Lots of families search for “NDIS home care packages”, expecting one combined program. In reality, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Home Care Packages are two separate schemes, and you can’t be funded by both at the same time. Home Care Packages were also replaced by the Support at Home program on 1 November 2025, so much of the advice online is out of date.
Which scheme you can use depends mostly on your age, and a choice made after 65 can be permanent. Below, we explain the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s rule against receiving both, the NDIS’s guidance on leaving at 65 and the Continuity of Support arrangements, with three common scenarios to help you see where you fit.
Can you have NDIS and a home care package at the same time?
No. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing states that older people with disability can receive aged care services “through Support at Home or the NDIS, but not simultaneously.” It’s one or the other.
How that plays out depends on your age:
- Under 65: if you have a permanent and significant disability, the NDIS is generally the right scheme. You must be younger than 65 on the day you apply.
- Already on the NDIS and turning 65: you can stay. Nothing changes unless you choose to move to aged care.
- 65 or older and not on the NDIS: you can’t apply to the NDIS, so aged care is your pathway, starting with My Aged Care.
What is a Home Care Package (now Support at Home)?
Home Care Packages helped older Australians pay for care at home. On 1 November 2025 they were replaced by Support at Home, which now funds in-home aged care for people aged 65 and over (or 50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people). Support at Home sits alongside the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) and private care as one of several aged care funding options.
To get Support at Home, you start by registering with My Aged Care and having an aged care assessment. You’re then given one of the eight Support at Home levels, each with a set quarterly budget. Clinical care, and from 1 October 2026 personal care, is fully government funded within your approved services and available Support at Home budget. Most people pay a means-tested contribution towards independence and everyday living services, such as transport, cleaning and gardening.
What is the NDIS?
The NDIS funds supports for people with a permanent and significant disability. It’s run by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), and each participant has an individual plan built around the “reasonable and necessary” supports their disability requires, such as therapy, equipment, personal care or help to take part in the community.
Access to the NDIS isn’t means tested. The catch is the age rule: you must apply before you turn 65.
NDIS vs home care packages: the key differences
| Comparison | Support at Home (formerly Home Care Packages) | NDIS |
|---|---|---|
| Who it’s for | Older people who need help to keep living at home | People with a permanent and significant disability |
| Age to apply | 65 and over (50 and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) | Under 65 on the day you apply |
| How you get in | Register with My Aged Care, then an aged care assessment | Apply to the NDIA |
| How funding is set | One of eight levels, each with a set quarterly budget | An individual plan based on reasonable and necessary disability supports |
| What you pay | Means-tested contributions for independence and everyday living services. Clinical and personal care are fully funded. | Not means tested |
| Who runs it | Department of Health, Disability and Ageing | National Disability Insurance Agency |
The rules that stop you receiving both
Some of these decisions can’t be undone, so it’s worth knowing the rules before you make any change.
Support at Home and the NDIS: one or the other
The Department’s guidance on how Support at Home interacts with other programs says an NDIS participant exits the NDIS when they start receiving Support at Home. The NDIS guide to leaving the scheme adds the details that matter:
- You’ll leave the NDIS if you’re approved for Support at Home services after you turn 65.
- You’ll leave on the day you move permanently into residential aged care for the first time after turning 65.
- You need to tell the NDIA if either happens, on 1800 800 110.
- The usual cooling-off period doesn’t apply, and you can’t ask for a review once you’ve moved to aged care.
Because you must be under 65 to apply for the NDIS, leaving after 65 is effectively a one-way decision.
CHSP: the exception, with conditions
The Commonwealth Home Support Program works differently. Under the CHSP Manual 2025–27, an NDIS participant can receive CHSP services if they meet CHSP eligibility, need entry-level support, and the services don’t duplicate what their NDIS plan already funds. So if your plan doesn’t cover help with the garden, for example, CHSP might.
Continuity of Support and the DSOA Program
When the NDIS was phased in from 2013, some people with disability were already 65 or older and couldn’t join. The Commonwealth Continuity of Support (CoS) Programme was set up so they wouldn’t lose their support, funding people who were already receiving state or territory specialist disability services. On 1 July 2021 it was replaced by the Disability Support for Older Australians (DSOA) Program.
