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Home Care Help Independent guide to Support at Home

26 May 2026: personal care to become free from 1 October

Last updated 20 August 2026

On 26 May 2026, the government announced that from 1 October 2026, personal care will be reclassified as clinical care under Support at Home - which means it becomes free for every participant, regardless of income or assets. The measure is worth around $1 billion.

What changed

Personal care covers help with showering, bathing, dressing, grooming and continence. Since the program launched it has sat in the “independence” category, where contributions apply: full pensioners pay 5%, part-pensioners and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders pay on a sliding scale from 5% to 50%, and self-funded retirees pay around 50%. From 1 October 2026 it moves to the clinical care category - nursing, allied health and care management - where the contribution rate is 0% for everyone.

The change also answers one of the loudest complaints from the program’s rocky launch period, when many people were surprised to find contributions charged on the most intimate, least optional kind of care.

Who it affects

Anyone who currently pays a contribution on personal care. A self-funded retiree paying roughly half the cost of several personal care visits a week stands to save the most; full pensioners paying 5% will see a smaller but still welcome drop. People covered by the grandfathering rules who already pay little or nothing on personal care simply stay where they are. Contributions on other independence services - respite, transport, social support - and on everyday living services like cleaning and gardening are unchanged.

It’s automatic

You don’t need to apply, call anyone or be reassessed. From 1 October 2026 the contribution simply stops being charged. If you currently pay one, the personal care line should disappear from your October statement.

What to do

  • Nothing before 1 October - the change applies automatically.
  • After 1 October, check your monthly statement and confirm no contribution is being charged on personal care. If one still appears, query it with your provider; the regulator can order refunds if it isn’t fixed.
  • If contributions have made you ration personal care visits, it may be worth revisiting your service mix once the change lands - free personal care can free up budget elsewhere.
  • For the full detail - exactly which services move, worked examples and what to check on your statement - read our complete guide: free personal care from October 2026.

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Sources

  1. Australian Government announcement, 26 May 2026 - personal care to be reclassified as clinical care under Support at Home from 1 October 2026 (measure worth around $1 billion).
  2. Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, health.gov.au - Support at Home service categories and contribution rates, accessed 20 August 2026.
  3. Support at Home Program Manual - service list and contribution arrangements.
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