NDIS funding reductions from 1 October 2026: What you need to know
From 1 October 2026, reductions to funding for some NDIS supports will start to be introduced.
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The changes affect funding for:
- Social, Civic and Community Participation supports, where affected budget allocations will be reduced by 50%
- Capacity Building Daily Activities supports, where affected budget allocations will be reduced by 10%.
This does not mean everyone’s NDIS plan will change on 1 October.
The reductions will be introduced over 12 months. They will apply when affected plans are created or reassessed from 1 October 2026, and when plans are renewed from 1 February 2027.
If your current plan has not been reassessed or renewed, you can continue using your current plan and supports until it is.
This does not mean everyone’s funding will be affected in the same way. The reductions apply to affected budget allocations, not your whole NDIS plan. Some supports within these budgets are excluded from the reductions, and the amount you currently use may also be different from the amount allocated in your plan. This means the change to the funding you have available to use will depend on your individual plan.
You may see different names for these supports in the new NDIS laws and Government information. Social, Civic and Community Participation may be referred to as assistance with social, economic and community participation, and Capacity Building Daily Activities may be referred to as improved daily living skills.
PWDA opposed these funding reductions
People with Disability Australia (PWDA) advocated and campaigned against these funding reductions and the legislation that has allowed these changes to be made.
We remain deeply concerned about what reducing social, civic and community participation and improved daily living supports could mean for people with disability’s independence, relationships, choice and ability to participate in their communities.
We are particularly concerned about people who already face significant barriers to community participation, including people living in closed or segregated settings like group homes.
For some people, funded support is what makes it possible to leave where they live, spend time with people they choose, participate in activities, build relationships and simply be part of their community.
The law has changed. Our position has not.
As changes to the NDIS progress, PWDA will continue to listen to our members and people with disability, raise concerns with Government and advocate to reverse harmful changes and minimise harm as they are implemented.
What is a support determination?
The funding reductions are being made through something called a support determination.
A support determination is a legal instrument that allows the Minister to change the amount of funding available for particular groups of supports in existing NDIS plans.
The support determination starting on 1 October reduces the amount available for:
Social, economic and community participation supports by 50%.
These supports can help people take part in social, recreational and community activities, build relationships, participate in employment and take part in everyday life outside their home.
Some types of support within this group, including employment supports, are excluded from the reduction.
Improved daily living skills supports by 10%.
These supports can help people develop or maintain skills and independence in everyday life.
Some types of support within this group, including disability-related health supports, are excluded from the reduction.
The reductions apply to the affected funding in these support groups. They are not a 50% or 10% reduction to your whole NDIS plan.
The support determination is a legal instrument made by the Minister. It starts from 1 October 2026, but it can still be examined by Parliament.
The determination is disallowable. This means members of Parliament can seek to have it rejected within a set period. Unless Parliament disallows it, the funding reductions will continue to apply
When could the reduction affect my plan?
This depends on what happens with your plan.
From 1 October 2026
The reduction can apply when:
- a new participant receives their first NDIS plan
- an existing participant has a scheduled reassessment
- the NDIA starts a reassessment
- a participant asks for an unscheduled reassessment and the NDIA agrees to reassess their plan.
The reduction applies when the new or reassessed plan starts.
From 1 February 2027
The reductions will also start to be applied when plans are renewed.
If you have affected funding and your plan has not been created or reassessed since 1 October 2026, the Government says your plan will be renewed by 30 September 2027.
The NDIA says it will contact participants 60 days before a plan renewal.
This means different people will have the reductions applied at different times.
What if my reassessment was already planned?
What matters is when your reassessed plan starts, not when the reassessment process started.
If your reassessed plan starts on or after 1 October 2026, the new funding reductions can apply. This can happen even if your reassessment started before 1 October.
The funding reductions are also separate from the NDIA’s assessment of your support needs. This means the NDIA could decide that your support needs have not changed, but the new funding reductions could still be applied to your affected budget allocations.
This means your affected funding can still be reduced even if the NDIA decides your support needs have not changed.
What if I am thinking about asking for a reassessment?
You may need to ask the NDIA to reassess your plan if your circumstances or support needs have significantly and continuously changed.
For example, there may have been a significant and ongoing change to your disability-related support needs, functional capacity, living arrangements, education, work or the unpaid support available from family, carers or other people.
It is important to know that if you ask for a reassessment from 1 October 2026, and the NDIA agrees to reassess your plan, the new funding reductions can apply when your reassessed plan starts.
This does not mean you should avoid asking for a reassessment if you need one. Your current plan may no longer meet your needs, and there can be important reasons to have it reassessed.
Before asking for a reassessment, it may help to:
- understand what has changed in your circumstances or support needs
- gather evidence that explains those changes
- consider whether your current plan still meets your needs and what could happen if it is not changed
- understand that the new funding reductions can be applied to your reassessed plan.
If you are unsure about what a reassessment could mean for you, you may want to get individual advocacy or other independent support before making a decision.
What is the difference between a reassessment and a plan variation?
These are different ways a NDIS plan can change.
A plan reassessment looks more broadly at your plan and whether your supports still meet your needs.
A plan variation changes part of an existing plan without a full reassessment.
You can still contact the NDIA about changing your plan if there has been a significant and ongoing change in your circumstances, functional capacity or support needs. The NDIA can also consider variations in some crisis, emergency or fraud situations.
However, the 50% or 10% funding reduction on its own is not considered a significant and ongoing change that allows you to request a reassessment or variation.
There is also a separate new plan variation pathway for some people with high support needs who rely on 24-hour NDIS-funded disability support. We explain this below.
