Starting October, some NDIS support budgets will be reduced over the following 12 months.
This change is part of the new NDIS laws. It will reduce participant budgets for two support categories:
- Social, Economic and Community Participation
- Improved Daily Living Skills.
The budget reductions will be applied as plans are created or reassessed from 1 October 2026 or renewed from 1 February 2027.
The impacts of this change will be different for every participant because every NDIS plan is based on individual goals, circumstances and support needs.
Some groups of supports in these categories won’t be affected, including supports in employment, disability-related health supports, high intensity supports, intensive and complex behaviour supports, customised and wearable technology and hearing services.
Other parts of participants’ plans will not be affected by these changes. This includes essential day-to-day supports like help with eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry, cleaning, nurse care, and medication.
You can find a list of Social, Economic and Community Participation and Improved Daily Living Skills supports that aren’t included on the NDIS website.
This change isn’t a reviewable decision under NDIS laws. However, participants can still request plan changes, including plan reassessments or plan variations.
The NDIA may reassess a participant’s plan if there has been a significant and ongoing change in the participant’s:
- ability to complete daily activities
- living arrangements
- education or employment circumstances
- available informal supports
New variation pathway for participants with high support needs
There is a new plan variation pathway designed to ensure participants needing 24-hour disability support have the funding to meet these needs.
Participants can ask the NDIA to vary their plan if they:
• have a total budget in their plan for Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation is $215,030 or more; and
• receive 24-hour funded NDIS supports for support needs arising directly from the impairments you access the NDIS for.
Participants who may be eligible for the plan variation pathway should work with their providers to discuss the impacts of these changes and how their supports will be delivered and claimed. Service agreements may need to be updated.
Find out more on the NDIS website: Changes to support budgets from 1 October | NDIS
Helpful Links & Resources
- List of supports not affected by the budget reductions
- Easy Read: About the NDIS support budget reductions
- Easy Read: About the high support needs plan variation pathway
- Plan variation payment
