Key Takeaways
- The Australian Government deferred the Support at Home price caps in May 2026. They were due to start on 1 July 2026 and now have no confirmed new start date. Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae cited the need for greater confidence in market stability and a concern that a poorly timed cap could push prices up.
- Until caps commence, providers continue to set their own prices for Support at Home services. The financial-year boundary on 1 July 2026 does not introduce a legislated price ceiling.
- The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) released its Support at Home Pricing Advice 2026-27 on 20 May 2026. The figures are advice only, not caps, but they are now the clearest benchmark of what the regulator considers efficient pricing (for example a registered nurse at $184.55 per hour in standard hours).
- The government strengthened consumer safeguards in place of the caps. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can now order refunds where providers are found to have overcharged, act against providers that fail to issue monthly statements, and publicly report investigations and enforcement.
- A quarterly National Summary of Support at Home Prices (median prices and ranges) is being published so participants and families can judge whether a provider's price is reasonable.
- Personal care becomes fully government funded from 1 October 2026, moving from the Independence category to clinical supports, so eligible participants pay no out-of-pocket contribution for showering, dressing, continence and similar daily personal care.
- The headline action for providers is not preparing for a cap. It is pricing defensibly against the IHACPA advice and the published indicative prices, issuing compliant monthly statements, and being ready for active price monitoring.
The Support at Home price caps that providers spent the transition year preparing for will not commence on 1 July 2026. The government deferred them in May 2026 with no new date, and replaced the immediate cap with stronger price monitoring and refund powers. Here is exactly what changed, what still takes effect, and what providers should do now.
Have the Support at Home price caps been deferred?
Yes. In May 2026 the government announced it would defer the introduction of price caps under the Support at Home program until it has greater confidence in the stability of the market. The caps had been legislated to begin on 1 July 2026 and would have set a legal maximum price for each service on the Support at Home service list, covering everything from nursing and personal care to domestic assistance and allied health.
Minister for Aged Care and Seniors Sam Rae framed the deferral as a response to feedback from participants, providers and advocates, and Health Minister Mark Butler pointed to price volatility, noting the government did not want to set a cap that produced the unintended consequence of prices rising to meet it. No replacement start date has been set. The government has said it will gather more pricing evidence and assess market stability before committing to a new date, which means providers should treat the cap as a future possibility rather than a near-term deadline. You can follow the program's current status on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing Support at Home page.
What happens to Support at Home pricing on 1 July 2026 now?
With the caps deferred, providers continue to set their own prices for Support at Home services from 1 July 2026, exactly as they have since the program replaced Home Care Packages and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme on 1 November 2025. There is no new legislated ceiling on 1 July, and the all-inclusive capped pricing model that was planned (a single price covering labour, administration and travel) does not take effect on that date.
That does not mean pricing is unconstrained. Prices must still be agreed with the participant, set out in the service agreement, and be reasonable. The government has asked providers to voluntarily limit price increases (no more than two changes in a year) during this period, and the department is actively monitoring prices, with particular attention to personal care as it transitions toward full funding. The practical message for 1 July 2026 is continuity on price-setting, paired with much closer scrutiny of whether those prices are fair.
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November 2025 | Support at Home replaces Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care; providers set own prices | In effect |
| 13 October 2025 | Government summary of indicative Support at Home prices published (national medians and ranges) | Published |
| 20 May 2026 | IHACPA Support at Home Pricing Advice 2026-27 released; price caps deferred announced | Confirmed |
| 1 July 2026 | Price caps were due to start; now deferred. Providers continue setting own prices | Caps deferred |
| 1 October 2026 | Personal care moves to clinical supports and becomes fully government funded | Confirmed |
| Future (no date set) | Price caps to commence once the market stabilises | Deferred, no date |
What are the IHACPA 2026-27 prices and do they apply?
IHACPA released its Support at Home Pricing Advice 2026-27 on 20 May 2026 (the underlying report is dated November 2025). The advice sets out the unit prices IHACPA considers reflect efficient delivery of each service. Critically, this advice does not represent a cap, benchmark or mandatory guide. The Minister, not IHACPA, is responsible for any future price caps, and because caps are deferred, the IHACPA figures are not legally binding on what you can charge.
They still matter. With no cap in place and the regulator monitoring prices, the IHACPA advice is the clearest published signal of what government considers reasonable, and a price well above it is more likely to draw scrutiny or a participant complaint. The advice covers clinical care roles directly relevant to allied health and nursing providers. The figures below are IHACPA's 2026-27 advice for standard working hours and outside standard hours, sourced from the IHACPA Support at Home pricing advice.
| Service (per hour) | Standard hours (advice) | Outside standard hours (advice) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered nurse | $184.55 | $200.76 |
| Enrolled nurse | $172.34 | $185.58 |
| Nursing assistant | $103.11 | $112.02 |
| Allied health therapy assistant | $152.85 | $169.31 |
| Counsellor or psychotherapist | $197.35 | $220.09 |
| Dietitian or nutritionist | $216.53 | $241.18 |
| Psychologist | $285.20 | $316.16 |
| Clinical care management | $126.83 | $139.01 |
The full IHACPA schedule covers more disciplines and service types than the rows above. Allied health and nursing providers should price each service against the relevant line in the published advice, document how they arrived at the figure, and keep that reasoning on file.
