2025 aged care reforms – what you need to know
21 Nov 2025
Australia’s aged care system is going through its biggest shake-up in decades. The new Aged Care Act 2024 and the Support at Home program are changing how care is funded, delivered and monitored – with a strong focus on rights, transparency and value for older people and their families.
On 1 November 2025, the new Support at Home program replaced the Home Care Packages (HCP) program and other previous short-term home care programs, creating a single national approach to in-home aged care.
This blog walks you through what has changed, what it means for your family, and how Trilogy Care can help you get more care hours, more control and less complexity from your funding.
What has changed in aged care?
The reforms are built around a new rights-based Aged Care Act and a single, national home care program: Support at Home.
Key changes include:
New Aged Care Act 2024 with a strong Statement of Rights and Principles for older people
Support at Home has replaced the previous Home Care Packages program and earlier short-term home care programs as of 1 November 2025
Eight ongoing funding classifications (levels 1–8) instead of four HCP levels
Three short-term pathways: the Restorative Care Pathway, End-of-Life Pathway and the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme
Quarterly budgets instead of daily subsidies, with limited carryover between quarters
A new contribution framework based on income and assets, with clearer rules and stronger safeguards
The aim is simple: more consistent rules, stronger safeguards, and care that genuinely responds to each person’s needs and goals.
Who is affected – and how?
Everyone using government-subsidised home care will eventually move onto Support at Home, but different clients are treated differently depending on when they entered the system. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme will transition to Support at Home later, no earlier than 1 July 2027.
Grandfathered clients
If you were approved for or receiving a Home Care Package on or before 12 September 2024 (including people who were on the waiting list), you are considered a grandfathered client.
For grandfathered clients:
On 1 November 2025, you moved to Support at Home funding
A “no worse off” principle applies to your contributions – you will not pay more in ongoing contributions than you would have under the old HCP rules
Any unspent HCP funds moved with you into the new system under specific roll-over rules
Hybrid clients
If you were approved for a Home Care Package between 13 September 2024 and 31 October 2025, you are treated as a hybrid client – a bridge between the old and new systems.
During this period you were funded under HCP rules
On 1 November 2025, you moved into Support at Home, including the new client contribution framework
You cannot opt out of the new contribution rules, but hardship provisions exist for people who are significantly impacted
New clients
Anyone assessed and approved from 1 November 2025 now goes straight into a Support at Home classification (level 1–8, or one of the short-term pathways for specific needs).
How Support at Home funding works now
Under Support at Home, you are assigned:
A classification level (1–8) that reflects the complexity of your ongoing care needs
A quarterly budget, paid directly to your chosen registered provider
Access to short-term funding for AT-HM, restorative care or end-of-life support if you meet the criteria
Services are grouped into three categories:
Clinical supports – nursing, allied health, wound care and other health-related services
Independence supports – personal care, mobility, social connection and respite
Everyday living supports – domestic assistance, meals, cleaning and gardening
The contribution framework works alongside this:
Clinical supports are typically fully government-funded
Independence and everyday living supports usually attract client contributions, based on your income and assets
Your exact contribution will depend on your financial circumstances, and there are protections in place for people on lower incomes.
Why your quarterly budget matters
One of the biggest practical changes is the move to quarterly budgets. Rather than accumulating a large unspent balance over years, you now receive a quarterly amount with only limited carry-over.
If you do not use those funds for services within the quarter, you can miss out on help that could have supported your safety, independence and wellbeing at home. In practice, that might mean fewer hours of personal care, less help around the house or less support to stay connected with your community.
Planning how you use your budget across the quarter – and checking in regularly on what has actually been delivered – is now essential.
How Trilogy Care helps you make every care hour matter
The reforms give you more control – but also more moving parts. That is where the right provider matters.
At Trilogy Care, our focus is simple:
More care hours from the same funding – Trilogy clients typically receive significantly more hours than with fully managed providers because they can agree local rates with trusted workers, rather than being locked into higher fixed prices.
Your care, your call – You choose who supports you, when they visit and what they help with. We provide the care planning, budget management and safety checks to make that easier.
Using your full quarterly budget – We help you plan services each quarter, track what has been delivered and adjust before the reset so less funding sits idle and more turns into real support at home.
Whether you are a new Support at Home client, a hybrid client or a grandfathered client moving across from HCP, Trilogy Care can:
Interpret your Notice of Decision and Support Plan
Build a practical care plan that matches your goals and budget
Help you decide between self-managed and more coordinated options
Set up local workers and platforms so more of your budget goes to actual care, not overheads
What you can do next
If you or a family member are trying to make sense of the reforms, here are some practical steps:
Check your current status (grandfathered, hybrid or new client)
Read your latest My Aged Care Notice of Decision and Support Plan
Ask your current provider how they will manage your quarterly budget and how much of it is still unused each quarter
Compare how many hours of care you receive now with what might be possible under a self-managed model
Talk to Trilogy Care about how to turn more of your approved funding into real support at home
If you would like help understanding exactly how the reforms apply to you – and how to get more hours, more choice and less complexity from your funding – our team is happy to walk through your options in plain language.
