Is there funding for a home lift in Victoria?
There's no Victorian scheme that funds a home lift. The routes that exist are federal: Support at Home (home modifications up to $15,000 over a lifetime), DVA's Rehabilitation Appliances Program for eligible veterans, and the NDIS, and every one of them starts with an occupational therapist (OT).
So count on part-funding at most, and book the OT before anyone books a quote. Here's what each program covers for a home lift, house lift, residential lift or home elevator, who qualifies, and the number to call.
By Liam, founder of Rise Lifts, who has installed 142+ home lifts around Melbourne for other brands. Checked against the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, DVA and NDIA pages, October 2026. Updated 1 November 2026.
Which programs can help pay for a home lift?
Four routes for a Victorian home. You can't claim the same lift through two of them.
Support at Home
- Who:
- Older Australians assessed through My Aged Care
- What it can fund:
- Home modifications up to $15,000 over a lifetime. Home lifts aren't confirmed as covered
- Start:
- My Aged Care, 1800 200 422
DVA Rehabilitation Appliances Program
- Who:
- Gold Card holders, or White Card holders for an accepted condition
- What it can fund:
- Stair lifts, platform lifts and vertical lifts, case by case
- Start:
- Your GP, then an OT; DVA on 1800 838 372
NDIS
- Who:
- Participants with a disability-related need
- What it can fund:
- A lift as a complex home modification, when reasonable and necessary
- Start:
- Your planner or support coordinator; NDIS on 1800 800 110
SWEP (Victoria)
- Who:
- Eligible people, on an OT's referral
- What it can fund:
- Some equipment and home modifications. Don't assume a lift is covered
- Start:
- Ask your OT
If a supplier mentions "rebates", ask which program, by name.
Will Support at Home pay for a home lift?
Since November 2025 the government's in-home aged care program is called Support at Home. It replaced Home Care Packages. Home modification funding comes in three tiers, up to $500, $2,000 and $15,000, and the top tier is capped over a person's lifetime, not per year.
- You need an aged care assessment through My Aged Care (1800 200 422). Ask the assessor about the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme.
- Any funded home modification must be prescribed by an occupational therapist, and the OT's prescription is fully funded.
- You'll usually pay a share of the cost. Full pensioners pay the least and self-funded retirees the most.
- Stair lifts are a named example. Home lifts aren't named on the scheme pages, so ask your assessor and OT whether one could be approved for your needs. Even then, it would be part-funded at most.
- Funds must be used within 12 months, or 24 months for complex jobs that have started. Your ongoing services budget can't be used for a lift.
- If you moved over from a Home Care Package, unspent package funds are used first.
Does DVA fund a lift for veterans?
DVA's Rehabilitation Appliances Program can fund stair lifts, platform lifts and vertical lifts for eligible veterans with an assessed clinical need. Its list covers stair lifts and vertical platform lifts, and whether a full home lift would be approved is decided case by case on the OT's recommendation.
- Gold Card holders, or White Card holders where the need relates to an accepted condition. Vertical lifts are only supplied for an accepted service-related condition, even for Gold Card holders.
- Start with your GP, who refers you to an OT. The OT assesses you at home and applies to DVA.
- DVA approves the job before any work starts, uses its own contracted suppliers, usually funds one lift per home, and considers simpler options first.
- A DVA-funded lift stays DVA's property and is removed when it's no longer needed or the home is sold.
- Veterans' Home Care is a different program and doesn't cover lifts or building work. Call DVA on 1800 838 372.
Does the NDIS fund home lifts?
It can, as a complex home modification. The NDIS treats work costing more than about $25,000, or anything structural, as complex, and lifts are a named example. It funds one only when it decides the lift is reasonable and necessary for the participant's disability.
- An OT home modification assessor must assess and recommend the work, and for a lift the NDIS also funds a building practitioner to plan it.
- Expect to provide two itemised quotes, building approvals and a certificate of completion.
- NDIS-funded lifts can be GST-free through the participant's plan and a written agreement.
- Start with your planner or support coordinator, or call the NDIS on 1800 800 110.
Does Victoria have its own scheme, and is the lift GST-free?
Victoria's State-wide Equipment Program (SWEP) subsidises some equipment and home modifications for eligible people, on referral from an OT. Ask the OT whether your situation qualifies, and don't assume a lift is covered. We found no Victorian scheme that funds a home lift.
