Home Care Package Levels 1-4 Explained

*A note from the author 

Before we get started, know that if you’re still confused about Home Care Packages it’s almost always better to talk to someone on the phone about it. 

There’s a lot of information out there about Home Care Packages, but you can find out what is most relevant to you by phoning St Vincent’s Care on 1800 778 767.  

We work with people on understanding and using their Home Care Packages every single day. 

We’ve heard it all. From questions about costs to aged care assesments and care, we can help put you on the right track and help you get the most out of your package when you have one.  

What are Home Care Packages? 

Home Care Packages are simply a funding amount from the government you get to spend on care in your home. 

The amount of funding is determined by the level of care you need from a level 1 (basic care) to level 4 (high level care). 

What a Home Care Package isn’t 

Home Care Package is not a collection of services (at least not at first). It is a budget of funding provided by the government. 

While you might see examples of how people Home Care Package on services, YOU decide how to use your funding.  

This can mean: 

1. You can get support from a home care provider to choose which services to use your funding for OR  

2. You can coordinate your home care services and funding yourself 

When you first get a Home Care Package, it is a blank slate of funding. 

BUT, obviously it is expected that you will use the funding from the package for the care needs that you’ve been assessed for.  

It’s also important to know, that your services aren’t set in stone and can change with your changing needs 

How do I get a Home Care Package? 

To get a Home Care Package, you first have to be eligible to use My Aged Care. 

Then, you will complete both: 

1. An aged care assessment (to see what level of care you need) 

2. An income assessment test (a means test to see how much you’ll be expected to contribute to your care) 

The 4 different types of Home Care Packages (and examples of what services can get with them) 

There are 4 different types of Home Care Packages that support you to stay at home for longer. These go in order from the lowest level of care for services like cleaning & domestic assistance (level 1) to the highest level of care which includes services like personal hygiene and nursing (level 4).  

The levels (and funding) are connected to the level of care that you’ve been assessed for. 

Examples of the 4 levels of Home Care Packages 

Remember, these are only examples. YOU choose how you use your funding either by yourself, or through the help of a home care provider. 

Level 1 Example: Basic Care Needs 

• Funding: Approximately $10,588.65 per year 
• Services: Suitable for people with basic care needs and typically include support for daily living tasks. Examples include: 

• Personal Care: Help with showering, dressing, and grooming 
• Domestic Assistance: Light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation 
• Social Support: Accompaniment to social events or community activities 
• Transport: Assistance with transport to medical appointments or shopping 
• Safety and Monitoring: Home safety modifications like rails, personal alarms 
• Basic Equipment: Assistance with mobility aids (e.g., walking sticks) 

Level 2 Example: Low-Level Care Needs 

• Funding: Approximately $18,622.30 per year 
• Services: Suitable for people with low-level care needs, offering more support than Level 1. Examples include: 

• Personal Care: More frequent help with bathing, dressing, and personal hygiene 
• Home and Garden Maintenance: Assistance with minor home repairs or garden upkeep 
• Meal Services: Help with grocery shopping or meal preparation 
• Medication Management: Assistance with medication reminders or organizing pills 
• Transport and Social Support: More regular assistance with transportation and social engagement 
• Respite Care: Short-term care to give family carers a break 
• Allied Health Services: Access to physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or podiatry 

Level 3 Example: Intermediate Care Needs 

• Funding: Approximately $40,529.60 per year 
• Services: Suitable for people with intermediate care needs, requiring more regular support for managing daily living tasks. Examples include: 

• Personal Care: Daily assistance with showering, dressing, continence management 
• Meal Preparation and Nutrition: Regular help with cooking or arranging meal services 
• Nursing Care: Visits from a registered nurse to help with wound care, injections, or chronic disease management 
• Allied Health Services: Ongoing support from physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians, or speech pathologists 
• Home Modifications: Installation of mobility aids like ramps, rails, or bathroom modifications 
• Transport and Shopping: Frequent support with transportation to medical appointments or shopping trips 
• Assistive Technology: Help in purchasing equipment like walkers, shower chairs, or emergency alarms 

Level 4 Example: High-Level Care Needs 

• Funding: Approximately $61,440.45 per year 
• Services: Suitable for people with high-level or complex care needs, often requiring daily support and ongoing medical attention. Examples include: 

• Personal Care: Comprehensive daily care, including full support with bathing, dressing, and toileting 
• 24-Hour Care: Access to personal care assistance around the clock 
• Nursing Care: Regular or even daily nursing visits for medical treatments, medication administration, and monitoring of chronic conditions 
• Palliative Care: Support for individuals with terminal illnesses to receive care at home 
• Allied Health and Therapy Services: Frequent services from physiotherapists, occupational therapists, or speech therapists 
• Specialist Equipment: Provision of more complex equipment, such as hospital beds or hoists 
• Respite and Overnight Care: In-home respite care for family carers or overnight care if needed 
• Advanced Home Modifications: Extensive home modifications like stairlifts, accessible showers, or wider doorways for wheelchairs 

Each Home Care Package level is tailored to meet specific needs, ranging from basic daily support at Level 1 to intensive, high-level care at Level 4. The exact services and frequency of assistance are determined based on individual assessments and care plans. 

