If you or someone you love has just been approved for funding, one of the very first questions families ask is simple but surprisingly hard to answer: what can I spend my aged care package on? It feels like it should be straightforward, yet the rules, categories and budgets can make even confident families second-guess themselves. The good news is that once you understand a few basic principles, it all becomes a lot clearer.

This guide explains, in plain English, what a home care package can pay for, what it can’t, and how to get the most value from every dollar of funding. We’ve kept the jargon to a minimum and explained the bits you actually need to know.

First, a quick note on Support at Home

You may have been approved for a “Home Care Package,” but the way this funding works changed on 1 November 2025, when the Australian Government’s new Support at Home program replaced the old Home Care Package system. If you were already receiving a package before that date, you were moved across automatically under “No Worse Off” arrangements, so you keep the same level of support.

The everyday question is still the same: what services can this funding actually buy? The main difference now is that your funding is grouped into three clear service categories, and the government pays a different share of each. We’ll come back to that, but first, the golden rule.

The golden rule: it’s for care, not cash

Your package is not a bank account you can spend however you like. The single most important rule is this: funding must be used for approved services and items that relate directly to your assessed care needs, as written into your care plan. Your needs are identified through your aged care assessment and then agreed with your provider.

That care plan is your roadmap. If a service or item helps you stay safe, healthy and independent at home, and it’s documented in your plan, there’s a good chance it can be funded. If it’s a general living cost that any household pays, it almost certainly can’t. Keep that distinction in mind and most of the “is this covered?” questions answer themselves.

So, what can I spend my aged care package on?

Packages fund a wide range of supports that help older Australians live well at home. Here are the main things your funding can pay for, grouped by the kind of help they provide.

Personal care

Hands-on help with daily personal tasks such as showering, dressing, grooming and toileting. From 1 October 2026, the government is moving basic personal care into the fully funded clinical category, which means many people will pay nothing toward this support.

Nursing and clinical care

Clinical support delivered by qualified professionals, including wound care, continence support, and medication management and reminders. Under Support at Home, clinical care is fully funded by the government regardless of your finances, so you don’t pay a contribution toward it.

Allied health and therapy

Services that keep you mobile and independent, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry, dietetics and exercise programs. These are often the most valuable supports of all, because they help prevent falls, hospital stays and a decline in your day-to-day independence.

Help around the home

Practical domestic support like cleaning, laundry, changing bed linen, light gardening and meal preparation. This is the kind of everyday help that takes the pressure off and frees you up to enjoy the things you love.

Getting out and about

Transport to medical appointments, shopping and community activities, plus assisted shopping and social outings. Staying connected to your community is a genuine part of staying well, not an extra.

Equipment and assistive technology

Mobility aids, walking frames, shower chairs, bed rails and personal alarms, along with digital tools like reminder apps where they support your care goals. Assistive technology that meets an assessed need can often be accessed up to a set limit without having to slowly save up your budget first.

Home modifications

Minor changes that make your home safer and easier to move around, such as grab rails, ramps and bathroom modifications. As with assistive technology, modifications that address a documented need can usually be funded sooner rather than later.

Social connection and respite

Companionship, group activities and support that keeps you involved in the things that matter, plus respite that gives a family carer a well-earned break. For many people, this kind of connection is one of the most life-changing parts of having a package.

You can see the full range of supports Cura provides across in-home, community and health and wellbeing services on our aged care services page.

What a home care package can’t pay for

Just as important as knowing what’s covered is knowing what isn’t, because this is where families most often get caught out. As a general rule, your package cannot be used for:

  • Everyday living costs: groceries, rent or mortgage payments, utility bills and other normal household expenses you’d pay regardless of your care needs.
  • Things already covered by Medicare or the PBS: GP visits, prescription medications and hospital costs. Using your package for these would be “double dipping,” because they’re already government funded.
  • Your aged care fees: the package can’t be used to pay the contributions or fees you owe toward your own care.
  • Lifestyle and luxury items: holidays, entertainment, gambling, alcohol, beauty treatments and general household appliances such as fridges or televisions.
  • Support better funded elsewhere: services that are more appropriately covered by another program, such as the NDIS.

If you’re ever unsure whether something falls inside or outside the rules, the simplest thing to do is ask your provider before you commit. A good provider will give you a straight answer and explain why.

How the three funding categories work

Under Support at Home, your services fall into three buckets, and the government subsidises each one differently:

  • Clinical care (such as nursing and allied health) is fully funded by the government. You pay nothing toward it.
  • Independence support (such as personal care and help staying mobile) attracts a small contribution, depending on your financial situation.
  • Everyday living (such as cleaning, gardening and meal support) attracts the largest contribution.

What you personally contribute depends on a means assessment, which is free and worth completing, because without it you can be charged the maximum rate. To get a sense of the likely costs for your situation, our My Aged Care cost calculator is a quick, no-pressure place to start.

How to make the most of your package

A little planning goes a long way. Build your care plan around the supports that protect your independence first, especially clinical and allied health, rather than spending everything on convenience services. Ask your provider for clear, itemised statements so you always know how your funds are being used, and review your plan as your needs change rather than setting it once and forgetting it. Because funding is managed in regular cycles, ongoing planning helps make sure your money is used deliberately rather than lost or run down too quickly.

If you’d like to understand the funding side in more detail, our guide to home care package funding walks through levels, budgets and how it all fits together.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use my package to pay a family member to care for me?

Generally no. Packages are designed to fund services delivered by approved care workers and providers, not to pay family members under standard arrangements. If you have a complex situation, it’s best to discuss it directly with your provider.

Can I buy a tablet or computer with my package?

Sometimes. Generic household computers bought for general use are excluded, but a device may be funded where there’s a documented clinical reason, such as reducing social isolation, video-calling family or running a health-monitoring app. An assessment from an occupational therapist or GP strengthens the case.

What happens to unspent funds?

Your package isn’t designed to be saved up indefinitely or used like cash. Funds are allocated to support your assessed care needs, and unspent amounts above the allowed limit may be returned. This is exactly why regular planning with your provider matters.

Do I still have a “Home Care Package,” or is it now Support at Home?

If you were approved before 1 November 2025, you were transitioned to Support at Home automatically and kept your existing level of support. New participants are assessed directly under Support at Home. Either way, the funding works in much the same practical way for you day to day.

Who decides what I can spend my package on?

Your assessed needs and your care plan set the boundaries, and you make choices within them together with your provider. This approach puts you in control of how your funding is used, within the government’s rules.

Getting the right support, in your language

Understanding what you can spend your aged care package on is the first step. Choosing a provider who takes the time to explain your options clearly, and who genuinely understands your background, makes everything that follows easier. As a not-for-profit provider born out of the Gold Coast community, Cura supports older Australians across the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Moreton region and Tweed Coast, with a team that speaks more than 65 languages.

If you’d like a friendly, no-obligation chat about your package and what it could cover, explore our aged care services or get in touch with our team. We’re here to help you make the most of your funding and stay independent at home for longer.

For the official rules, you can also read the Australian Government’s information on the Support at Home program and the help at home services available through My Aged Care.