Commonwealth Home Support Programme
Entry-level help at home, for people who don't need a full package and shouldn't have to wait for one.
What CHSP is for
Most people do not go from managing perfectly well to needing daily care. It happens gradually, and there is a long stretch in the middle where someone is fine except that the shower has got frightening, or the garden has got away from them, or they have stopped going to the doctor because they no longer drive.
CHSP is built for that stretch. It funds one or two regular services rather than a budget, and it is deliberately light. A fortnightly clean. A lift to appointments. A shower visit on a Tuesday. It is often the difference between staying put and starting to talk about other options.
CHSP at a glance
The four things people most often want to know before they ring My Aged Care.
services, funded on an ongoing basis. CHSP is not a personal budget you draw against, and there is no classification.
or 50 and over if you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Lower age thresholds apply if you are homeless or at risk of it.
for a Regional Assessment Service visit, usually at home. Shorter and lighter than the assessment for a package.
the earliest CHSP joins Support at Home. If you are on CHSP now, nothing changes for you today.
What we deliver under CHSP
Most people start with one of these, not all of them.
Domestic assistance
Cleaning, laundry and help with the shopping.
Personal care
Help with showering, dressing and grooming.
Transport
Getting to appointments, the shops and social activities.
Nursing and allied health
Clinical care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry.
Social support
A regular visit, a phone call, or company on an outing.
Meals
Help preparing food, or access to prepared meals.
Home maintenance and modifications
Keeping the place safe, and fitting rails and ramps.
Respite
Planned cover so a family carer gets a break.
CHSP or Support at Home?
This is the question people actually arrive with, and the honest answer is that the assessment decides, not you and not us. But the distinction is straightforward enough.
CHSP
Funds a service or two, ongoing. There is no personal budget and no classification. It suits someone who needs help with specific things and is otherwise managing. Assessed by the Regional Assessment Service.
Much shorter waitSupport at Home
Assigns you a classification with a quarterly budget you draw against, across eight levels. It covers far higher needs, and it comes with care management.
3–6 month waitPlenty of people start on CHSP and move across to a package years later. That is the system working as intended, not a failure of the first arrangement.
Getting assessed
Everything starts with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, or at myagedcare.gov.au. For CHSP the assessment is done by the Regional Assessment Service, and it is a lighter conversation than the one for a package. Usually at home, usually about an hour.
Say what the difficult days look like rather than the good ones. People routinely play down how much they are struggling in front of an assessor and then get less support than they need.
What it costs
The government subsidises the service and you contribute what you can afford. Contributions are modest, and they are set against your circumstances rather than a flat rate. Nobody is refused a CHSP service because they genuinely cannot pay, and whatever fee applies is agreed with you before anything starts.
What we charge for each service is published in full on our pricing page.
What happens in 2027
CHSP was not part of the 1 November 2025 change that replaced Home Care Packages with Support at Home. It continues as a separate programme and joins Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027.
If you are on CHSP now, nothing changes for you today. When it does change, it will be handled the same way the package transition was: automatically, without you reapplying. We will write to you well before anything happens.
Starting with us
Call 1800 434 002 and tell us where you are up to. If you have a CHSP referral code we can set things up from there. If you have not been assessed yet, we will tell you what to ask My Aged Care for, which is worth getting right the first time.
We deliver aged care and Support at Home services across Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Our head office is at Essendon Fields in Victoria, with a community centre at Roxburgh Park and an office and community centre at Fairfield in New South Wales. The care itself happens in your own home.
If it turns out CHSP is not the right fit and you need a package, we will say so. If you would rather not wait for either, you can pay privately and start now.
Related
- Support at Home — the programme for higher needs, and what replaced Home Care Packages.
- All services — everything we deliver, however it is funded.
- Locations — where we work, across Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.
Common questions
What is the Commonwealth Home Support Programme?
CHSP is the Australian Government's entry-level aged care programme. It funds a small amount of regular help at home, such as a fortnightly clean, a lift to appointments or a weekly shower visit, for older people who are managing but have started to find some things difficult. It is deliberately lighter than a Support at Home package.
What is the difference between CHSP and Support at Home?
Scale, mostly. CHSP funds a service or two on an ongoing basis and is not a personal budget. Support at Home assigns you a classification with a quarterly budget you draw against, and it covers much higher levels of need. Many people start on CHSP and move to Support at Home years later, when a bit of help stops being enough.
Who is eligible for CHSP?
Generally people aged 65 or over, or 50 or over if you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, who need some help to keep living independently at home. Lower age thresholds apply to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Eligibility is decided by an assessment, not by a provider.
How do I get assessed for CHSP?
Contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 or apply at myagedcare.gov.au. For CHSP the assessment is done by the Regional Assessment Service, which is a shorter, lighter conversation than the assessment for a Support at Home package, usually at home and usually about an hour.
What does CHSP cost?
The government subsidises the service and clients contribute what they can afford. Contributions are modest and are set against your circumstances. Nobody is refused a CHSP service because they genuinely cannot pay the contribution, and any fee is agreed with you before a service starts.
Is CHSP being replaced?
Eventually. CHSP was not part of the 1 November 2025 changes that replaced Home Care Packages with Support at Home. It continues as a separate programme and moves under Support at Home no earlier than 1 July 2027. If you are on CHSP now, nothing changes for you today.
Can I have CHSP and a Support at Home package at the same time?
No. They are alternatives, not layers. Once a Support at Home package is assigned, your CHSP services generally stop and the equivalent support is delivered through the package instead. We can manage that changeover so the same worker keeps coming.
Enquire about CHSP
Tell us where you're up to and we'll be in touch. Prefer to talk? Call 1800 434 002.