• Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and complete your application over the phone.
• Apply online for an assessment
• In person at Services Australia with an Aged Care Specialist Officer (ACSO)

To access any government‑funded aged care services, you must first complete an aged care needs assessment. This assessment determines whether you are eligible for Australian Government‑funded aged care support.

you will receive:

• A 'Notice of Decision letter' that will outline your assessment outcome, ell you if you are eligible for government-subsidised services.
• A 'Support plan' outlining the services available to you.

Your next steps depend on the information provided by your assessor and the type of services you have been found eligible for. You may receive your support plan together with your assessment outcome, or it may arrive separately.

As part of your outcome, you will receive one of the following:

• An Ongoing Support Classification (1–8)

• A short‑term pathway, such as: – Restorative Care – Assistive Technology & Home Modifications (Low / Medium / High Tiers) – End‑of‑Life support

You will also be assigned a priority category. This priority category, together with the date of approval on your assessment outcome letter, determines how long you may wait before funding is allocated.

Higher classifications (1–8) or higher Tiers (for short‑term pathways) come with a larger budget, matched to higher or more complex support needs.

Your priority category is used in the Support at Home Priority System to allocate funding fairly. Your wait time for funding is determined by:

• the priority category assigned to you, and

• the date of approval on your assessment outcome letter

These two factors decide when your funding becomes available and when you can start receiving ongoing Support at Home services.

Your service offer will be either a minimum service offer or a full service offer, depending on how much of your Support at Home budget has been released.

• The minimum service offer is interim funding equal to 60% of your total Support at Home budget. You can start receiving services using this 60% while you wait for the remaining funding to be allocated.

• The remaining 40% of your funding is released at a later stage. When this happens, your minimum service offer becomes your full service offer, giving you access to your complete budget and the full range of supports you were approved for

• Self‑managing your Support at Home budget gives you greater choice, control, and flexibility in how your care is delivered. Key benefits include:

  • More autonomy in choosing and coordinating services — you decide who supports you, when they come, and how your care is delivered.

  • Greater control over your workers and schedule — you can select your own support workers, set times that suit your routine, and build a team you trust.

  • More flexibility in managing your budget — you can choose providers and workers whose prices align with your needs, preferences, and financial goals, helping your budget go further.