St Louis Home Care
Packages and Fees
Adelaide Victor Harbor
St Louis Home Care
Packages and Fees
Adelaide Victor Harbor
Welcome
How can we help you today?
From 1 November 2025, the new Support at Home aged care program will replace Home Care Packages and change fee-structures so you only pay for the services you use, with contributions now based on both income and assets, graded by service type, and price caps to be introduced from 1 July 2026.
We have outlines some of these changes and how they impact you.
Funding Levels – 8 levels of support
When you are assessed and approved for Support at Home, you’ll be assigned a classification level from 1 to 8.
Level 1 represents basic support needs and Level 8 represents very high support needs. Each level comes with a quarterly budget (government funding) allocated for your care.
The Support at Home funding model gives you control and clarity. You know what your budget is and what it can be used for. Working closely with St Louis, you’ll be able to utilise it to best meet your needs, and we’ll ensure you get every bit of support you’re entitled to.
Feel free to ask us for personalised advice on what level you can expect or how far a budget can stretch. Ultimately, once you’re in the program, we manage the budget in partnership with you: you’ll decide what services to spend it on (within your approved list) and we handle the logistics.
Here’s an overview of what those levels mean in terms of funding:
| Level | Approx. Annual Budget | Typical Support Provided |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | $10,731.00 per year | Entry level support needs – e.g., a few hours of help per week with cleaning or shopping. |
| Level 2 | $16,034.45 per year | Basic support needs – e.g., some personal care each week with additional cleaning. |
| Level 3 | $21,965.70 per year | Moderate support needs – e.g., daily visits or several services per week. |
| Level 4 | $29,696.40 per year | Substantial support – can fund multiple visits most days. |
| Level 5 | $39,697.40 per year | Higher support needs – provides more hours/services for those needing a lot of assistance. |
| Level 6 | $48,114.30 per year | Significant needs – approaching complex care (e.g., multiple visits per day or nursing plus personal care). |
| Level 7 | $58,148.15 per year | Very high needs – extensive daily support. |
| Level 8 | $78,106.35 per year | Extremely high needs – maximum funding for complex care scenarios at home. |
Funding and contributions
One of the key benefits of the Support at Home program is that it’s mostly funded by the Australian Government, making in-home care affordable for almost everyone. You only pay for some services, and only if you can afford to. Many people, especially full Age Pensioners, pay no fees at all. Others may contribute a portion of the cost, with the government covering the rest.
Care funding is split into two parts:
Government Subsidy: This is the bulk of funding and covers most service costs based on your assessed care level.
Participant Contribution: This is an out-of-pocket amount you may pay, depending on your income and assets. It’s means-tested, using a process similar to the Age Pension assessment. It works like a co-payment—structured as a percentage of service cost.
Full pensioners often pay nothing, part-pensioners contribute moderately, and self-funded retirees pay the most. This ensures contributions are fair and based on capacity to pay.
All nursing, allied health, and care management services are 100% government paid, 0% contribution from you. Your budget handles these costs. You only contribute to the support services you receive. There are no daily fees, admin charges, or hidden costs.
Contribution rates
The government has set standard contribution rates that apply from 1 Nov 2025 for new Support at Home participants. These rates vary by your income and by the type of service.
If you’re a full pensioner, you will not pay for any clinical or health services, and you’ll pay just a token amount for other help.
If you’re on a part pension or hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, your rates will depend on exactly where your income falls. The percentage increases with income.
If you’re self-funded retiree, you’ll pay about half the cost of independence services and 80% of everyday services. This is still often less than private market rates because the prices themselves are likely to be capped.
For all groups: 0% for clinical means no one pays for nursing, allied health, etc. That remains fully subsidised. These contributions apply only up to the price cap, from July 2026, which protects everyone from overpaying.
Lifetime Cap: One important protection is the lifetime cap on contributions. The government has set a maximum limit of $130,000 (indexed) that any individual can ever be asked to contribute over their lifetime. For grandfathered clients, the old lifetime cap of $82,000 still applies.
| Your Status | Clinical Services (e.g. nursing, allied health) | Independence Services (e.g. personal care, transport, respite) | Everyday Living Services (e.g. cleaning, gardening, meals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Pensioner low-income |
0% (no cost) | 5% of service price | 17.5% of service price |
| Part Pensioner or CSHC holder moderate income |
0% | 5% up to 50% (sliding scale) | 17.5% up to 80% (sliding scale) |
| Self-Funded Retiree higher income |
0% | 50% of service price | 80% of service price |
No more separate package fees and fairer contributions
One big change is how fees and contributions work.
Under Home Care Packages, providers sometimes charged daily or admin fees in addition to service costs. In Support at Home, there are no daily package fees — you only contribute to the services you actually receive. All delivery costs (including admin and travel) are bundled into the service price for transparency.
The government will continue to subsidise most of your care, and if you’re eligible (as most people are), you’ll pay only a capped percentage of each service based on your income.
Clinical care remains completely free — there are no costs for nursing, allied health, medication management, or care coordination. Contributions apply only to Independence and Everyday Living services (like personal care or cleaning), and even these are zero or very low for full pensioners.