Are some supports excluded from the reductions?
Yes.
These funding reductions only apply to the two affected support groups. Other parts of your plan are not affected by these particular reductions.
In their factsheet, the Government gives examples of supports that are not affected, including:
- supports in the home, such as help with eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry, cleaning, medication and community nursing
- home and vehicle modifications
- personal mobility equipment and transport
- some consumables
- Specialist Disability Accommodation.
Some supports within the two affected groups are also excluded from the reductions.
These are:
- supports in employment
- disability-related health supports
- high intensity supports
- intensive and complex behaviour supports
- customised and wearable technology
- hearing services.
The NDIA will check whether your plan includes these supports when the reduction is applied. The Department says you do not need to provide extra information for the NDIA to identify excluded supports.
You may still want to understand which supports in your plan are excluded so you can check the changes when you receive your new plan and ask questions if something does not look right.
What if the funding reduction affects my 24-hour disability supports?
If the funding reduction leaves you without enough funding to safely maintain your 24-hour disability supports, you may be able to ask the NDIA for a plan variation.
To be eligible, you must:
- receive NDIS-funded disability supports throughout the day and night for your disability-related support needs
- have at least $215,030 across specified support budgets before the reduction is applied.
If approved, additional funding can be added to your Assistance with Daily Living or Home and Living supports. This does not restore the funding removed from your Social, Civic and Community Participation or Capacity Building Daily Activities budgets.
You generally need to ask for the variation within 90 days of the funding reduction being applied to your plan.
There may be a gap before additional funding is available. The NDIA has up to 21 days to decide whether you are eligible for this pathway and, if you are, up to another 21 days to decide whether to vary your plan.
PWDA is concerned about what happens if someone does not have enough funding to safely maintain their supports while they wait. Current Government information does not clearly explain whether interim funding will be available during this period.
If the reduction creates an immediate gap in your essential disability supports, contact the NDIA and consider seeking advocacy or other independent support as soon as possible.
Can I ask for the funding reduction to be reviewed?
You cannot ask for a review of the 50% or 10% reduction itself.
But this does not mean you have lost all your NDIS review rights.
Other decisions the NDIA makes about your plan may still have review rights.
If you receive a decision from the NDIA, check:
- what decision has been made
- why it was made
- the date of the decision
- whether you can ask for a review
- how long you have to ask for a review.
There are also specific review rights for decisions made through the new high support needs plan variation pathway.
What can I do now?
You do not need to take action just because it is 1 October.
If your current plan has not been reassessed or renewed, you can continue using your current plan and supports.
If the NDIA contacts you, or you are thinking about asking for a change to your plan, take the time you need to understand what process is happening and what it could mean for you.
Some practical things you can do are:
- Keep important information. Keep your current plan, NDIA decisions, reports and information about your supports.
- Know what process you are in. Ask whether the NDIA is contacting you about a reassessment, renewal, variation or something else.
- Ask why you are being contacted, what the NDIA needs from you and whether there is a deadline.
- Ask for important information in writing if that helps you understand what is happening.
- Ask for communication that works for you, including accessible information or support to participate.
- Make sure your evidence explains your support needs, not only your diagnosis. Include what support you need, how much and how often, what happens without it and whether your needs fluctuate. What you can do once, or on a good day, may not show what you can do safely and reliably over time.
- Read your new plan and decisions carefully. Check what has changed and how much funding you have available.
- Check your review rights if another decision about your plan does not seem right.
- Get help if you need it.
You have a right to understand what is happening and to ask questions when something is unclear.
Tell PWDA what happens to you
PWDA opposed these funding reductions because we are concerned about what they could mean for the independence, safety, participation and lives of people with disability.
As the changes are introduced, we want to hear what is happening to you.
If the reductions are applied to your plan, or you experience problems as the changes are implemented, you can share your experience with PWDA.
Tell PWDA what you’re experiencing
You might tell us:
- how your funding changed
- what supports were affected
- what explanation you received
- whether your individual circumstances were considered
- what the change means for your independence, participation, work, relationships or daily life.
What you tell us will help PWDA identify patterns, understand where people are experiencing problems or harm, and inform our systemic advocacy and policy work.
This form is for feedback. It is not a request for individual advocacy or individual advice, and you may not receive an individual response from PWDA.
Where can I get advocacy support?
PWDA provides individual advocacy and NDIS Appeals advocacy for eligible people with disability in New South Wales and Queensland.
Find out about PWDA’S Individual Advocacy Service
If you live elsewhere in Australia, or you are not sure where to start, the Disability Gateway can help connect you with disability advocacy and other services.
Phone: 1800 643 787 (Monday – Friday, 8am – 8pm AEDT/AEST)
National Relay Service: 1800 555 677
Interpreter: 13 14 50
Website: https://www.disabilitygateway.gov.au/
Useful resources
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has detailed information about how the funding reductions work, including implementation dates, supports that are excluded and the high support needs pathway.
It has also published Easy Read and Auslan versions of its information. Dept of Health, Disability & Ageing
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Funding changes for NDIS supports
Department: Easy Read and Auslan information about the funding changes
Team DSC has also published an independent explanation of the support determinations and what they mean for participants.
Team DSC: Support determinations and what you need to know
PWDA has information about the broader NDIS changes and what happens next.
PWDA: 2026 NDIS changes, what the new laws mean and what happens next
Inclusion Australia have created an Easy Read guide to help people understand the NDIS changes, including changes that are now in effect, upcoming changes, and what still needs to be decided. Inclusion Australia: About the NDIS changes and when they will happen