How to Use Your Home Care Package or Support at Home Funding for Meal Delivery

If you or a loved one receives a Support at Home or Home Care Package, you could be using your government funding to cover a significant portion of handmade, nutritious meal delivery, and many people simply don't know how.

This page breaks down exactly how the funding works, what you should expect to pay, and how to access FoodSt through your care provider or as a self-managed client.

Support at Home (SAH) is the Australian Government's in-home aged care program, which replaced the former Home Care Package (HCP) program from 1 November 2025. If your package started before that date, you transitioned automatically and your entitlements and core budget carried over, though some arrangements differ depending on when you were first assessed.

SAH funding helps older Australians stay living independently at home. It covers personal care, domestic assistance, nursing, allied health, and meal delivery. Packages are divided into 8 support levels based on assessed need, ranging from basic to complex care, with quarterly budgets ranging from approximately $11,000 to $99,000 per year. You work with a registered care provider to direct that funding towards the services that matter to you most.

There's also a separate, entry-level program called the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) that covers one-off or occasional support including meals. If you're on CHSP, this page is useful context, but your funding works a little differently. Speak with your care coordinator for CHSP-specific details.

This is the section most people have questions about, and understandably so. The way meals are funded under SAH isn't always explained clearly. Here's how it actually works.

The Structure of Your Support at Home Budget

Under SAH, your funding arrives as a quarterly budget based on your assessed support level.

10% - Care management
Ten per cent of your quarterly budget is set aside for care management. This covers the planning, regular check-ins, and coordination your registered provider delivers on your behalf. Think of it as the work that keeps your care running smoothly in the background. Your provider claims this portion by documenting the care management hours they spend supporting you.

90% - Your direct services and supports
The remaining 90% is available for services that directly support your day-to-day life. Meals fall under the Home and Community Services category, which also includes domestic assistance, transport, and social support. Other funded categories cover clinical supports such as nursing and allied health, and personal care supports such as assistance with mobility and daily activities.

If your package is provider-managed, your care manager will help you allocate your budget across the areas that matter most to you. If you are self-managing, you decide how to direct your funding yourself, which gives you more direct control over which services and suppliers you choose.

If meals are a priority, ask your provider specifically about your Home and Community Services allocation.

When you order meals through your SAH package, your total order is split into two parts: what you pay directly to FoodSt at checkout, and what is charged to your SAH package by your provider.

The only amount you pay directly is approximately 30% of your order total. This represents the food ingredient cost (something you would be buying regardless of your care needs) and so treated as a personal contribution. You pay this to FoodSt when you place your order, just like any other online food purchase.

The remaining approximately 70% is the service component, and is charged to your SAH package. Your provider claims this on your behalf. You do not pay this upfront.

Note: These percentages are indicative. The exact split is set out in your service agreement. Always confirm the breakdown with your care manager or contact FoodSt directly.

What about co-contributions and provider fees?

Depending on your circumstances, additional amounts may also be charged to your package, on top of the 70% service component. These are not paid by you upfront, but they do draw from your package budget. The interactive calculator below shows how this works for your specific situation.

When you access meal delivery through your SAH package, two parties are involved: FoodSt, who charges a meal price that covers the food and service component, and your registered SAH provider, who may add a coordination or administration fee of around 10% for processing supplier invoices. This is charged to your package (not paid by you upfront) but it does reduce your available budget.

FoodSt publishes our meal prices clearly on our website and works with 300+ registered SAH providers across Australia, so in most cases your care manager is already familiar with how to access us. Under the SAH framework, you are entitled to a full itemised breakdown of all fees charged against your package. If anything on your statement is unclear, ask your care manager to explain each line item, this is a legal requirement for registered providers, not optional.

If your provider hasn't mentioned FoodSt, simply ask if you can add FoodSt as an approved meal supplier on you plan.

In most cases, the answer is yes.

There are two ways to access FoodSt; through your registered provider, or directly as a self-managed client.

Pathway 1: Through your SAH provider

1. Contact your care manager and let them know you'd like to add FoodSt as an approved meal supplier. Alternatively you can fill in our SAH setup form and we can contact your SAH provider for you. We work with 300+ providers across Australia, in most cases we're already on their approved list.
2. Once your details are confirmed, we’ll setup your FoodSt account with an automatic discount that applies a 70% funding discount.
3. Place your order directly on the FoodSt website at foodst.com.au. Your care manager handles the funding coordination on your behalf.
4. Your meals are delivered to your door. No codes, no confusing portals.

📦 Minimum order $120. Free standard delivery on orders $300+. Meals arrive chilled and ready to heat, no cooking required.

With a huge range of single-serve meals across 26 world cuisines, it's easy to build a varied and nutritious fortnightly menu that reaches the minimum order comfortably.

Pathway 2: Self-managed

If you're self-managing your SAH package, you control your budget directly without needing a care manager's involvement for each decision — typically with lower coordination fees and more direct choice over suppliers. You order directly from FoodSt and submit the invoice through your self-management platform for reimbursement.

Self-management platforms that work well with FoodSt: Trilogy Care(Australia's largest self-managed home care platform), Five Good Friends, and HomeMade.

Not yet activated?

If you've been approved for SAH but your package isn't active yet, you can still order from FoodSt and pay out of pocket. Depending on your provider, eligible past purchases may be reimbursable once your package becomes active, worth asking.

📞 Email hello@foodst.com.au or call 02 7501 0114 to discuss your situation.

You now have the full picture on how Support at Home and Home Care Package meal delivery funding works. FoodSt makes it straightforward, we work directly with your provider, price transparently, and deliver across Australia.

Setting this up for a parent?
Our team is happy to walk you through the process. Email hello@foodst.com.au

Still have questions?
We recommend speaking with your care manager, or following Aged Care Navigation with Fleur on Facebook — an independent aged care educator whose plain-English guides to SAH funding are excellent. Some infographics on this page are used with her kind permission.

🔗 Infographic credit: Aged Care Navigation with Fleur — facebook.com/agedcarenavigationwithfleur. Used with permission.