How long is the wait for Support at Home?
There are 2 waits: one for your assessment, and one for your funding.
Wait 1: your assessment
From 1 April to 30 June 2026, the national median wait for an aged care assessment was 26 days.
Median means the middle. Half of people waited 26 days or less, and half waited longer. The wait is counted from when the referral is sent to when the assessment happens.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Wait 2: your funding
After you are approved for ongoing services, you go into a national wait list. It is called the Support at Home Priority System. You get funding when it becomes available, based on your priority category and the date you were approved.
Estimated wait for ongoing funding (My Aged Care, last updated 30 June 2026):
| Priority category | Estimated wait |
|---|---|
| Urgent | Within 1 month |
| High | 1 month |
| Medium | 5 to 6 months |
| Standard | 7 to 8 months |
These are a guide, not a promise. Your wait starts from the access approval start date in your assessment outcome letter. My Aged Care updates the estimates when new ones are available.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
How your priority category is worked out
Your assessor collects information at your assessment. A tool then gives you a score. Things that can raise your score include:
- living alone
- being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- having an assessed cognitive impairment (for example, memory problems)
- being homeless or at risk of homelessness
- living in a regional or remote area and having waited more than 6 months since your first referral
- needing services urgently
- having Motor Neurone Disease (MND)
The higher the score, the higher the category. People with MND get urgent priority.
You can raise concerns about your assessment outcome, including your priority. Your letter explains how.
Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing; My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Interim funding
If the wait is longer than expected, you may get 60% of your approved funding first. This is for your most important services.
The other 40% comes when funding is available. It is not backdated.
People in the urgent category get full funding within 1 month, so they don’t get interim funding.
Source: My Aged Care; My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Short-term help: no wait
If you are approved for the Restorative Care Pathway or the End-of-Life Pathway, you get the funding straight away. There is no wait list.
If you are approved for more than one service, each one is funded separately. You can start one before the others arrive.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
What to do while you wait
Start looking for a provider
Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422, or use the Find a provider tool. See our guide to choosing a provider.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Get to know the costs
Some services are free. For others you may pay a contribution. See costs.
To see what each service covers, read what Support at Home pays for, and what it doesn’t.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Know the 56-day time limit
When your funding is ready, you get a letter. You then have 56 days to sign a service agreement and start services. You can ask My Aged Care for 28 more days. If you don’t start in time, the funding goes to the next person, but you can re-join the wait list.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Don’t want help yet?
Tell My Aged Care. You will be set as “not seeking services” and won’t get funding until you change this. You can change it any time.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Need care sooner?
You can pay for services privately while you wait. These are not funded by the government.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Common questions
How long is the wait for an aged care assessment?
From 1 April to 30 June 2026, the national median wait was 26 days. That means half of people waited 26 days or less. Some people wait shorter or longer.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
How long is the wait for Support at Home funding?
It depends on your priority category. My Aged Care’s estimates (last updated 30 June 2026) are: urgent, within 1 month; high, 1 month; medium, 5 to 6 months; standard, 7 to 8 months.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Where do I find my priority category?
It is in your assessment outcome letter. It is worked out from the information your assessor collected at your assessment.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
What is interim funding?
If the wait for ongoing funding is longer than expected, you may get 60% of your approved funding first, for your most important services. The rest comes when funding is available. It is not backdated.
Source: My Aged Care; My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Is there a wait for short-term help?
No. If you are approved for the Restorative Care Pathway or the End-of-Life Pathway, the funding is available straight away.
Source: My Aged Care (checked 27 Oct 2026)
Need help with your own situation?
My Aged Care (Australian Government)
Mon to Fri 8am to 8pm. Sat 10am to 2pm.
OPAN free, independent advocates
Mon to Fri 8am to 8pm. Sat 10am to 4pm.
In an emergency, call 000. Worried about abuse? See urgent help.
Where this information comes from
- My Aged Care: How to apply for an assessment
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/how-apply-assessment
Last checked 27 Oct 2026. - My Aged Care: Assessment outcome: Support at Home
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/assessment-outcome-support-at-home
Last checked 27 Oct 2026. - My Aged Care: Managing your Support at Home budget
https://www.myagedcare.gov.au/managing-your-support-home-budget
Last checked 27 Oct 2026. - Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Support at Home ongoing services priority categories assignment
https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/support-at-home/funding-for-support-at-home/support-at-home-ongoing-services-priority-categories-assignment
Last checked 27 Oct 2026. - Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN): Contact us
https://opan.org.au/contact-us/
Last checked 25 Oct 2026.