A letter, an assessor or a relative says the older person has a Home Care Package Level 3. That label comes from the Home Care Packages Program, which closed on 31 October 2025. Support at Home began the next day. The words on your paperwork may not match the program that now pays for the care.
Key takeaways
- Home Care Package levels are the four old funding tiers. That program closed on 31 October 2025 and Support at Home started on 1 November 2025.
- Support at Home has eight ongoing classifications for people assessed under the new program.
- People assessed as eligible on or before 31 October 2025 keep one of four transitioned levels. These are labelled HCP Level 1 to HCP Level 4. Funding is equivalent to their previous funding.
- No official source states a number-to-number mapping between HCP Level 1 to 4 and the eight ongoing classifications.
- A level label is not a service list, an hours guarantee or an endorsement of any provider.
What Home Care Package levels mean in 2026
Home Care Package levels are the everyday name for four funding tiers that closed on 31 October 2025. The term still appears in letters and provider websites, so it is worth understanding even though the program has ended.
The tiers ran from HCP Level 1 (basic care needs) to HCP Level 4 (high care needs). In between sat HCP Level 2 (low level care needs) and HCP Level 3 (intermediate care needs). Each funded services coordinated by a provider, and the assessment set which tier a person qualified for. Those descriptions come from the Department’s published Home Care Packages Program Guidelines.
If “HCP Level 3” or “HCP Level 4” appears in a document, it describes historic Home Care Package funding. It does not describe one of the eight ongoing Support at Home classifications. The number may happen to match, but the labels come from different programs.
What changed on 1 November 2025
Support at Home is the Australian Government program that replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme on 1 November 2025. Ongoing funding moved from four levels to eight classifications. Each participant receives one of those eight, set in the aged care assessment. Neither the person nor the provider chooses it.
Three short-term pathways sit alongside ongoing care: assistive technology and home modifications, restorative care, and end-of-life care. A person can hold an ongoing classification and a short-term approval at once.
Budgets are allocated quarterly, and funding amounts are indexed each July. The Department publishes the current figures and their effective date on its funding classifications page. This guide does not repeat the amounts, because the indexed figures change and the effective date matters more than the number.
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) is separate and continues. Its grant funding has been extended to 30 June 2029, with its transition to Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
The four transitioned HCP levels and who they apply to
A transitioned HCP level is a funding classification for someone assessed as eligible for a Home Care Package on or before 31 October 2025. Four remain: HCP Level 1 to HCP Level 4. For these people, the old words still describe an active funding arrangement.
| Label | Care needs it described |
|---|---|
| HCP Level 1 | Basic care needs |
| HCP Level 2 | Low level care needs |
| HCP Level 3 | Intermediate care needs |
| HCP Level 4 | High care needs |
Two groups sit within that population. People already receiving a package moved with funding equivalent to their previous funding. People approved but waiting for a place entered the Priority System and receive an equivalent level when a place becomes available.
The Department says transitioned participants “received a funding level for ongoing services that’s equivalent to their previous funding”. That equivalence is the guarantee behind HCP funding levels. It is not a statement that HCP Level 3 equals any particular Support at Home classification.
Reassessment is the route between the two scales. A transitioned participant reassessed and approved for a higher classification moves onto a Support at Home classification. Until then, the transitioned level continues.
No official source checked here states a number-to-number mapping between HCP Level 1 to 4 and the eight ongoing classifications.
How to read a letter that names a Home Care Package level
A Notice of Decision is the assessment outcome letter that names the approved services and, where relevant, the level. The level wording is one line among several that matter more for what happens next.
It contains the approved services, any short-term approvals, the assessor’s reasons and evidence, the review rights, and a copy of the support plan. The My Aged Care outcome guide sets out each part.
Read it in this order:
- Check the approved services first. The support plan sets out what the funding can be spent on. The level or classification sets the size of the funding amount. These are separate pieces of information.
- Check whether a funding allocation has happened. Approval and funding are different steps. The letter may say the person has been placed in the Priority System, not yet allocated a place.