What new safeguards replace the price caps?
Deferring the caps did not leave pricing unwatched. The government paired the deferral with expanded consumer safeguards and additional powers for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. The Commission can now order refunds where a provider is found to have overcharged, take regulatory action against providers that do not issue the required monthly statements to participants, and publicly report on its investigations and enforcement activity. Public reporting of enforcement is a meaningful reputational risk for providers, not just a financial one.
Alongside the regulator's powers, the department is publishing a quarterly National Summary of Support at Home Prices showing median prices and price ranges by service, which gives participants and families a reference point to challenge a price that looks high. The department is also monitoring personal care pricing closely in the lead-up to that service becoming fully funded. For providers the message is clear: the absence of a cap is not an absence of oversight. Overcharging now carries a direct refund-and-report consequence rather than a quiet breach of a price limit.
What must Support at Home providers do now?
The deferral changes the to-do list. Instead of mapping every service to a fixed cap before 1 July, the priority is defensible, well-documented, transparent pricing under active monitoring.
- Re-price against the IHACPA 2026-27 advice and the published indicative prices. Where your price sits above the advice for a service, have a documented, cost-based reason ready.
- Make monthly statements compliant and reliable. Failure to issue them is now directly enforceable. Confirm every participant receives an accurate statement on time.
- Review service agreements so the price for each support is clearly stated, agreed with the participant, and easy to vary if you change it. Keep superseded versions for your records.
- Limit and justify price increases. Treat the request to keep increases to no more than two in a year as the expected standard, and record the rationale for any change.
- Prepare for personal care becoming fully funded on 1 October 2026. Reclassify those services to clinical supports and remove participant contributions for them from that date.
- Keep evidence the regulator could ask for: how prices were set, statements issued, and complaints handled. The Commission's refund power is exercised on evidence, so your records are your protection.
Does this affect allied health and nursing providers?
Yes, directly. Allied health and nursing services sit in the clinical care part of the Support at Home service list, the area IHACPA priced most specifically and the area government is most focused on. Clinical care is fully government funded for the participant, so there is no participant co-contribution for nursing or allied health therapy, which puts the pricing relationship squarely between the provider and the government framework rather than the participant's wallet. That makes the IHACPA advice and the regulator's monitoring especially relevant to your rates.
Providers who deliver both aged care and NDIS supports should keep the two pricing worlds separate: Support at Home is governed by this framework and the IHACPA advice, while NDIS supports follow the NDIA's pricing arrangements. If you also bill allied health under the NDIS, see our guide to non-face-to-face allied health billing under NDIS price rules. And if you deliver any services to aged care recipients, your wider duties under the new aged care framework still apply: review our explainer on GP and allied health obligations under the Aged Care Act 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Support at Home price caps still starting on 1 July 2026?
No. The government deferred the price caps in May 2026. They were due to commence on 1 July 2026 but there is now no confirmed start date. Providers continue to set their own prices until caps are eventually introduced once the government is satisfied the market has stabilised.
Why did the government defer the price caps?
The government cited the need for greater confidence in market stability and concern about price volatility. Ministers said they did not want to set a cap that produced unintended consequences, particularly prices rising to meet the cap. The decision followed feedback from participants, providers and advocates during the transition year.
Can providers charge whatever they want now?
No. Although there is no legislated cap, prices must be agreed in the service agreement and be reasonable. The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission can order refunds for overcharging, and the government publishes quarterly median prices and asks providers to limit increases to no more than two in a year. Pricing is monitored even without a cap.
What is the IHACPA pricing advice and does it set a cap?
IHACPA released its Support at Home Pricing Advice 2026-27 on 20 May 2026. It sets out unit prices IHACPA considers efficient, such as $184.55 per hour for a registered nurse in standard hours. It is advice only, not a cap or mandatory benchmark, but it is the clearest published reference for reasonable pricing while caps are deferred.
When will personal care become fully funded?
From 1 October 2026, personal care services move from the Independence category to clinical supports and become fully government funded. Eligible participants will pay no out-of-pocket contribution for personal care such as showering, dressing and continence support. Fees still apply for non-clinical services like cleaning and transport.
What can the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission do about overcharging?
The Commission can order a provider to refund participants where it finds overcharging, take regulatory action against providers that fail to issue monthly statements, and publicly report its investigations and enforcement. These powers were strengthened when the caps were deferred, so overcharging now carries a direct refund and reputational consequence.