The Support at Home service list: what your package can and can't pay for
- AT-HM tiers
- $500 to $15,000
- AT-HM spend window
- 12 months
One-off funding for equipment and home modifications.
From grant, before an unused tier amount expires.
The Support at Home service list is the government's defined list of what a package can fund: 14 service types across three categories, clinical supports, independence and everyday living. Approval is itemised, so a participant can only use the services named in their own Notice of Decision and support plan, not everything on the list. Equipment and home modifications sit in a separate one-off funding scheme, AT-HM, with tiers of $500, $2,000 and $15,000.
Every figure on this page checked 26 July 2026, next check due 26 October 2026.
Because most families meet this list backwards. You ask about a ramp for the back step or help with the garden, someone says the package doesn't cover it, and you have no way to check. The full list lives inside a 250-page program manual that nobody hands you at approval. This page puts it in one place, with the named exclusions, so you can ask for services by name and know when a no is real.
The steps that matter
- Treat as its own track. The equipment and home modifications funding is separate from the ongoing quarterly budget, so pursue it in parallel rather than waiting for everything else to settle.
- Ask for it by name: Assistive Technology and Home Modifications, or AT-HM, not "extra funding". Assessors don't proactively offer it, so the naming has to come from you.
- Get the tier, the dollar amount and the end of the 12-month spend window confirmed in writing. The funding must be spent within the window, not just committed.
- Watch the gap between approved and delivered. An occupational therapist's report does not mean the work is done. If nothing is booked within a couple of weeks of the report, follow up in writing.
What can you spend a Support at Home package on?
The groups every funded service into three categories: , and . Which of the 14 service types a person is actually approved for is itemised in their and . Read those two documents alongside this table.
Clinical supports
Nursing, allied health and other clinical services delivered by qualified professionals.
Independence
Services that help someone stay independent, mobile and connected to their community.
Everyday living
Everyday home-based support, from domestic help to home maintenance and meals.
This table is long. Every row now carries its everyday name next to the official one. Use your browser's find function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on a Mac or iPhone) and search a word like "shower", "clean" or "ramp" to jump straight to the row you need.
Nursing carenurse visits for things like wound care, medication support and clinical monitoring
- Category
- Clinical supports
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
Allied health and therapeutic servicesphysio, occupational therapy, podiatry, dietitian, counselling
- Category
- Clinical supports
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
Nutritionprescribed dietary supplements for a diagnosed condition
- Category
- Clinical supports
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
Care managementyour coordinator, who plans, reviews and organises your services
- Category
- Clinical supports
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
Restorative care managementshort-term coaching after a hospital stay or health setback, to help someone regain skills
- Category
- Clinical supports
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
Personal careshowering, dressing, grooming, toileting and medication reminders
- Category
- Independence
- How it's priced
- By the hour
Social support and community engagementoutings, visits, help with bills and paperwork, tech help
- Category
- Independence
- How it's priced
- By the hour
Therapeutic services for independent livingacupuncture, chiropractic, remedial massage, art therapy
- Category
- Independence
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
Respitea break for the carer, in-home or at a day centre
- Category
- Independence
- How it's priced
- By the hour
Transportrides to appointments, shopping or social outings
- Category
- Independence
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
Assistive technology and home modificationswalking frames, shower chairs, grab rails, ramps (see AT-HM below)
- Category
- Independence
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
Domestic assistancecleaning, laundry, shopping
- Category
- Everyday living
- How it's priced
- By the hour
Home maintenance and repairsgardening, minor repairs, a new door handle or tap
- Category
- Everyday living
- How it's priced
- By the hour
Mealscooked or delivered meals
- Category
- Everyday living
- How it's priced
- Per visit or item
| Named service | Category | How it's priced |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing carenurse visits for things like wound care, medication support and clinical monitoring | Clinical supports | Per visit or item |
| Allied health and therapeutic servicesphysio, occupational therapy, podiatry, dietitian, counselling | Clinical supports | Per visit or item |
| Nutritionprescribed dietary supplements for a diagnosed condition | Clinical supports | Per visit or item |
| Care managementyour coordinator, who plans, reviews and organises your services | Clinical supports | Per visit or item |
| Restorative care managementshort-term coaching after a hospital stay or health setback, to help someone regain skills | Clinical supports | Per visit or item |
| Personal careshowering, dressing, grooming, toileting and medication reminders | Independence | By the hour |
| Social support and community engagementoutings, visits, help with bills and paperwork, tech help | Independence | By the hour |
| Therapeutic services for independent livingacupuncture, chiropractic, remedial massage, art therapy | Independence | Per visit or item |
| Respitea break for the carer, in-home or at a day centre | Independence | By the hour |
| Transportrides to appointments, shopping or social outings | Independence | Per visit or item |
| Assistive technology and home modificationswalking frames, shower chairs, grab rails, ramps (see AT-HM below) | Independence | Per visit or item |
| Domestic assistancecleaning, laundry, shopping | Everyday living | By the hour |
| Home maintenance and repairsgardening, minor repairs, a new door handle or tap | Everyday living | By the hour |
| Mealscooked or delivered meals | Everyday living | Per visit or item |
Source: Support at Home Program Manual v4.2 (December 2025), sections 10.1 to 10.2, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Verified 26 July 2026.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants are eligible for every service on this list under section 66 of the Aged Care Act 2024, regardless of what their individual Support Plan itemises.
