How the Support at Home classification algorithm works
On this page
The short answer
Your parent's Support at Home classification (levels 1–8) is set by an algorithm, not chosen by the assessor. It looks at three things in order: how much help is needed with everyday tasks (a score out of 48), whether that help is already in place (a score out of 36), and six compounding factors that decide between two neighbouring levels.
The government published the technical details of the algorithm in October 2026. This guide explains each layer in plain language, using the official documents listed at the end.
Why the algorithm matters so much
The classification decides the yearly budget, from about $11,000 at level 1 to about $80,000 at level 8. The assessor records answers in the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT); the algorithm turns those answers into a classification. That means the most important thing families can influence is what gets recorded on assessment day — accurately, including the bad days.
Step 0: is ongoing home support needed at all?
Before any level is calculated, the algorithm checks five measures drawn from the assessment:
- everyday tasks like shopping, cooking and managing medicines
- personal care like walking, bathing, dressing and toileting
- frailty (tiredness, stairs, walking distance, illnesses, weight loss)
- a short anxiety and mood check
- memory and thinking (including a confirmed dementia diagnosis)
Only someone with no needs on all five is found ineligible for ongoing home support. A need in any one area is enough to continue.
Layer 1: the functional score (out of 48)
The assessor asks about everyday activities. For most, the answer is "without help", "with some help" or "completely unable". A few — walking, moving from a chair or bed, and using the toilet — have four steps. Each answer becomes points: more independence means more points.
The scored activities are:
| Getting out and running a home | Moving and personal care |
|---|---|
| Getting to places beyond walking distance | Walking (or using a wheelchair) |
| Heavier housework | Climbing stairs |
| Shopping | Bathing or showering |
| Preparing meals | Dressing |
| Taking medicines | Grooming |
| Handling money | Eating |
| Using the telephone | Moving from a chair or bed |
| Using other devices, like a mobile or tablet | Using the toilet |
| Using online services | Bladder and bowel control |
| Lifting and carrying about 5 kg |
Two yes/no questions also count: whether your parent drives, and whether they have difficulty understanding health information (health literacy). The assessor also asks about light housework, but it isn't part of the score.
The total puts your parent into one of five bands:
| Band | Functional score | What it roughly means |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | 42–48 | Mostly independent |
| 1B | 35–41 | Some help with a few tasks |
| 1C | 30–34 | Regular help with several tasks |
| 1D | 25–29 | Help with many tasks |
| 1E | 0–24 | Help with most tasks |
A lower score means more need. Someone in band 1E needs the most help.
Layer 2: the needs met score (out of 36)
For 18 of the activities, the assessor also asks: is the need being met? If your parent does an activity without help, it automatically scores the top mark. Otherwise each answer scores:
- 2 — completely met
- 1 — partially met
- 0 — completely unmet
What counts is what the person manages themselves (for example, with equipment) and help from family, friends and neighbours. The assessors' guide tells them to answer as if no aged care services were in place, so help from a provider doesn't count as a met need. This is the part families most often misunderstand. If a daughter showers her mother every day, the showering need may be recorded as met — and a met need scores higher, which points towards a lower classification.
That is not a reason to hide help that is given. It is a reason to make sure the assessor hears the full picture: who helps, how often, and whether that help can continue.
Lower needs met score = more unmet need. Within the same functional band, a person with more unmet needs is placed at a higher level.
Layer 3: compounding factors
The first two layers narrow the result to two neighbouring levels. Six compounding factors then decide which one applies:
- Continence — bladder and bowel control
- Social isolation — feeling lonely, down or socially isolated
- Carer sustainability — factors affecting whether current carers can keep going
- Frailty — tiredness, stairs, walking 300 metres, number of illnesses, unplanned weight loss
- Anxiety and depression — a four-question check over the last two weeks
- Cognition — memory and thinking, including a confirmed dementia diagnosis
The algorithm combines these into a single result using a weighted formula. The weights differ depending on where the person sits in the tree. If the result shows significant compounding factors, the person goes to the higher of the two levels.
In the published formulas, carer sustainability, memory and thinking, and loneliness carry the most weight. Poorer bladder and bowel control also pushes towards the higher level. These are exactly the things older people are least likely to raise with a stranger — so they are worth making sure the assessor hears, accurately.
