By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last updated: 27 April 2026
Every month a statement arrives with line items nobody explained when you signed. Care management fee. Participant contribution. Unspent funds carried forward. AT-HM budget. Most families file it away because they don't know what to check — and that's exactly what the system relies on.
The care management fee alone is legally capped at 10% of your quarterly budget under the Aged Care Rules 2025. Providers are not required to tell you this upfront. If your provider is charging more — and some are — the overcharge accumulates every quarter, invisibly, until someone calculates it.
When you are approved for Support at Home and given a classification, you receive a quarterly budget — a set amount of government money, refreshed every three months, allocated to pay for your care services. It is the ceiling. Everything comes out of it.
Current quarterly budget figures by classification (effective 1 November 2025):
| Classification | Quarterly budget | 10% fee cap | Annual budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classification 1 | $2682.75/qtr | $268.28 max | $10731.00/yr |
| Classification 2 | $3941.25/qtr | $394.13 max | $15765.00/yr |
| Classification 3 | $5479.94/qtr | $547.99 max | $21919.76/yr |
| Classification 4 | $7545.25/qtr | $754.53 max | $30181.00/yr |
| Classification 5 | $10588.00/qtr | $1058.80 max | $42352.00/yr |
| Classification 6 | $15839.00/qtr | $1583.90 max | $63356.00/yr |
Effective 1 November 2025. Classifications 7–8 not shown — verify current figures at myagedcare.gov.au. Fees indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year.
To see how your classification translates into actual hours of care, read the classifications in hours guide.
The care management fee is what your provider charges for coordinating your care — reviewing your care plan, organising services, communicating with health professionals.
Under the Aged Care Rules 2025, it is legally capped at 10% of your quarterly budget. This is a hard cap — not a guideline, not a starting point. 10%.
Divide the care management fee on your statement by your quarterly budget. If the result is above 0.10, your provider is charging above the legal limit.
Example: Classification 3 budget $5,479.94. Legal cap: $547.99. If your statement shows $700 in care management fees, your provider has overcharged by $152.01 that quarter — $608.04 per year.
Use the overpayment calculator to see the cumulative impact. If your provider is over the cap, contact them in writing, state the specific calculation, and request a corrected statement and credit. If they refuse, call OPAN on 1800 700 600.
Providers are not required to tell you the 10% cap exists. Most families find out they've been overcharged only when they ask specifically, or when they use a calculator. If you've never checked your care management fee against your quarterly budget — check it now.
The participant contribution is your share of the cost — the portion the government doesn't cover. How much you pay depends on what type of service your parent receives.
Most families don't realise the type of service determines the cost — not just the amount of time. An hour of nursing and an hour of cleaning are priced completely differently under the rules.
Key change from 1 October 2026: Personal care — showering, dressing, continence care — moves from Independence to Clinical. From that date it costs nothing. If your parent's main service is personal care, mark this date.
If you are being charged a co-contribution on nursing, physiotherapy, or occupational therapy — that is a billing error. Contact your provider in writing and ask for a correction. Use the fee calculator to see your likely contribution.
AT-HM stands for Assistive Technology and Home Modifications. It is a completely separate funding stream from your regular quarterly budget — for equipment and home modifications that help your parent stay safe and independent.
This covers walking frames, shower chairs, grab rails, ramps, handrails, and bathroom alterations. Because it is a separate budget, AT-HM spending should never reduce your regular care hours.
Many families don't know the AT-HM budget exists and pay for equipment out of pocket. If your parent needs a shower chair, grab rail, or ramp — ask your provider about AT-HM funding before paying for anything yourself. If your provider is drawing on your quarterly care budget to fund equipment, ask them to explain in writing why.
If your quarterly budget isn't fully spent, you can carry over up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget — whichever is greater — into the next quarter. Anything above that limit returns to the government. The money does not accumulate.
A consistently high unspent balance often means the care plan hasn't been updated to reflect your parent's actual needs. Providers don't always flag this — they have no financial incentive to push you to use more of your budget. If you're regularly finishing the quarter with a large balance, ask your provider to review the care plan. You have the right to use what you're entitled to.
The package management fee existed under the old Home Care Package system. It was abolished when Support at Home commenced on 1 November 2025.
If you joined Support at Home after 1 November 2025 and this fee appears on your statement, it should not be there. Contact your provider in writing and ask them to remove it and issue a corrected statement with a credit for any amounts already charged. If they refuse, call OPAN on 1800 700 600.
Some providers were slow to update their billing systems after the November 2025 changeover. If you've been on Support at Home for several months and have never checked your statement for this fee — check it now.
Care management fee vs 10% cap. Divide the fee by your quarterly budget. Result above 0.10 = overcharge. Contact provider in writing.
Services against your diary. Every service listed should match a visit that actually happened. If a visit appears on a day when nobody came, document it and contact your provider.
Co-contribution on clinical services. Nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy — zero co-contribution. If you're being charged, it's an error.
Package management fee. Should not appear if you joined Support at Home after 1 November 2025.
Unspent funds balance. If consistently high, ask your provider to review the care plan.
For a detailed explanation of every line item, read the statement decoded guide. To work through your own statement interactively, use the statement decoder tool.
Start with the provider. Email — not phone — because it creates a record. State the specific error: the line item, the date, what is wrong. Ask for a corrected statement and a credit. Give them 5 business days.
If nothing happens, call OPAN on 1800 700 600 for free advocacy support. For serious or repeated billing errors, lodge a complaint with the ACQSC on 1800 951 822.
This is not your fault. The billing system is complicated by design. Checking it is the only way to catch errors before they compound.
If you're not sure whether your funding level is right for your parent's situation, or you want a personalised breakdown of what you should be paying, answer a few questions and get specific guidance.
Or explore the statement decoder landing page to see how the tool works before using it.
Use the statement decoder to work through your own statement line by line — it flags potential errors and explains what every charge means.
No. The care management fee is legally capped at 10% of your quarterly budget under the Aged Care Rules 2025. If your provider is charging more, contact them in writing and request a correction. If they don't fix it, call OPAN on 1800 700 600.
No. Clinical services — nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry — have zero co-contribution. Independence and Everyday Living services attract different rates depending on pension status.
You can carry over up to $1,000 or 10% of your quarterly budget (whichever is greater). Anything above that returns to the government. The money does not accumulate indefinitely.
No — if you joined Support at Home after 1 November 2025. This fee was abolished. If it appears on your statement, contact your provider immediately and ask for a corrected statement and credit.
AT-HM stands for Assistive Technology and Home Modifications — a separate funding stream for equipment and home modifications like grab rails, shower chairs, and ramps. It should never reduce your regular quarterly care hours.
Need a complete personalised plan for your situation?
This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Verified against the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.