for, such as the AT-HM scheme for equipment and home modifications. From there you join the National Priority System until funding is released — waits vary by priority, and our waitlist guide covers what to expect.
If your needs grow, you don’t have to make do: a reassessment is free and can move you to a higher classification. People who transitioned from a Home Care Package have “upgrade only” protection — reassessment can raise their funding but never drop it below the old package equivalent.
Wondering what a budget buys in practice?
Tell us your classification — or your assessment situation — and we’ll help you translate the dollars into realistic weekly hours with providers in your area.
Common questions
Can I choose or negotiate my classification?
No. The classification comes from your Single Assessment, not from you or your provider. If you believe it doesn’t reflect your needs — or your needs have changed since — the path is a free reassessment through My Aged Care, not negotiation.
What happens to budget I don’t spend in a quarter?
Some of it carries forward: you can roll over up to the greater of $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget into the next quarter. Funds transferred from an old Home Care Package on 1 November 2025 are exempt from this cap entirely. See unspent funds and rollover.
Do the budgets change over time?
Yes — they’re indexed every 1 July. The figures on this page include the 2.6% increase applied on 1 July 2026. Your provider’s prices can also change, which affects how many hours a budget buys, so check your monthly statements.
I transitioned from a Home Care Package — which classification am I?
Transitioned clients kept a budget equivalent to their old package level (“Transitioned HCP Level 1–4”) rather than being slotted into the new 1–8 scale. You move onto the new scale only when you’re reassessed, and only ever upwards. Our old-vs-new guide shows how the levels compare.
Is the highest level really Classification 8?
For ongoing services, yes — currently $20,034.28 a quarter. Beyond that sit the short-term pathways: the Restorative Care Pathway (around $6,000) and the End-of-Life Pathway (around $25,000), which fund defined periods of more intensive support.
Sources
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — Support at Home program classifications and budgets (July 2026 update), health.gov.au.
- Support at Home Program Manual — classifications, quarterly budgets, care management cap and unspent funds rules.
- My Aged Care, myagedcare.gov.au — assessment and Notice of Decision guidance, accessed 20 August 2026.