Support at Home Personal Care Contribution: What Bankstown and Punchbowl Families Pay Since 1 October 2026

By the Care Steps Australia team | Last updated: 11 November 2026

Quick answer: Since 1 October 2026, the Support at Home personal care contribution is $0. You pay nothing yourself for approved help to shower, dress, use the toilet, eat or take your own medicine. Personal care must be in your support plan, and you need money left in your budget.

Key Takeaways

•     The government now pays your full share of approved personal care.

•     What counts is the date you got the care, not the date of the bill.

•     Your budget still pays the provider's price for each visit.

•     Cleaning, gardening, meals and transport still cost you a share.

•     CHSP, NDIS and private care are not part of this change.

What happened to the Support at Home personal care contribution?

A contribution is the part of the cost you pay yourself. The government pays the rest.

Before October, personal care sat in a group called Independence. In that group, most people paid a share of every visit. On 1 October 2026, the government moved personal care into Clinical Supports. Nursing and allied health were already there. Nobody pays a share for services in Clinical Supports.

So now the Support at Home personal care contribution is 0%, whatever your income. You don't need to apply or get a new assessment. My Aged Care confirms that you don't need to do anything to get this change.

Watch the date. Say you had help with a shower on 28 September. That visit can still carry a share, even if the bill comes in October.

What counts as personal care?

Personal care is hands-on help with daily tasks, such as:

•     showering, bathing and staying clean

•     getting dressed

•     using the toilet and continence aids

•     eating

•     taking your own medicine, like opening a pharmacy pack

Some nearby services are different:

•     Nursing. A nurse giving medicine or dressing a wound is nursing. You don't pay a share for it, but it's a separate service in your plan.

•     Cleaning. Help in the shower is personal care. Cleaning the bathroom afterwards is not.

•     Medicine costs. Support at Home doesn't pay for the medicine or the pharmacy pack.

•     Hairdressing and beauty. Haircuts and waxing aren't covered.

Not sure about a visit? Ask your provider where it sits on the Support at Home service list. Care Steps offers personal care and Support at Home services across south-west Sydney. We can show you how each visit in your plan is set up.

Who pays no Support at Home personal care contribution?

You pay nothing for personal care when both of these are true:

•     Personal care is approved in your support plan.

•     You have money left in your Support at Home budget.

Who is left out:

•     CHSP clients. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme has its own fees. It won't move into Support at Home before 1 July 2027.

•     NDIS participants. The NDIS is a separate system with its own funding rules.

•     Private clients. If you pay a provider without government funding, you pay the agreed price.

•     People are still waiting. Free personal care starts when your Support at Home budget starts. Check if you're eligible for Support at Home.

Had a Home Care Package before? Some people had a package, or were approved for one, on 12 September 2024. They are covered by the "no worse off" rule, which kept their shares lower. The table below shows what that means for them.

How much do Bankstown and Punchbowl families save?

Let's look at a Punchbowl family. Mum gets help to shower and dress three mornings a week. That's three hours of personal care.

We'll use $100 an hour to keep the maths easy. This is only an example. It isn't Care Steps' price or a government price. So her care costs $300 a week.

Here's what the Support at Home personal care contribution was for her before October, and what it is now. The rates come from the government's participant contributions guide.

Does free personal care mean a bigger budget?

No. Removing the Support at Home personal care contribution changes who pays, not how much is in your budget. In our example, Mum's $300 a week still comes out of her budget.

Here's how your budget works:

•     Its size depends on your classification. That's the level of care you were assessed for.

•     The money arrives every three months.

•     10% is set aside for care management. This pays your provider to plan and check your care.

•     The rest pays for your services.

•     You can carry some unused money forward. You can keep up to $1,000 or 10% of the quarterly budget, whichever is more.

Budgets also rose on 1 October 2026. That was a separate change to help providers pay nurses higher award wages.

Your money can still run out. Personal care is only free while there's money in your budget. Once a quarter's funds are used, extra care isn't covered.

What do you still pay for?

Other Support at Home services keep their shares under the standard rates:

Your share depends on your income and assets. Services Australia works this out. Part pensioners can use the fee estimator on My Aged Care to check their rate.

There's a limit. Support at Home has a lifetime cap on contributions. As at 20 September 2026, it's $140,652.80. For the "no worse off" group, it's $88,934.57. The caps change every March and September. Once you reach yours, you stop paying a share.

Struggling to pay? You can ask Services Australia for help with the financial hardship form (SA462). They aim to reply within 28 days.

Is a Support at Home personal care contribution still on your statement?

Your statement comes every month. Look at each line:

•     Date. Personal care from 1 October 2026 should show a $0 share.

•     Service name. A shower visit should say personal care, not cleaning or social support.

•     Price. The hourly price should match your service agreement.

•     Balance. See how much budget is left this quarter.

Does personal care still show a share? Ask your provider first. It's often a simple coding mistake, and they can pay you back.

Still not fixed? Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. You can also talk to an aged care advocate from the Older Persons Advocacy Network. Or you can complain to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

What should you ask your provider about prices?

There are no government price caps yet. They were planned for July 2026 but put on hold. Providers still set their own prices. They must agree on them with you first, and publish the prices they charge most often.

With no Support at Home personal care contribution to pay, it's easy to stop watching the price. But the price decides how long your budget lasts.

Ask your provider:

•     Which of my visits are personal care, and which are cleaning?

•     What's your hourly price for personal care on weekdays, weekends and public holidays?

•     Has that price changed since 1 October 2026?

•     How much budget will be left each quarter after my usual care?

For more questions, see our guide on what to ask before choosing a home care provider.

Where can you get personal care in Bankstown and Punchbowl?

Care Steps Australia is a registered aged care provider with an office in Punchbowl. Our carers help older people shower, dress, groom, manage continence and move safely at home.

We also help with Support at Home budgets, invoices and statements. That way, you can see that no Support at Home personal care contribution is charged for approved care. We review plans regularly as needs change.

Help with a shower is very personal. Where we can, we match carers to your family's language and culture.

We support families in Punchbowl and nearby suburbs, including Bankstown, Yagoona, Chester Hill, Greenacre, Padstow and Revesby. Find out more about personal care in Bankstown.

To use Support at Home funding, you first need a My Aged Care assessment. Private clients can book with us straight away.

The bottom line

The Support at Home personal care contribution is now $0 for approved care. That frees up your own money, but not your budget. Check your next statement, and ask your provider about prices.

Sources

•     My Aged Care, Support at Home personal care contribution changes

•     My Aged Care, Personal care service information

•     Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Personal care contribution change

•     Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Support at Home participant contributions (lifetime cap as at 20 September 2026)

•     Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Funding for Support at Home care management

•     Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Support at Home pricing FAQs, June 2026

This article is general information, not financial advice. Rates and rules can change. Check My Aged Care or talk to your provider about your own situation.

Get help with personal care at home

Are you on Support at Home and want your personal care set up and billed the right way? Or are you looking for a personal care provider in south-west Sydney? Our team is happy to talk it through with you.

Care Steps Australia
48 Lancaster Avenue, Punchbowl NSW 2196
Phone: 02 8201 3100
Email: info@carestepsaustralia.com.au