Guide
The Commonwealth Home Support Program, explained
What CHSP is, who it is for, what we deliver under it, and what help around the house covers.
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Aged care · Guide
What CHSP costs you
How the client contribution works, what happens if money is tight, and why your pension is not affected.
Nobody should find out what aged care costs after they have started using it. Money is the question people are most reluctant to ask on a first call, and the one we would most like to answer early, because the answer is usually a relief. This is about the Commonwealth Home Support Program. Support at Home contributions work differently, and they are set out in Support at Home, and how we work with Trilogy Care.
You contribute, you do not cover the cost
CHSP clients pay a contribution towards their services. The Australian Government funds the rest, and no provider may charge you more than the service actually costs.
How much you contribute depends on the type and number of services you use, and on what you can afford. We agree the amount with you and write it into your service agreement before anything begins.
Nothing starts before you have agreed the fee
We talk the contribution through with you and write it into a service agreement in plain words. Services do not begin until that is settled. There are no exit fees, and being approved for CHSP does not tie you to any provider, so if the arrangement stops suiting you, you can change it.
Your pension is not affected. The subsidy goes from the government to the provider, not to you, so receiving CHSP services does not change your pension.
If money is tight, say so
Every CHSP provider has to have a client contribution policy that takes into account what people can actually afford, including hardship. Nobody should miss out on help they have been assessed as needing because money is short.
Ask us for a copy of our policy and we will send it to you. And if your circumstances change after you start, tell us. The contribution can be looked at again.
The cheapest conversation about aged care is the one you have before anything starts. Call 02 9556 9500 or get in touch.
Last reviewed 20 September 2026 by Steven Lowrie, Governance and Case Management Lead. Rules and funding can change. If something here does not match your situation, ask us.
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