Using a Support at Home Package for Cleaning: What's Covered and What's Not

What Does It Include?

Cleaning services under Support at Home focus on keeping your home safe, hygienic, and liveable. The program is not designed for luxury or deep cleaning, but rather to maintain day-to-day cleanliness and support your independence.

Typical tasks that can be included are:

• Dusting accessible surfaces.
• Sweeping or vacuuming floors.
• Mopping and drying floors, including wiping up minor spills.
• Wiping down wet areas such as sinks, hand basins, shower alcoves, baths, and toilets.
• Cleaning kitchen surfaces such as benchtops, stovetops, oven doors, fridge and microwave interiors, and cupboard handles.
• Wiping light switches, door handles, and surrounds as required.
• Washing and hanging out personal laundry and general household linen.
• Ironing clothes.
• Assisting with food preparation, washing or drying dishes, and emptying waste paper and light kitchen bins.
• Making beds and/or changing linen.

These tasks are designed to help you maintain a clean, comfortable, and manageable home environment without putting your health or safety at risk.

While Support at Home offers practical cleaning help, it does not include tasks that require heavy labour, specialised equipment, or high-risk work. These should be handled by professional cleaning services at your own cost.

Excluded cleaning tasks include:

• Climbing, overhead reaching, stretching, twisting, or getting down on hands and knees
• Work at heights
• Cleaning stoves
• Heavy lifting or excessive pushing/pulling (e.g., moving furniture, heavy rugs)
• Managing Health and Safety risks (e.g., exposure to harsh chemical cleaners)
• Specialist cleaning agencies (e.g., steam cleaning carpets, window cleaning, spring cleaning)

If your home requires these services, your care provider may assist in arranging external professional cleaners, but the cost will not be covered through your Support at Home funding.

Under the Support at Home program, government funding is based on eight classification levels, each reflecting the amount of care and support a person needs to live safely at home. The higher your classification, the larger your quarterly budget. These funds are managed in partnership with your approved provider to make sure they are used for eligible services, including domestic assistance.

While your budget provides flexibility, the Australian Government has now introduced specific annual caps for some everyday living supports such as cleaning and gardening. These limits are designed to help prioritise funding for essential health and independence services, such as personal care, nursing, and allied health.

Clients may still contribute to the cost of their care through an income-based contribution system. Those on lower incomes or full pensions generally pay little or no fees.

How Much Cleaning Support You Can Receive

From 1 November 2025, the Support at Home program will cap domestic assistance (cleaning) at up to 52 hours per year, which equates to roughly one visit per week. Gardening services will be capped at 18 hours per year, or about one visit every fortnight.

These caps apply to the government-funded portion of your support. If you wish to receive additional cleaning or gardening beyond this limit, you can arrange extra hours privately or through your own contributions. Your provider can help you plan your care schedule to make the best use of your annual allowance and balance it with other supports such as personal care or transport.

Under the new Support at Home model, domestic assistance hours are no longer open-ended. The program now places an annual cap of 52 hours for cleaning and 18 hours for gardening, representing the maximum amount of government-subsidised support available each year for these services.

The number of hours you actually receive will depend on your classification level, care needs, and how you structure your support plan. Your provider will work with you to allocate your cleaning hours effectively and, if needed, help you organise additional services privately.

These changes are part of the government’s broader effort to make Support at Home sustainable. This helps to ensure more resources are directed toward clinical and independence-related care while still providing some assistance for everyday household tasks.

Getting Help in Your Area

FOCUS Connect provides domestic assistance and home support services across Macarthur, South West Sydney, and North Sydney suburbs, including Liverpool, Canterbury, Bankstown, Camden, Campbelltown, Mosman, Cremorne Point, Neutral Bay, and surrounding areas.

Our dedicated support workers help older Australians maintain independence through:

Help at Home:  Cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, and grocery shopping.

Personal Care: Assistance with showering, dressing, toileting, and medication support.

Transport:  Safe and reliable transport to appointments and outings.

Social and Wellbeing Support: Companionship and activities that promote healthy living and community connection.

With cleaning hours now capped under the Support at Home program, our team works closely with clients to make every visit count, focusing on essential cleaning tasks that create the biggest difference to comfort, safety, and wellbeing. We can also help you plan complementary services or private options if you need extra assistance beyond your government-funded hours.

Final Thoughts

The Support at Home program offers older Australians more choice and transparency in how their funding is used, while focusing on essential care that promotes independence and quality of life. Cleaning remains one of the most valuable services available, helping keep your home hygienic, welcoming, and safe.

At FOCUS Connect, we understand how important it is to make the most of every hour of support. Our caring team can help you create a personalised plan that prioritises what matters most and ensures your limited visits deliver meaningful results.

If you or a loved one could benefit from cleaning assistance or other in-home support, contact FOCUS Connect today. Our team can help you understand your eligibility, build a personalised care plan, and connect you with trusted support workers who make daily life easier.