How long is the wait for a Home Care Package? 

After you’ve had your aged care assessment, it can take 4-6 weeks for your final results and aged care assessment code sent to you. 

This can be sped up to under a week for urgent requests for assessment. 

Then, you’ll need to wait for a Home Care Package to be assigned to you. 

The waiting time for a Home Care Package in Australia can vary significantly depending on factors such as your assessed level of care and your location. On average, wait times can range from a few months to even a couple of years depending on your level of package and urgency of care. 

While you’re waiting ou might receive an interim package or access other services while waiting for your appropriate level of Home Care Package. For a more accurate time frame, you can contact My Aged Care or your specific provider. 

While you wait, you do have other options such as the Commonwealth Home Support Program (for entry level care) or through paying for service yourself out of pocket through a fee-for-service arrangement. 

What if I my Home Care Package amount isn’t enough? Or what if I’m stuck waiting for a package? 

If you currently don’t have access to government funded care, you can pay for services through your own savings through a ‘fee-for-service' model. 

People pay using a fee-for-service model when: 

1. They want to pay for services themselves, or  

2. If they don’t qualify for government packages. 

3. They want access to care while they wait for a Home Care Package (there may be other interim services you can access as well such as CHSP) 

In some cases, the Home Care Package you get assessed for may not be enough to cover all of the services you would like. 

This could be because you earn too much money/have too many assets to get the government funding you need, or because the services you want weren’t assessed as being necessary for your clinical care and wellbeing. 

For the care that isn’t supported by the government, you can pay privately through a fee-for-service arrangement. 

An example of someone using fee-for-service (out of pocket payments)

John, aged 80, receives a Level 2 Home Care Package, which provides him with assistance for personal care, meal preparation, and some domestic tasks. He also occasionally requires physiotherapy due to a recent fall, and the costs for this are covered within his package allocation. 

However, John would like to get additional gardening services to maintain his large yard, beyond the occasional light maintenance provided by his package. The Home Care Package only covers a limited amount of gardening, focusing on essential safety tasks (e.g., clearing pathways), and John’s care plan doesn't prioritize full garden upkeep since his package funding is mostly directed toward personal care and allied health services. 

Why would John pay for services? 

The funding in John’s Level 2 package is insufficient to cover non-essential services like extensive gardening. Since his home care funding is already allocated to more critical support (personal care and physiotherapy), he would need to pay out of pocket for additional gardening services if he wants a more thorough garden maintenance service that goes beyond what is covered in his package. 

The end result for John 

John hires a private gardening company to come in once a fortnight to mow the lawn, trim hedges, and maintain his flower beds. This service is not considered a necessary part of his care needs, so it's not covered by his Home Care Package funding, and he chooses to pay for it privately. 

In this case, the decision to pay for additional services is based on the non-essential nature of the service (full garden upkeep) and the limited funding available in John’s Home Care Package, which is focused on supporting his health and personal care needs. 

What If I need to upgrade my Home Care Package? 

If your care needs increase, you will need a reassessment to determine your eligibility for a higher-level package. This can be initiated by contacting the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) (or ACAS in Victoria). 

You can request a reassessment if you believe your current package no longer meets your needs, or a healthcare provider might recommend it based on your condition. 

Approval for a Higher Package 

If the reassessment shows that you need a higher level of support, you will be approved for a higher-level Home Care Package (e.g., moving from Level 2 to Level 3 or 4). 

This approval doesn’t mean immediate access to the new package. Like the initial process, you may need to wait for a higher-level package to become available, as there is a waiting list for higher-level packages (especially Levels 3 and 4). 

What happens in the mean time? 

While waiting for your higher-level package, you can: 

• Top up your current services: Pay privately for additional services that aren't covered under your current package. 
• Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP): Use CHSP services to meet urgent, low-level needs. 
• Respite Care: Access respite care if you need temporary relief or support while waiting. 
• Short-term Care: Apply for short-term restorative or transitional care if your needs have significantly increased (e.g., after hospital discharge). 

Changes coming to Home Care Packages in 2025 

The Home Care Package system is changing. From July 1^st 2025, the government’s new ‘Support at Home’ program will be replacing the current Home Care Package system. 

While the intent of the system is the same, there are some key differences that will be changing: 

These are just some of the differences between Home Care Packages and the new proposed Support at Home model. While changes are yet to be set in stone, it’s good to be aware of the changes that are coming to the system that might affect how you use it. 

Parting Thoughts 

While the eligibility and application process for Home Care Packages can seem a little daunting, the reality is, you don’t know if you can get extra support at home until you try to apply. 

We encourage everyone who thinks they might be eligible to book in for an ACAT assessment because it’s better to have it and not need it then it is to need it and not have it. 

For more information on Home Care Packages and our in-home care services, you can call St Vincent’s Care on 1800 778 767.