For the hourly services, what the list means in hours a week depends entirely on your level and your provider's rates. The hours calculator does that arithmetic for all 8 levels.
What is Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM), and how much is it worth?
AT-HM funds equipment and home modifications. On the equipment side, that means things like walking frames, shower chairs and commodes. On the modifications side, it means grab rails, handrails, ramps and bathroom changes. It is a separate, one-off pool of money with its own three tiers, and it sits outside the ongoing quarterly budget. The assessor allocates a tier for assistive technology, for home modifications, or one of each.
If the person you care for transitioned from a , the manual gives them access to AT-HM without a further assessment. But that only means one thing: unspent Home Care Package funds can be spent on AT-HM items. If there are no unspent funds to draw on, new tier funding still needs a by an aged care needs assessor. Ask for one rather than assuming the money is already sitting there.
| Tier | Amount | Expires after |
|---|---|---|
| Low | $500 | 12 months, if unused |
| Medium | $2,000 | 12 months, if unused |
| High | $15,000 | 12 months, if unused |
Source: Support at Home Program Manual v4.2 (December 2025), chapter 13, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Verified 26 July 2026.
Three details are worth knowing before you plan around these numbers. The High assistive technology tier is not a hard ceiling. Costs above $15,000 can still be funded with evidence, such as a valid prescription. High-tier home modifications work differently: they are capped at $15,000 per lifetime. The clock starts when the service agreement is signed. The funding must be spent, not just committed, within 12 months, though complex home modifications can be extended by another 12 months with evidence of progress. Some participants also pay a contribution towards AT-HM costs.
Been told the package won't cover something?
Tell Vera what you asked for and what you were told. You'll come away knowing whether the no is real, and if it isn't, exactly who to ask and in what words.
Talk it through with VeraFree. Private. No account needed.
What won't a Support at Home package pay for?
The Program Manual names its exclusions as plainly as it names the service list, and this page gives them the same treatment: every named exclusion below, with the section of the manual that states it.
Everyday household appliances
- What that means
- A dishwasher is the Program Manual's own example.
- Where it says so
- §13.1.1
A therapist's own assessment or therapy tools
- What that means
- Their working equipment, not something bought for the person at home.
- Where it says so
- §13.1.1
Products better funded by another government scheme
- What that means
- For example, aids covered by the Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme.
- Where it says so
- §13.1.1
General home renovations
- What that means
- A full renovation is not a support need, even if the home genuinely needs one.
- Where it says so
- §13.1.2
Repairs that count as normal upkeep
- What that means
- Routine maintenance of the home, as distinct from a modification tied to a support need.
- Where it says so
- §13.1.2
Home layout changes unrelated to a support need
- What that means
- A change has to connect to an assessed need to qualify, not just be a general improvement.
- Where it says so
- §13.1.2
Buying, running or licensing a vehicle
- What that means
- Transport funding pays for the ride: a driver and car, or a taxi or rideshare voucher, not the vehicle itself.
- Where it says so
- §10.2, note 9
Holiday-related travel
- What that means
- Transport funding is for appointments and everyday trips, not a holiday.
- Where it says so
- §10.2, note 9
Anything beyond the approved budget
- What that means
- Extra services need a separate, private agreement with the provider. They are not government-funded.
- Where it says so
- §9.7
A service on the list that isn't in the person's own plan
- What that means
- Approval is itemised. Being on the service list is not the same as being approved for it.