The full table
This is the table in section 81-10 of the Aged Care Rules 2025, as published in the official decision tree.
| Functional score | Needs met score | Significant compounding factors? | Classification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42–48 | any | not considered | CHSP |
| 35–41 | 31–36 | not considered | CHSP |
| 35–41 | 0–30 | No | CHSP |
| 35–41 | 0–30 | Yes | Level 1 |
| 30–34 | 30–36 | No / Yes | Level 1 / Level 2 |
| 30–34 | 0–29 | No / Yes | Level 2 / Level 3 |
| 25–29 | 28–36 | No / Yes | Level 3 / Level 4 |
| 25–29 | 0–27 | No / Yes | Level 4 / Level 5 |
| 0–24 | 29–36 | No / Yes | Level 5 / Level 6 |
| 0–24 | 23–28 | No / Yes | Level 6 / Level 7 |
| 0–24 | 0–22 | No / Yes | Level 7 / Level 8 |
CHSP is the Commonwealth Home Support Programme, which provides entry-level home support.
Budgets for each level
From 1 October 2026:
| Level | Quarterly budget | Annual amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,757.89 | $11,031.56 |
| 2 | $4,120.89 | $16,483.55 |
| 3 | $5,645.23 | $22,580.93 |
| 4 | $7,632.04 | $30,528.15 |
| 5 | $10,202.32 | $40,809.27 |
| 6 | $12,365.48 | $49,461.91 |
| 7 | $14,944.20 | $59,776.80 |
| 8 | $20,073.50 | $80,294.00 |
Budgets are indexed every July. You may also pay contributions towards some services.
What this means for your family
- Accuracy is the goal. The algorithm can only work with what is recorded. An assessment where your parent says "I'm fine" to every question will produce a classification for someone who is fine.
- The bad days count. If your father can shower on a good day but not when his back flares up, say how often each happens.
- Family help should be described, not hidden. Say who helps, with what, how many hours a week, and whether that can continue.
- Carer strain is part of the assessment. If you or another carer are close to the limit, tell the assessor. It is one of the six compounding factors.
Things you can do now
- Write down the everyday tasks your parent needs help with, using the two columns in the activity table above.
- Next to each, note who helps and whether the help is enough.
- Write one specific example of a recent bad day.
- If you help a lot, write down roughly how many hours a week, and anything that makes that hard to keep up.
- Ask to be present at the assessment, or to give information to the assessor separately.
Official sources
Rules and technical documents
- IAT classification algorithm decision tree, including the Aged Care Rules 2025 s 81-10 table (opens in a new tab) — Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, October 2026
- Support at Home classification system technical guide (opens in a new tab) — Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, October 2026
- Support at Home classification algorithm technical details (spreadsheet: conditions, constructed variables and complexity equations) — Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, October 2026
Official guidance
-
Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) user guide, version 2.6 (opens in a new tab) — definitions assessors use for each answer, August 2026
-
Support at Home program — classifications and budgets (opens in a new tab) — October 2026
-
Ongoing home support classification levels assignment (opens in a new tab)
-
Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT) offline form (opens in a new tab)
Common questions
Can the assessor change the classification the algorithm gives?
Not on the day. Since Support at Home began on 1 November 2025, the classification is generated from what the assessor records in the Integrated Assessment Tool, so the assessor's influence is in what gets recorded. In October 2026 Parliament also legislated an escalation pathway: in exceptional circumstances, and with your parent's consent, the assessment organisation can ask the Department to review the classification. Families can still ask for a review themselves within 28 days of receiving the decision.
Does help from family lower the classification?
It can. The needs met score counts help from family as well as from services. If family help is about to stop or is causing serious strain, that should be recorded too — carer sustainability is one of the compounding factors.
Why does the same score sometimes give two possible levels?
The functional score and needs met score narrow the result to two neighbouring levels. Compounding factors — continence, loneliness, carer strain, frailty, anxiety and depression, and memory and thinking — decide which of the two applies.
What is CHSP in the table?
People with higher function scores are classified for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP), entry-level home support, rather than one of the eight Support at Home levels.
General information only, not medical, legal or financial advice. We are not affiliated with My Aged Care or the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Confirm deadlines with My Aged Care or your assessment organisation.