Lifts are quoted plus GST. Most lift companies take the GST off when the lift is for someone with a disability or a medical condition and you give them a letter from your doctor. Either way, get GST-free written on the quote, and check the contract doesn't let them add the GST back later. The rest of the cost picture is on the cost page.
What can Rise Lifts give your OT?
An NDIS application needs two itemised quotes, and any OT needs to see what the lift involves. After one visit, our free Home Lift Assessment gives you a written lift plan with a fixed price for everything we do, and a list of what your builder and electrician need to do, to take to your OT. Our price is on the RISE 300 Series page.
Free 24-page Straight-Up Guide
Will it fit? What will it cost? Who can you trust?
Everyone asks me these three things about home lifts. This guide has my answers, and worksheets to work them out for your own house. Use it on any lift company, including us.
- Where a lift fits, and the eight numbers that decide it
- The all-in cost worksheet, and ten years of owning one
- 15 questions to ask any lift company, including us
- Who can help pay, and when a lift isn't the answer
It's yours.
Print it, grab a tape measure and work through it at the kitchen table. We've emailed you the link too.
Download the Straight-Up GuidePDF, 24 pages, 4 MB. Ready to talk? Book my free assessment
Want a figure first? Get my instant price
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Home lift funding questions
Is there funding for a home lift in Victoria?
There's no Victorian scheme that funds a home lift as such. The realistic routes are federal: Support at Home (home modifications up to $15,000 over a lifetime, with home lifts not confirmed as covered), DVA's Rehabilitation Appliances Program for eligible veterans, and the NDIS as a complex home modification. Every one starts with an occupational therapist.
Is there a government grant for a home lift?
Not a grant you can apply for directly. Funding comes through Support at Home, DVA or the NDIS, after an occupational therapist assesses the person and the house. If a supplier mentions a rebate, ask which program, by name.
Will Support at Home pay for a home lift?
Part of one at most. Home modification funding comes in three tiers, up to $500, $2,000 and $15,000, and the top tier is a lifetime cap. An OT must prescribe the work and you usually pay a share. Stair lifts are a named example; home lifts aren't named on the scheme pages, so ask your assessor and OT.
Does the NDIS fund home lifts?
It can, as a complex home modification, when the NDIS decides it is reasonable and necessary for the participant's disability. Work over about $25,000, or anything structural, is complex. Expect an OT home modification assessor, two itemised quotes, building approvals and a certificate of completion.
Does DVA pay for a lift for veterans?
DVA's Rehabilitation Appliances Program can fund stair lifts, platform lifts and vertical lifts for eligible veterans with an assessed clinical need. Vertical lifts are only supplied for an accepted service-related condition. DVA approves the job before any work starts, uses its own contracted suppliers, and the lift stays DVA's property.
Is a home lift GST-free?
Lifts are quoted plus GST. Most lift companies take the GST off when the lift is for someone with a disability or a medical condition and you give them a letter from your doctor, and NDIS-funded lifts can be GST-free through the participant's plan and a written agreement. Get GST-free written on the quote.
Can I use two funding programs for one lift?
No. You can't claim the same lift through two government programs, so your OT will help you pick the route that fits.
More straight answers
- The Straight-Up Guide Every answer in one place, the readiness scorecard and the glossary.
- How much does a home lift cost in Melbourne? Every line of the job, the ten-year cost, GST and funding.
- How do you choose the best home lift company? The 15 questions to ask, the red flags, and five lift types compared.
- How is a home lift installed? Every step, who does it, how long it usually takes, and the sign-offs.
- Platform lift or home lift? The difference, the standards, the cost, and which one you need.
- How much space does a home lift need? Shaft sizes, the smallest lifts, pit, headroom and the eight measurements.
- What does a home lift quote leave out? The missing lines, what each costs, and the checklist for every quote.
- What does a home lift cost to run each year? Servicing, call-outs, parts that wear, and ten years of running costs.
- Do you need a permit for a home lift in Victoria? The building permit, planning permit, certificates and contracts.
- Can you put a lift in an existing house? Where it goes, what to check, and the eight measurements.
- Home lift, stairlift or moving? Six options side by side, and when a lift is the wrong answer.
- The RISE 300 Series Our lift, our price, and what's in it.
General information for Victorian homeowners, checked October 2026. It isn't financial, tax or legal advice, and programs change. Your OT and the program itself have the final word on what's funded.