Home Care Package Levels 1 to 4 Explained (and What Replaced Them)

If someone has told you that you're waiting on a level 2 package, or you've been trying to work out the difference between a level 3 and a level 4, this is the explanation.

There's one thing to know before the detail: the program changed on 1 November 2025 (see below). The four levels still matter, because they still describe what a lot of people hold and how funding was decided until recently. They're just no longer the whole picture.

The short answer

• Home Care Packages had four levels, from level 1 for basic care needs to level 4 for high care needs.

• Support at Home replaced that program on 1 November 2025, along with the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme.

• Support at Home has eight ongoing funding classifications, plus four transitioned Home Care Package classifications that preserve equivalent funding for people who moved across.

• Your level is decided at your aged care assessment, not by you or your provider.

What the four Home Care Package levels covered

The four levels reflected increasing levels of assessed need.

Level 1 was for basic care needs, providing basic support services at home.

Level 2 was for low care needs. It covered the same kind of help as level 1, but with more of it, which could mean three or four visits a week from an aged care worker.

Level 3 was for intermediate care needs, providing more support at home on most days of the week. That could include visits from a care worker, a nurse and allied health workers, and it could also cover some home modifications and equipment such as grab rails, bed hoists or electric adjustable beds.

Level 4 was for high or complex care needs. It could include daily visits and considerable home modifications, based on assessed needs.

It's worth being clear about what those descriptions are. They describe the intensity of support each level was designed to fund. They were never a fixed roster or a guaranteed list of services.

What changed on 1 November 2025

Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme.

Under Support at Home, each participant receives one of eight funding classifications for ongoing services. Having eight rather than four means the funding sits closer to a person's assessed need, rather than jumping in four large steps.

Your classification is determined in your aged care assessment. Budgets are allocated quarterly rather than as one annual figure, and if you don't spend a quarter's budget you can carry over unspent funds up to $1,000 or 10 per cent, whichever is greater.

Two details that surprise people: around 10 per cent of the funding amount for each ongoing classification is allocated to care management, and the amounts themselves are subject to change each July in line with indexation. Because the figures move annually, it's worth checking the current amounts on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's Support at Home funding pages rather than relying on a number quoted in an article.

If you already had a package

You haven't lost anything, and you don't need to reapply.

Support at Home includes four transitioned Home Care Package classifications, which exist specifically to provide an equivalent level of funding to people who transitioned across. People assessed as eligible for a Home Care Package as at 31 October 2025 moved into the Support at Home Priority System, and receive an ongoing funding level equivalent to their approved package when a place becomes available.

There's also a protection worth knowing about if you were receiving or approved for a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024. Under the "no worse off" principle:

• If you were assessed as having to pay an income-tested care fee, you'll pay the same or less under Support at Home.

• If you were assessed as not having to pay an income-tested care fee, you'll never be asked to pay contributions under Support at Home.

Who decides your level

Your classification comes out of your aged care assessment. An assessor looks at how you're managing day to day and the outcome is recorded in your support plan and Notice of Decision.

Neither you nor a provider can choose or negotiate a level. What you can influence is the accuracy of the assessment, which is why describing a normal week rather than your best day matters so much.

What the funding is, and what it isn't

This is where expectations most often come unstuck.

Your classification is a budget, not a payment. It isn't money that arrives in your bank account, and it isn't a fixed number of hours. What it buys depends on the services you use and what they cost.

It's also not a ceiling on your life. You can top up with privately paid support if you want more hours than your budget covers, or want a specific person for a specific task.

If your needs change

A classification reflects your circumstances at the time you were assessed. If things change significantly, after a fall, a hospital stay, or simply a gradual decline, you can contact My Aged Care about a reassessment.

It's easy to put off longer than you need to, often because a reassessment feels like a complaint. It isn't. It's the mechanism the system provides for exactly this.

FAQ

Are Home Care Packages still available? Not as new packages — see "What changed on 1 November 2025" above. If you already held or were approved for one, your funding transitioned across at an equivalent level.

What is the difference between level 2 and level 3? Under the old package levels, level 2 covered low care needs, which might mean three or four visits a week, while level 3 covered intermediate needs with support on most days and scope for home modifications and equipment. Under Support at Home, the equivalent distinction is made across eight ongoing classifications instead of four levels.

Can I choose my level? No. It's determined through your aged care assessment.

Can I use my funding for a support worker I choose myself? Which services your funding covers is set out in your support plan and your arrangement with your provider. Separately, you can always arrange and pay for support privately, including choosing an independent support worker directly.

Where to go next

If you're waiting on an assessment, or you've had one and are working out what happens now, the practical next decision is who you actually want providing support - whether that's within your funded budget or, as covered above, topping it up privately for a specific need.

CareVicinity is an Australia-wide marketplace where you can browse independent support workers, compare experience, languages and rates, and choose who you want to work with. Care seekers pay no platform fee. CareVicinity's 12.5% platform fee applies to the support worker and is already reflected in the rate shown, so there's no separate charge to factor into your budget.

Browse independent support workers in your area, or read more about how CareVicinity works.