How to Apply for Support at Home: The Assessment Process and Current Wait Times

Step 1: Register with My Aged Care

Everything starts with My Aged Care, the government's entry point for aged care. Call 1800 200 422 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm) or apply online at myagedcare.gov.au. You will be asked about your health, how you are managing at home and what support you already have. The call takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

If you are applying for a parent or partner, register as their representative first. A representative can speak to My Aged Care, attend the assessment and deal with providers. You will need the person's Medicare number and their consent.

Step 2: The aged care needs assessment

Since late 2024 a single assessment system has replaced the old split between Regional Assessment Services (for entry-level help) and Aged Care Assessment Teams (for packages and residential care). One assessor now decides everything, including whether you are eligible for Support at Home, which classification you are approved for, and whether a short-term pathway applies.

The assessor usually visits you at home, which is deliberate: they want to see the steps, the bathroom, the kitchen, the distance to the letterbox. They will ask about:

• Health conditions, medications, recent falls and hospital admissions
• Personal care - showering, dressing, continence, eating
• Domestic tasks - cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, transport
• Mobility inside and outside the home
• Memory, mood and social connection
• Who currently helps you, and how sustainable that is for them

Be candid about the worst days, not the best. Older people often understate their needs out of pride or a wish not to be a burden; the assessment can only fund what it hears about. Have a family member present who can add what you leave out, and keep a note of the past month's difficulties to hand.

Step 3: The outcome letter

You receive a written outcome that states whether you are approved, your classification or pathway, the service types approved in your support plan, and a priority category. The priority category matters more than most people realise, because it determines how long you wait for funding.

How long people are waiting in 2026

There are two separate waits, and the second is longer.

Referral to assessment. In the quarter from 1 January to 31 March 2026, 133,359 aged care needs assessments were completed and the national median wait from referral to the assessment taking place was 25 days. Around 98,600 people were waiting for an assessment at 31 March 2026, so waits vary considerably by region.

Approval to funded services. As at 30 June 2026 My Aged Care published these estimated waits for ongoing Support at Home funding:

Priority category	Estimated wait for funding
Urgent	Within 1 month
High	About 1 month
Medium	5 to 6 months
Standard	7 to 8 months

The government's first statutory Wait Times Report, covering 1 November 2025 to 31 March 2026 and published on 12 May 2026, reported a national median elapsed time of 294 days from application to services commencing. That figure includes people who applied under the old program, and urgent cases move much faster, but it is the realistic planning number for a standard-priority applicant.

What to do while you wait

• Ask about CHSP. The Commonwealth Home Support Programme provides entry-level help (a few hours of cleaning, transport, meals) and is generally quicker to start. The assessor can approve it alongside a Support at Home recommendation.
• Request a priority review if things change. A fall, a hospital stay or a carer becoming unwell are all grounds to contact My Aged Care and ask for your priority to be reassessed.
• Choose your provider now. Funding is allocated to you, not to a provider, but having a provider agreement and service plan ready means services start the week the money arrives. The AusCareGuide directory lists every registered provider by suburb, and our provider guide covers what to compare.
• Check the private option. Many providers deliver the same services privately at full price. Some families bridge the gap this way, particularly for personal care, and switch to funded services when the allocation lands.

If you already have a Home Care Package

You do not need to apply. You were moved across automatically on 1 November 2025 and only need a new assessment if your needs have increased. See moving from a Home Care Package to Support at Home.

If you are not approved

You can ask My Aged Care for the reasons and request a reconsideration. You can also reapply if your circumstances change. In the meantime you may still be eligible for CHSP services, which have a lower threshold.

Getting help with the process

The application itself is free and you do not need to pay anyone to lodge it. Where families do value help is in choosing among providers once approved, particularly comparing price lists now that contributions are charged per service. AusCareGuide's placement help service does this comparison for free.

Figures on this page are current as at August 2026. Support at Home budgets, contribution caps and pathway amounts are indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year, so always confirm the latest amounts with My Aged Care before making decisions. This guide is general information, not financial or legal advice.