Support at Home Notice of Decision: Provider Checklist

A Support at Home notice of decision is the letter recording which services a participant is approved for, their funding classification and any short-term pathway. Everything you plan, price, deliver and claim has to sit inside it, so a care partner reads it first.

This guide covers who issues it, what it states, how you get sight of it, and how to reconcile it with the support plan, care plan, individualised budget, service agreement and first claim. Facts are as at 13 October 2026 and labelled as law, Department guidance or good practice.

Key Takeaways

The notice states the approved services, including classification level, any assistive technology or home modifications tier and any short-term pathway, plus reasons and review rights. The published descriptions of its contents do not list the contribution rate, which Services Australia sets.
Providers view the notice and support plan in the My Aged Care Service and Support Portal, and the participant's referral code opens the client record.
The care plan, individualised budget and service agreement must match the notice, and a provider may only claim approved services at the agreed price.
A service missing from the notice cannot be claimed as funded care; the route is a Support Plan Review.
A participant has 28 days to request an internal review, and for home support decisions the Act names the individual, not the provider, as the affected entity.

What is a Support at Home notice of decision, and who issues it?

In aged care, the notice of decision is the written outcome of an assessment. An Assessment Delegate finalises the decision and the assessment organisation sends the notice to the older person (Program Manual, sections 6.4 and 6.6). My Aged Care calls it the assessment outcome letter, and it is separate from the later funding allocation letter.

Under the Aged Care Act 2024, section 70 requires the System Governor to give written notice within 14 days after an access decision. Classification (section 79) and priority category (section 88) notices may travel in the same letter.

What does the notice state, and what does it leave out?

Each source describes the contents differently. Read them together:

Act (section 70): reasons, how to seek reconsideration, the day the approval takes effect, approved service groups, classification types, service types and specific services, and any conditions under section 69.
Program Manual (section 6.6): approved services, including classification level, any assistive technology or home modifications tier and any short-term pathway, plus reasons, evidence and review rights.
My Aged Care: the letter also carries a copy of the support plan.
Not listed: the contribution rate, which Services Australia sets through an income and assets assessment (Manual section 7.2.1.1).

The Manual sets funding amounts for each level in the Schedule of Subsidies and Supplements (section 6.7.1). Current quarterly amounts are in our guide to Support at Home classifications.

How does a provider get sight of the notice?

Providers can view the notice and support plan in the My Aged Care Service and Support Portal (Manual section 6.6). A referral arrives either system-generated or directly when the participant gives you their referral code, which lets a provider view the client record and support plan and accept the referral.

The participant chooses a provider, shares the code from their My Aged Care Online Account and, once funding is allocated, has 56 calendar days (84 with an extension) to sign a service agreement and start services, or the funding is withdrawn (Manual section 6.9). Check the client record for active services elsewhere first, because two providers claiming for one period can lead to overpayment.

How do the documents reconcile, and what if they do not match?

Treat the notice as the ceiling. Every later document should match it or be narrower:

Support plan: the assessor's summary of needs, goals, classification, priority category and approved services (Manual section 6.5).
Care plan: the Rules call it the care and services plan. It follows the notice and support plan, is ready by the start day, and lists each service with frequency and volume or duration (sections 148-80 and 148-85).
Individualised budget: written, prepared with the participant and itemised for the services in the care plan (Rules section 155-50). The Department says it must align with the notice and support plan.
Service agreement: in place on or before the start day with a copy of the access approval (Rules sections 148-65 and 148-70); the Manual adds the notice and support plan. See what a service agreement must include.
First claim: only service-list services approved in the notice and support plan, delivered on or after the entry date, at the agreed price (Manual sections 16.1 and 16.3).

Good practice: keep a one-page reconciliation record showing where each approved service appears in each document, and recheck it at the month-one review in our quarterly budget governance post. Fix any mismatch before the first claim is lodged.

What should you do when the documents disagree?

Service not in the notice: do not deliver or claim it as funded care, because providers must deliver only in line with assessed needs and approvals (Manual section 10.2). Request a Support Plan Review.
Interim funding: budget for the 60 per cent allocation and review when the rest arrives; it is not backdated (Manual section 9.7.4).
Transitioned Home Care Package participant: there may be no Support at Home notice until reassessment; before then they can access any service-list service that meets their needs (Manual section 10.2.1).
Conditions: the Act allows conditions on an approval and requires the notice to list them.

What happens when needs change or the participant disagrees?

When needs, goals or circumstances change, the participant, or a provider with consent, can request a Support Plan Review in the portal, attaching the current quarterly budget or care plan (Manual section 7.6). It can end with no change, an updated support plan or a new assessment.

When a new decision arrives, review the care plan if the participant gets a higher classification or a new short-term approval (Manual section 8.6.2). Revise the budget when services, costs or the contribution rate change or the participant asks, with a copy due within 14 days of a request (Rules section 155-50). With one exception, varying the agreement needs mutual consent (Manual section 7.2.1.2).

A participant who disagrees can ask the Department for a free internal review. My Aged Care says they, or a registered supporter, must ask within 28 days of receiving the notice. The Act requires a written request with reasons, allows an extension, and gives the reviewer 90 days before the decision is treated as affirmed (sections 559, 560 and 565). The Administrative Review Tribunal can then review the outcome (section 566).

For home support decisions on access, classification and priority, section 557 names only the individual as the affected entity, which suggests a provider cannot lodge the request; confirm that reading with your own legal adviser. Tell the participant the right exists and point them to the assessment organisation named in the letter.

What should you do on receipt, and which records do you keep?

This on-receipt checklist is good practice built from the sources above. Work through it for every new participant:

Confirm status: right person, approval in effect, no active entry record at another provider.
Read the approvals: classification, assistive technology or home modifications tier, pathways, conditions.
Check dates: effective day, funding allocation date, 56-day deadline.
List approved services exactly as named, in your reconciliation record.
Record the contribution position: whether Services Australia has issued a determination.
Draft the agreement, care plan and budget together, all before the start day, attaching the notice.
Set review dates from the support plan and your entry, transition and exit policy.
Accept the referral and notify Services Australia as early as possible (Manual section 7.4).

Keep records for seven years from the day each is made. The Rules name the service agreement, care and services plan, clinical records, monthly statements and claim-verification records such as invoices and attendance records (sections 154-1000 and 154-1205). As good practice, add the dated notice, support plan and reconciliation record.

Reconcile the notice before day one

A Support at Home notice of decision sets what a participant is approved for, and every later document and claim has to stay inside it. Record where each approved service appears across the plan, budget and agreement, and escalate gaps through a Support Plan Review. That record also answers an assessor asking why a service was delivered. This week, check your five newest participants' files against the checklist.

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the notice of decision the same as the support plan?

No. They arrive together. The notice records the decision on access, classification and approved services, while the support plan summarises the assessment findings, needs and goals (Manual sections 6.5 and 6.6).

Can we start funded services once we see the notice?

Not on the notice alone. Participants cannot access government-funded services until funding is allocated, and it is allocated separately for each service. Restorative Care and End-of-Life Pathway funding is allocated immediately.

Does the notice show the participant's contribution?

The published descriptions of its contents do not list a contribution rate. Services Australia determines it, and until a determination is in effect the budget must show the maximum rate that could apply (Rules section 155-50).

Can a provider ask for a review of the notice?

On the text of section 557, the participant is the affected entity for internal review. With consent, a provider can request a Support Plan Review in the portal when circumstances change.

Support at Home Notice of Decision: What Providers Check Before the First Service