Rolling over your unspent funds

Every person who receives a home care package (HCP) is allocated a daily subsidy for every day that they occupy their package. Each month, we provide you with a financial statement so you can keep track of what was spent on your care and services, and to see what is left over.

If the amount of your government subsidy exceeds the amount that is spent in the month, this becomes known as Unspent Funds.

In the home care package program, any unspent HCP amount carries over and accumulates from month to month, for as long as you continue to receive a package. It can be reassuring to know that if something happens, there are some funds available straight away to support your care.

Unspent HCP funds accumulate for different reasons. Sometimes a person’s needs or circumstances have changed so they may not require as much funding to provide all the care they need. Sometimes a person might choose not to accept some services even if they are recommended, or, sometimes a consumer might be saving for a particular item or a ‘rainy day’.

From 1 November 2025, with the commencement of the new Support at Home program, there will be new limits to saving unspent quarterly budget amounts, and unspent funds will not accumulate in the same way.

The good news is that you will be able to carry forward all your unspent HCP funds to the new program. You will also have the flexibility to draw on these unspent funds in addition to your new quarterly budget.

We are conscious that some consumers might be apprehensive about the changes to unspent funds and may try to save extra unspent funds before the Support at Home program commences.

However, it is important to ensure your ‘saving’ is not at the expense of you receiving the care and services you need right now.

We will support you to make an informed choice to direct your package spending where it is needed most.