Support at Home (SAH) is the Australian Government’s new program to help people live independently at home for as longer by providing flexible, personalised care that reflects their individual needs.
The program includes eight levels of ongoing funding, as well as additional funding pathways for short-term care and home modifications. Services are grouped into three categories: clinical care, independence and everyday living.
In this article, we'll explain how the eight funding levels work and what they could mean for you.
What are the eight SAH levels?
The level of support you receive is based on an assessment of your care needs and determines the funding available to you for your personalised in-home aged care services.
It starts at Level 1, which has a budget of around $11,000 a year, and goes up to Level 8, which has a budget of around $78,000 a year.
Your budget is paid quarterly. If you don’t use the full amount, you can carry over a portion of your leftover funds each quarter (up to $1,000 or 10% of your budget, whichever is more).
These are the budget levels at a glance:
| Support Level | Quarterly Budget | Annual Budget |
| Level 1 | ~$2,752 | ~$11,010 |
| Level 2 | ~$4,112 | ~$16,451 |
| Level 3 | ~$5,634 | ~$22,536 |
| Level 4 | ~$7,617 | ~$30,468 |
| Level 5 | ~$10,182 | ~$40,729 |
| Level 6 | ~$12,341 | ~$49,365 |
| Level 7 | ~$14,915 | ~$59,660 |
| Level 8 | ~$20,034 | ~$80,137 |
Let’s look at each level a little more closely, to give you an idea of the care options available on each budget.
Level 1
If you’re still quite independent, Level 1 support can provide occasional help with light domestic duties, like cleaning, laundry, meal delivery, occasional personal care, transport to see the doctor and even welfare checks to see how you’re doing.
Level 2
This level is for people who need light personal care, like help showering, dressing, or grooming, and low-to-medium support for things like managing medications, preparing meals, getting to medical appointments and social activities, cleaning, laundry, and light paperwork. Your carer will play an active role in monitoring your wellbeing.
Level 3
This level provides more structured support for people with moderate-to-high care needs. You’ll likely be visited several times a week for support with showering, grooming, and toileting, as well as household tasks, meals, and shopping. Your care plan is likely to include health-related support, including administering medicine, pain management and coordination with your GP.
Level 4
This level provides the same kinds of support as Level 3 but more frequently.
Level 5
If your daily care needs are high to very high, you may be approved for Level 5 support. This level allows you to live at home while being supported for more complex challenges, like needing frequent personal care, medication management or support with specialist medical and allied medical treatments.
Level 6
This level includes both daily personal care and regular nursing care and is designed to manage chronic conditions. It’s likely you’ll need regular allied health support, like physiotherapy. You may need support for other health conditions, like continence care.
Level 7
At Level 7 you’re receiving several daily visits from your care team to support your needs. Perhaps you have serious mobility restrictions or you’re living with dementia.
Level 8
This is the highest level of in-home care available, which may be provided around-the-clock. People assessed for Level 8 are usually living with chronic or terminal illness. They may be receiving palliative care. The focus here is on managing pain, emotional and spiritual care, and practical assistance.
What short-term care options are available?
There are also several funding options for short-term care. Unlike the levels above, these are designed to provide extra support for a short period of time.
- Restorative Care, to help regain independence with daily tasks (up to 16 weeks and up to $6,000, sometimes up to $12,000, in support)
- End-of-Life Pathway, to support you to remain at home in your last three months of life (up to $25,000)
- Assistive Technology and Home Modifications Scheme (AT-MS), giving you access to products, equipment and home modifications (up to a value of $15,000) in certain situations.
What are the Support at Home service categories?
SAH includes three service categories for:
- Clinical care, including nursing care, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and continence care
- Independence, including help getting dressed, taking medications, transport and respite care
- Everyday living, including cleaning, gardening, shopping or meal preparation.
A full list of services is available here.
How do I know which SAH level I qualify for?
To find out which SAH level you qualify for, you have to be assessed by an approved assessor from the Single Assessment Service.
To be assessed, register with My Aged Care online or call 1800 200 422.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 8 levels of Support at Home?
The eight levels of the Australian Government’s Support at Home aged care program are:
- Low level support for independent living
- Low level personal care and social support
- Medium level support with daily living
- Regular medium level personal care and household support
- Daily medium-to-high level personal care and household support
- High level health and clinical care
- Intense care involving several daily visits from a coordinated care team
- Intense, often around-the-clock, support and palliative care.
What is the highest level of Support at Home?
The highest level of Support at Home is Level 8 care, which is designed to support people with chronic or terminal illnesses with intense, personalised care.
It includes services like care coordination, pain management, counselling, spiritual and culturally relevant care, and end-of-life care.
How do I know which Support at Home level I get?
If you are eligible for Support at Home you can ask to be assessed through My Aged Care online or by calling 1800 200 422. Once your needs have been assessed you will be told what level of support you have been approved for.
Can I change levels if my care needs increase?
If your care needs changes and you need a reassessment, there are two pathways you can choose:
- Self-initiated: You can trigger a reassessment yourself by contacting My Aged Care
- Provider-initiated: Your Brightwater case manager can submit a reassessment for you.
How can Brightwater help?
Brightwater can provide you with all the information and advice you need about the Support at Home program before you have your My Aged Care assessment.
If you’re looking for guidance or support for the Support at Home program, contact Brightwater’s experienced care team today.
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