- Check the priority category. The four categories are urgent, high, medium and standard. Priority category and approval date together determine when funding is released.
- Check the deadlines and review rights. After a funding allocation letter, the person has 56 days to sign a service agreement. A 28-day extension is available. If the decision looks wrong, the letter explains how to raise it.
For example, suppose a letter says HCP Level 3 and lists personal care, domestic assistance and transport. The level tells you roughly how much funding the person has. The service list tells you what it may buy. The priority category tells you when the money may arrive.
If no place has been assigned, nothing is missing. The Priority System sequences funding for everyone approved for ongoing services. Interim funding may be offered at 60% of the approved funding classification (Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, 2026).
For how the assessment itself works, see our guide to aged care at home and the assessment pathway.
Check your level or classification with My Aged Care
Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, log in to the My Aged Care Online Account, or ask a Services Australia Aged Care Specialist Officer in person. All three routes can confirm what is recorded.
Have these ready: the assessment outcome letter, the person’s Medicare details, and a note of current support. If a family member is calling on someone’s behalf, confirm what authority they hold first. Some information can only be discussed with an authorised representative.
If needs have changed, you can request a support plan review at any time through My Aged Care or a Services Australia officer. An assessor may recommend plan changes, or a full reassessment where needs have changed significantly. A reassessment can result in a higher classification, but it does not guarantee one. For example, if a parent on HCP Level 2 has had a fall and now needs help with showering, ask for a review rather than waiting.
From 1 October 2026, approved personal care services have no participant contribution when Support at Home funds are available. The Department’s personal care guidance sets out the conditions. Other service categories may still attract a contribution.
What the level wording does not tell you
The level label carries less information than most families assume. Four things it is not:
- It is not a service list. Approved services are named in the support plan. Two people with the same transitioned level can have different service mixes.
- It is not an hours guarantee. No official hours-per-level figure is published. Hours depend on the services, the prices and the budget.
- It is not an endorsement of a provider. A level describes funding, not quality. The person can change providers.
- It is not numerically the same as the eight ongoing classifications. HCP Level 3 is a transitioned Home Care Package label. Support at Home Classification 3 is a different construct.
Where to go next
If you are choosing a provider, our guide to home care services for older people in Adelaide covers eligibility routes, costs, worker screening and questions to ask before signing.
To ask about current support, review Timely Health Assist services or contact the THA team.
This guide does not establish that Timely Health Assist is an approved Support at Home or CHSP provider.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Home Care Package Level 3?
Home Care Package Level 3 was the third of four funding tiers under the program that closed on 31 October 2025. A person now described as holding HCP Level 3 is a transitioned participant whose Support at Home funding is equivalent to their previous package. The label does not describe one of the eight ongoing classifications.
What is a Home Care Package Level 4?
Home Care Package Level 4 was the highest of the four tiers, for high care needs. A person described as holding HCP Level 4 has transitioned funding equivalent to their previous package. The Department publishes the current amounts, indexed each July.
What is a Home Care Package Level 1?
Home Care Package Level 1 was the entry tier, for basic care needs. It is now a transitioned label, with funding equivalent to what the person previously received.
What is a Home Care Package Level 2?
Home Care Package Level 2 was the second tier, for low level care needs. It is now a transitioned label, with funding equivalent to what the person previously received.
What are the Support at Home levels?
Support at Home has eight ongoing classifications for people assessed under the new program. Alongside them sit four transitioned HCP classifications, HCP Level 1 to HCP Level 4, for people assessed as eligible on or before 31 October 2025. The scales are different, and the numbers are not interchangeable.
How many hours is a Home Care Package level?
No official hours figure is published for any Home Care Package level. Hours are not fixed by the level. They depend on the approved services, the provider’s prices and how the budget is allocated across the quarter. Ask the provider to show the service mix and prices against the available budget rather than quoting an hours number.
Editorial note: Information in this guide was last checked on 2 November 2026. Aged care program rules, funding classifications and provider arrangements can change. Confirm current details with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and with the relevant provider before making decisions.
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