Getting the most out of Support at Home: Understanding Quarterly Budgets

Tuesday, 06 October 2026 | 2 minutes read time

Home Care

Since the rollout of Support at Home, funding has been delivered to clients in quarterly budgets. This differs from the subsidy model used under the Home Care Package system.

To make the most of your Support at Home budget, it’s important to understand how the quarterly rollover works.

Under Support at Home, your funding is released quarterly, on the first of January, April, July and October. Here’s how it is assigned:

10% of your budget will always be set for care management.
Remaining funds are available for the services in your personalised support plan; you can only use funds that are assigned for the current quarter.
A portion of your unspent funds will be carried forward to the next quarter. This will either be 10% or $1000 (whichever is greater).

Important things to know about your quarterly budgets

To get the most out of your budget, you should avoid sitting in a large surplus. With a quarterly budget, it’s easier to plan and limit this.

Regular check-ins and in-depth planning with your family and Home Care team are the key to ensuring you aren’t missing out on unspent budget.

Getting the right Care Plan Management

At CatholicCare Sydney, we work closely with you to build a personalised care plan to best support your independence and needs. This will be tailored to meet your health needs, personal goals, and preferences for care services. This will ensure you are receiving the right care and making the most of your Support at Home package.

You can work with your Care Partner to explore all available options you have as part of your plan. This will include cleaning, shopping, physiotherapy and other Allied Health services, garden maintenance and more.

Using your Care Partner strategically will allow you to plan effectively for each quarter to limit unspent funds.