Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP)

Yes, CHSP still exists

If you have read that CHSP was absorbed into Support at Home, that is not correct. CHSP is a separate program and continues to operate.

Support at Home replaced the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme on 1 November 2025. CHSP was not part of that change and continues to operate.

What did change is regulation. CHSP came under the new Aged Care Act on the same date, which means its providers now work under the same regulatory model as other registered aged care providers, with obligations that depend on their registration categories. So the programme continued, but the rules around it tightened.

Note the wording carefully. In August 2026 the Government extended CHSP for another two years, to 30 June 2029. That is a funding extension, not an announced end date. The Department has said it will begin consultation in 2026 on how entry level support should work after that.

What CHSP is for

People who need a bit of help rather than ongoing structured care. Someone who is managing well but cannot get to the shops, or needs help with the heavy cleaning, or would benefit from a weekly social group.

The funding model is different from Support at Home. CHSP money goes to providers in blocks to deliver approved services, rather than being allocated to an individual as a budget they direct.

What it covers

CHSP or Support at Home

The plain version: CHSP is for people who are managing at home but need support with a few tasks. Support at Home is for people who have more complex needs, or need help with everyday tasks to live safely and independently.

What CHSP costs, and why nobody can tell you

There is no national fee schedule for CHSP. The Department publishes national client contribution ranges for each service type as a guide, but each provider sets its own amounts.

Providers set their own client contributions under the National Client Contribution Framework, which is principles based rather than a price list. They must publish a contribution policy, and their contributions should not be more than the actual cost of delivering the service.

That means two providers in the same suburb can legitimately charge different amounts for the same service. So ask each provider for its published contribution policy before you commit. It is a reasonable question and they should have it ready.

The framework also recognises hardship. Providers should take each person's capacity to pay into account, and they must have a public financial hardship policy explaining how to ask for a reduced or waived contribution. Raise it with the provider if it applies.

How to get CHSP

Start through My Aged Care on 1800 200 422. CHSP generally requires a home support assessment, which is the lighter of the two assessment types.

See how to get an aged care assessment for what happens and how long each stage takes. If needs grow beyond occasional help, the Support at Home service list shows what the next programme up can pay for.

Can you have CHSP and Support at Home together?

The general rule is no duplication. CHSP should not fund something the Support at Home budget already covers.

But the Department lists specific circumstances where a Support at Home participant can also access CHSP services:

• Social support group activities they were already attending
• Hoarding and squalor assistance
• Respite services
• Urgent services for a short time, when there is an immediate health or safety need and your Support at Home budget is fully allocated or not yet available
• Vision advisory services

If you are on Support at Home and your carer needs a break, CHSP respite may still be available without eating into your quarterly budget. It needs approval through My Aged Care, and you pay the CHSP provider's client contribution yourself.

Frequently asked