DSOA is a closed program, so it doesn’t accept new clients. It’s for people who were 65 or older (or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 to 64) when the NDIS started in their region, weren’t eligible for the NDIS, and were already using specialist disability services. DSOA clients leave the program when they start Support at Home. The exception is people who already had a Home Care Package before 1 July 2021, who can use both, with their DSOA funding capped.
What happens at 65: three common scenarios
Everyone’s situation is different, but these examples show how the rules usually play out.
Scenario 1: You’re turning 65 and your NDIS plan works well
Say you’ve been an NDIS participant for years and your plan funds personal care, therapy and equipment for your disability. When you turn 65, nothing happens automatically. You can keep your plan, and you don’t need to apply for aged care. Staying usually makes sense, because the plan is built around your disability and isn’t means tested. Just check with the NDIA before accepting any aged care services, since approval for Support at Home would end your NDIS participation.
Scenario 2: You’re 70, on the NDIS, and your needs are changing with age
Now say your disability supports are still in place, but you’ve had a fall and need nursing visits and more help around the house. You have two options. You could stay on the NDIS, ask for a plan reassessment if your disability needs have changed, and use CHSP for entry-level help your plan doesn’t cover. Or you could move fully to Support at Home, where nursing and personal care attract no contribution and one provider coordinates everything. The second option means leaving the NDIS for good, so compare what each would fund before you decide.
Scenario 3: You’re 67 and have never been on the NDIS
If you’re 65 or older and develop a disability, for example after a stroke, you can’t apply to the NDIS. Aged care is your pathway. Register with My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 for an assessment. While you wait for Support at Home funding, you may be able to use entry-level CHSP services.
When staying on the NDIS makes sense
- Your support needs are mainly about your disability, and your current plan meets them.
- Your plan funds a lot of support. Support at Home budgets are capped by level and may fund less.
- You’d rather avoid means-tested contributions for services like cleaning and transport.
- You rely on disability-specific supports, such as specialist equipment or supported independent living.
When moving to Support at Home makes sense
- Your needs are now mostly age-related, such as nursing, personal care and help at home.
- You’d like one aged care plan and one provider coordinating all your services.
- You want access to aged care options like the Restorative Care Pathway, the End-of-Life Pathway or the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme.
Frequently asked questions
Can you stay on the NDIS after 65?
Yes. If you became an NDIS participant before turning 65, you can keep your plan for as long as it meets your needs. Turning 65 does not automatically end your NDIS participation. Moving to Support at Home or permanent residential aged care after 65 can end it.
Can you get the NDIS if you’re over 65?
No. You must be younger than 65 on the day you apply. From 65, aged care is the pathway, starting with an assessment through My Aged Care.
Is aged care part of the NDIS?
No, they’re separate systems. The NDIS is run by the NDIA, while aged care programs like Support at Home and CHSP are funded by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and accessed through My Aged Care.
Can I go back to the NDIS after moving to aged care?
In practice, not if you’re 65 or older. The NDIS says you can reapply if your situation changes, but you must be under 65 when you apply. That’s why it pays to get advice before you leave.
What if I’m an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander NDIS participant?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may be eligible for aged care from age 50. If you are already an NDIS participant, speak to the NDIA and My Aged Care before accepting Support at Home services so you understand how the rules apply to your situation.
Verdict: one scheme at a time, chosen carefully
NDIS and home care packages do different jobs, and you can only use one at a time. The right choice depends on your age, your support needs and what each scheme would fund.
Before making any change, talk to the NDIA (1800 800 110) and My Aged Care (1800 200 422), or get free, independent advice from the Older Persons Advocacy Network on 1800 700 600.
Thinking about Support at Home with Cura?
If you’re weighing up aged care, our Care Partner team can explain how Support at Home works with Cura, what each level funds and how contributions work, so you can compare it with your current support before you decide. Cura is a not-for-profit provider built on the long history of the Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast. Our team represents more than 65 nationalities, many of our staff speak more than one language, and we specialise in multicultural aged care.
Call us on 1800 941 212 or send us a message and we’ll talk it through with you.