- Where it says so
- §10.2
| Not covered | What that means | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday household appliances | A dishwasher is the Program Manual's own example. | §13.1.1 |
| A therapist's own assessment or therapy tools | Their working equipment, not something bought for the person at home. | §13.1.1 |
| Products better funded by another government scheme | For example, aids covered by the Medical Aids Subsidy Scheme. | §13.1.1 |
| General home renovations | A full renovation is not a support need, even if the home genuinely needs one. | §13.1.2 |
| Repairs that count as normal upkeep | Routine maintenance of the home, as distinct from a modification tied to a support need. | §13.1.2 |
| Home layout changes unrelated to a support need | A change has to connect to an assessed need to qualify, not just be a general improvement. | §13.1.2 |
| Buying, running or licensing a vehicle | Transport funding pays for the ride: a driver and car, or a taxi or rideshare voucher, not the vehicle itself. | §10.2, note 9 |
| Holiday-related travel | Transport funding is for appointments and everyday trips, not a holiday. | §10.2, note 9 |
| Anything beyond the approved budget | Extra services need a separate, private agreement with the provider. They are not government-funded. | §9.7 |
| A service on the list that isn't in the person's own plan | Approval is itemised. Being on the service list is not the same as being approved for it. | §10.2 |
Source: Support at Home Program Manual v4.2 (December 2025), section shown per row, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Verified 26 July 2026.
There is also a quieter exclusion that catches more families than any of those above: a service that is on the list but not in the person's own support plan is not approved, however reasonable the need. The fix for that is a Support Plan Review by an aged care needs assessor, not an argument with the provider's billing team.
Other help worth checking
If the package will not cover something, there is still more help to check. A separate layer of entitlements sits outside entirely, and it is worth going through each one. The Continence Aids Payment Scheme pays up to $739.40 a person a year in 2026-27. It is not means tested, and you arrange it through a GP form. Carer Allowance pays $162.60 a fortnight from 1 January 2026. There is no assets test, and it is paid for each person you care for. A GP chronic condition management plan gives up to five Medicare-rebated allied health visits a year, outside the package. There are also state taxi subsidy schemes, the Companion Card, and Carer Gateway's counselling and emergency for the carer. One pass through that list with one family we helped found about $10,000 a year they were entitled to and not receiving.
Words to have ready
Asking for the Home Modifications pathway
"Can Mum access the Home Modifications pathway under Support at Home (its full name is Assistive Technology and Home Modifications, or AT-HM) for a rail and ramps, with an occupational therapist home-safety assessment? And can I confirm that funding can be released ahead of her full package?"
Chasing a delayed installation
"The occupational therapist's assessment for Mum's rails was completed weeks ago and nothing has been installed. Can you tell me today what date the work is booked for, and confirm that in writing? If something is blocking it, I'd like to know what it is and who is responsible for moving it."
Common questions
Can I buy a fridge with my home care package?
No. Everyday household appliances are excluded from the Support at Home assistive technology scheme, and the Program Manual names a dishwasher as its example. A fridge sits in the same category. Package funds cover care and support services, plus aids on the AT-HM list, not appliances every household needs anyway.
Can I buy a mattress with my home care package?
An ordinary mattress, no. It is an everyday household item, not an aid. Where there is an assessed clinical need, pressure-care equipment is a different conversation: the AT-HM list covers products that manage body functions, including pressure cushions. Ask the occupational therapist what qualifies before buying anything.
Can you get an iPad with a home care package?
Generally no. A general-purpose tablet is an everyday item, and AT-HM funding only covers products on the AT-HM list that address an assessed functional need. The list does include communication and information management aids, so if the real need is communicating, raise exactly that with the assessor.
What is not allowed in a care package?
Anything outside the defined service list, and anything on the list that is not in the person's own support plan. Named exclusions include everyday household appliances, general home renovations, repairs that count as normal upkeep, vehicle purchase and holiday travel. Funds buy care and support tied to assessed needs.
What can I spend my Support at Home package on?
There are fourteen service types across three categories. Clinical supports covers nursing care, allied health and therapeutic services, nutrition, care management, and restorative care management. Independence covers personal care, social support and community engagement, therapeutic services for independent living, respite, transport, and assistive technology and home modifications. Everyday living covers domestic assistance, home maintenance and repairs, and meals. Each person's approvals are itemised in their Notice of Decision, so start there.
One human thing
You are not being difficult by asking for the exact tier, the exact dollars and the exact dates. One family we helped waited five months for bed rails that turned out to be the wrong ones; the asking is what prevents that.
Where to go next
- Work out your hours See what your quarterly budget actually buys in hours a week, once your provider's rates are applied.
- What you might be asked to pay The co-contribution rules, so you know what should always stay free.
- What is the Support at Home program? Levels, budgets, and how the whole program fits together.
Been told the package won't cover something?
Tell Vera what you asked for and what you were told. You'll come away knowing whether the no is real, and if it isn't, exactly who to ask and in what words.
Talk it through with VeraFree. Private. No account needed.