Personal care contributions end on 1 October 2026. Why does the service date matter?

Personal care contributions end on 1 October 2026. Why does the service date matter?
Published on  
Sep 14, 2026
   •   2 min read

By Luke Benson. Last reviewed 13 September 2026, against Support at Home program manual V4.4 and the Department's personal care contribution change notice.

From 1 October 2026, personal care services move from the independence contribution category to the clinical supports category. Clinical supports carry no participant contribution, so showering, dressing, continence care, eating and hygiene assistance and medication assistance become fully funded by the Australian Government. Section 9.4 and the service list in section 10.2 of the program manual both carry the change.

The date that counts is the date the service was delivered, not the date it was claimed. The Department’s guidance is direct: claims for services delivered before 1 October will still attract a participant contribution, even if they are claimed after 1 October.

That puts weight on the delivery record for every personal care visit around the changeover. If your only record of a visit is a subcontractor’s invoice dated in October, you cannot show whether the visit happened on 29 September or 2 October, and you cannot show the participant why they were or were not charged.

What the Department asks providers to do before 1 October:

  • Update participant statements and invoices so they show the new contribution amount and rate for personal care from 1 October.
  • Update claiming processes and any software so personal care is classified as clinical supports from that date.
  • Review service agreements so they reflect the new contribution arrangements.

Two things to check in your own operation. First, that every personal care visit in late September and early October has a delivery record with a date, not just a line on a monthly invoice. Second, that your monthly statements, which the Department’s assurance plan also reviews, match those dates.

How DidYouGo fits. The check-in record carries the service date and time for every visit, whoever delivered it. Finance can see which September visits still attract a contribution and which October visits do not, and the statement to the participant matches the record.

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