Changing aged care providers can feel stressful.
Many families worry they will lose funding, face penalties, or experience service gaps.
Under the Support at Home program, you have the right to change providers. The system is designed to protect your funding and ensure continuity of care.
Here is what actually happens when you switch.
Can You Change Support at Home Providers?
Yes.
Under the Support at Home framework and the Aged Care Act 2024, participants are free to change registered providers.
You are not locked into one organisation.
If you are unhappy with communication, transparency, service delivery, or alignment of care, you can move to another approved provider.
Step 1: Choose a New Provider
Before ending services with your current provider, it is important to:
Once you are ready, your new provider will require a referral code.
Referral codes are managed through My Aged Care.
Step 2: Notify Your Current Provider
Your current service agreement will outline:
• Notice period requirements
• Exit procedures
• Final statement process
Under the Support at Home rules, providers must:
• Continue delivering agreed services during the notice period
• Provide a final monthly statement
• Ensure all claims are submitted accurately
Providers cannot “hold over” claims to the next quarter.
What Happens to Your Quarterly Budget?
This is one of the most common questions.
Your funding does not disappear when you change providers.
Support at Home quarterly budgets are:
If you change providers part way through a quarter:
There is no financial penalty for transferring.
What About Unspent Quarterly Funds?
For ongoing classifications:
If you change providers:
Your funding follows you.
What Happens to Care Management Funding?
Under Support at Home:
When you change providers:
This is why timely paperwork matters.
What If You Transitioned From a Home Care Package?
If you were previously on a Home Care Package and retained unspent funds at transition:
There are two types of HCP unspent funds:
Commonwealth-held unspent funds
Participant portion unspent funds (held by the provider)
When changing providers:
The Support at Home Manual sets out clear requirements for returning or transferring unspent funds when service delivery ceases.
You should receive confirmation of how any remaining funds are handled.
What About Assistive Technology and Short-Term Pathways?
If you are receiving:
These budgets are separate from your ongoing quarterly allocation.
When transferring providers:
There is no reset of funding timeframes simply because you change providers.
Will There Be a Gap in Services?
A smooth transition requires coordination.
To avoid service disruption:
Under the Aged Care Act 2024, registered providers must act in the best interests of participants and ensure continuity and safe transition of care.
Good providers communicate openly during this process.
Why Do People Change Providers?
Across Australia, common reasons include:
Changing providers is not uncommon. It is a consumer right.
The system is designed so your funding remains protected.
Key Things to Ask Before Switching
Before making the move, ask your new provider:
Clarity upfront prevents confusion later.
The Bottom Line
Changing Support at Home providers:
Your funding is attached to you.
What changes is who delivers your services.
Under the Support at Home framework and the Aged Care Act 2024, the system is structured to protect participants and ensure transparency during transitions.
If something does not feel right with your current provider, it is reasonable to explore alternatives.
Continuity, clarity and quality matter.