There are no surprise fees — just a fair co-payment for some services, scaled to what you can afford. This change keeps the system sustainable and affordable for all.
Care Management for all (capped at 10%)
The new program ensures every client gets professional care management support.
10% of each funding package is dedicated to care management, meaning you’ll have a St Louis Care Partner to help plan and arrange your services, included as part of your care.
In the past, This coordination was sometimes optional (and separately charged) but now it’s built-in and fully funded by the government (no co-pay).
Care Management Fees are capped (max 10% of your budget can go to this function), to ensure the majority goes directly to services you receive.
Your St Louis Care Partner will work with you to tailor your care plan, adjust services as your needs change and generally make sure you’re getting the most from your support.
Additional support for your your health and wellbeing
If you are approved for the restorative care pathway or AT-HM, you’ll get those additional budgets as a boost on top of your ongoing level. Equipment or home mods can be funded outside your regular budget via the AT-HM scheme. We coordinate these so that it’s not confusing, essentially, we just arrange those services or purchases and the funding is drawn from the correct pool automatically.
Support at Home supplements
These are extra government payments added to your quarterly budget when you have specific needs or circumstances. They don’t change your assessment, but they can boost your budget so you can get the right mix of services sooner.
Restorative Care Pathway
A time-limited program (up to 12 weeks) of intensive allied health and reablement services. This is designed to help you recover or improve functionality after an illness or injury, or to prevent decline. It comes with an extra budget (around $6k, and can be doubled to $12k if needed for more therapy), on top of your regular funding, and typically lasts a few months.
Learn more about it here
End-of-Life (Palliative) Care Pathway
This provides special support for older people in their last 3 months of life who wish to remain at home. It allocates an additional $25,000 budget for up to ~3 months to fund services.
Learn more about it here
Assistive Technology & Home Modifications (AT-HM) Scheme
This is a separate funding stream to supply equipment, assistive devices, or home modifications you may need. The new program provides dedicated funding for AT and home mods. There are tiers of funding (low/medium/high cost) depending on what’s needed, an assessor will approve a tier for you if you have a certain need. Any unspent funds from your old HCP package, if applicable, will need to be used first for these purchases.
Learn more about it here
Assistive Technology & Home Modifications (AT-HM) Loan Scheme
The AT-HM Loan Scheme is a new government initiative (starting 1 November 2025) that lets you borrow assistive equipment quickly when you need it. This scheme is designed to get essential items (like walkers, grab rails) – into your hands faster with government funding of up to $15,000 to cover the costs.
Learn more about it here
What stays the same for current clients
No reassessment or reapplication
You don’t need to reapply or complete a new assessment on 1 Nov. You’ll automatically move to the Support at Home program, with your current approval and care plan carried over. No paperwork or action is required to continue receiving care.
Same services and care staff
You’ll keep receiving the same services from the same trusted St Louis care workers and nurses, at the same times and frequency. Your daily support remains unchanged — you’ll see the same friendly faces and continue getting the help you rely on without interruption.
Same funding level
Your care funding will stay equivalent under Support at Home. For example, if you’re on a Level 2 Home Care Package, you’ll move to Support at Home with the same quarterly budget — it will just be tracked quarterly instead of annually. You will not lose any funding during the transition.
Your unspent funds carry over
Any unspent Home Care Package funds will roll over into the new program. You’ll keep your accrued savings, which can be used for assistive technology, home modifications, or to top up services if your regular quarterly budget runs out. There’s no cap on how you use your carried-over funds for your care needs.
“No worse off” for grandfathered clients
These rates for grandfathered clients will apply for the rest of your time in Support at Home. Even if you get reassessed to a higher level later, you keep the no-worse-off status.
Full Pensioner for existing clients
If you weren’t paying income-tested fees before (as is common for full pensioners), you’ll continue to pay $0 for all services—clinical, independence, and everyday. The government locked this in to ensure you’re not charged for services like cleaning that were previously free. Your home care remains fully government-funded, even as others may pay in the future.
Part Pensioner for existing clients
If you were paying income-tested fees under HCP, the government has set similar contribution caps under Support at Home—around 25% for independence and everyday services (vs. up to 50–80% for new clients). Many will see lower fees than before, as the new co-pay can be less than the old income-tested fee plus daily fees. For instance, someone paying $15/day under HCP might now pay around $10/day, with clinical services still free.
Self-Funded for existing clients
Previously, self-funded retirees paid up to ~$15k/year in income-tested fees, plus daily fees. Now, grandfathered clients pay at most 25% for independence and everyday services (vs. 50–80% for new self-funded clients). Your lifetime cap stays at ~$82k (vs. $130k for new entrants). Financially, you're no worse off—and possibly better off—with no daily fees now.
Getting Started
Ready to explore how you can live independently at home? At St Louis Home Care, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Our dedicated team is committed to understanding your unique needs and preferences. We’ll work closely with you to develop a personalised care plan that reflects your lifestyle and goals, ensuring you receive the support that’s right for you.