CHSP Extended to 2029: What It Means for Your Systems and Planning

For almost two years, CHSP providers planned around a date that kept moving. First CHSP was due to join Support at Home alongside Home Care Packages, then no earlier than July 2027. Many providers held off on decisions about staffing, contracts and systems until they knew what the program would look like.

On 20 August 2026, that uncertainty ended. The government confirmed CHSP will continue as a standalone, block-funded program until 30 June 2029, and will consult on its longer-term design.

That gives roughly 1,300 providers and 830,000 older Australians nearly three years of certainty. The question for providers is no longer "what happens in 2027?" It is "what do we do with the next three years?"

The decision followed a Senate inquiry that recommended in June 2026 that CHSP stay separate and block funded. Aged Care Minister Sam Rae summed up the government's position: block-funded community services keep people well and independent before they need more intensive support, which Support at Home was never designed to do.

Three things are settled. CHSP continues as a standalone program to 30 June 2029. There is no transition into Support at Home on 1 July 2027. And existing contracts, including council contracts, continue without interruption.

Consultation on the longer-term design starts this year. Sector groups, including Ageing Australia and the CHSP Alliance, are also pushing for contracts and funding levels to be reviewed. The program will keep changing over the next three years, but within a known structure.

Block funding stays, so outputs still matter. CHSP providers will keep being funded against agreed service outputs, not individual budgets. Hitting your outputs, and proving it in DEX reporting, remains central to your funding conversations, especially if contracts are reviewed.

Running two programs is now the long-term model. Many providers deliver both CHSP and Support at Home. That is no longer a temporary state before a merger. It is how your business will run until at least 2029, with two funding models, two sets of fee rules and two reporting regimes sitting side by side.

Clients will move between programs. As needs increase, CHSP clients move to Support at Home. The sector is calling for clearer pathways between the two. Providers that can manage that hand-over smoothly, in one system and with one client record, will keep more of those clients.

The compliance bar has not dropped. CHSP providers have been regulated under the new Aged Care Act since 1 November 2025. The extension changes the program structure, not your obligations on registration, quality standards and reporting.

You can plan again. Councils and other providers cited uncertainty as a reason to pull back from CHSP. The government's message is that this reason no longer applies. A three-year horizon is long enough to invest, recruit and grow.

The uncertainty made waiting rational. Why invest in CHSP systems if the program was about to be absorbed into Support at Home? Many providers made do with spreadsheets, workarounds and ageing software that was "good enough until 2027".

That logic no longer holds. There are three reasons to act now rather than later.

Use this as a working list for your leadership, operations and finance teams as you plan to 2029.

What to look for in CHSP software in 2026

If you are reviewing your systems, these are the capabilities that matter most for the next three years. CHSP and Support at Home in one platform, so you have one client record and one roster with separate funding and fee rules. Output tracking against your grant agreement, so you see delivery against targets in real time, not at the end of the period. DEX reporting built in, so reporting comes straight from service records with no re-keying. Client transitions between programs, so you can move a client from CHSP to Support at Home without losing history.

Also look for rostering and travel planning, because block funding rewards efficient delivery, especially in regional areas. Look for flexible fee configuration, so you are ready for whatever the consultation decides on client contributions. And look for cost-to-serve reporting, which gives you evidence for contract and funding reviews.

DEX reporting is a good example. The government's DEX Stage 3 changes added administration to every appointment. TurnPoint worked directly with its CHSP providers so that extra work is handled in the system rather than passed on to key staff, while still meeting every reporting requirement. It is one of the main reasons providers tell us TurnPoint keeps DEX reporting simple.

Running CHSP, or CHSP and Support at Home together? Book a TurnPoint demo to see both programs managed in one place.