A guide to your NDIS consumables budget

Your NDIS funding is broken up into a range of budgets, each designed to assist you in different ways.

It’s important to know how these budgets work so that you can make the most of your NDIS plan funding.

What is the NDIS consumables budget?

The NDIS consumables budget falls under the larger Core Supports budget.

The Core Supports budget is one of the three NDIS funding categories. It’s there to help people with a disability with their everyday activities, disability-related needs and to help work towards their NDIS plan goals.

The Core Supports budget contains the following four categories:

What can I use my NDIS consumables budget for?

The NDIS consumables budget is allocated to spend on reasonable and necessary consumables up to the cost of $1,500.

What are consumables?

Consumables are the everyday items required to manage personal disability-related needs. These products are low risk and low-cost.

Examples of consumables:

  • Gloves
  • Hand sanitiser
  • Face masks
  • Continence products
  • Wipes
  • Disability-related wound Care
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Modified eating aids
  • Food preparation products
  • Catheters
  • Specialised food supplements
  • Vision or hearing-related low cost assistive technology
  • Chair and bed protectors
  • Auslan or signed English training
  • Telephone or video interpreting
  • Compression stockings.

How does the consumables budget work?

The consumables budget is flexible, so you can choose how you spend it, provided what you purchase is reasonable and necessary, and is specifically related to your support needs.

For example, you cannot use your consumables budget to purchase continence products if continence issues are not related to your disability.

You can also not use your consumables budget on general groceries, prescription medications and cosmetics.

Where can I use my consumables budget?

Consumables can be purchased from both registered and unregistered merchants. These merchants can be supermarkets, pharmacies, or specialised online stores, such as Mable Direct.

Note if you are NDIA managed, then the provider must be registered.

What is Mable Direct?

Mable Direct is an e-commerce site where, if you’re a plan-managed through a plan manager such as Leap in!, or a self-managed NDIS participant, you can purchase consumables related to your support needs, and ship them direct to your home.

There is a wide range of affordable NDIS consumables to shop online, including:

The consumables available on Mable Direct can be purchased using your NDIS consumables budget, provided they align with your support needs.

You can learn more about the NDIS in our NDIS Topic Library.

To browse Mable Direct, or to make your first purchase, visit www.mabledirect.com.au.

Use your NDIS funding and shop affordable consumables

Mable Direct

FAQs

If a child is under five, you can use your NDIS consumables budget on nappies. However, once your child is over five years old, you can only purchase continence products if they are directly related to their disability.

No, if the vitamins are not directly related to your disability, they will not be covered by the NDIS consumables budget. However, if vitamins have been prescribed by a health professional in relation to your disability, then you may use your consumables budget on vitamins.

You can use your NDIS consumables budget on PPE items when:

  • You have a reasonable and necessary need for PPE items
  • PPE is used by your disability support worker while providing support
  • You get an average of at least 1 hour of face-to-face daily support
  • Your PPE costs are no more than $50 a week.

Shop affordable PPE products on Mable Direct.

All purchases made using your NDIS consumables budget must be reasonable and necessary for your support needs.

Cleaning supplies may be covered by your NDIS consumables budget if they are directly related to your support needs, assist a carer to support you, or they assist you in living independently.

Shop cleaning supplies on Mable Direct.

Mable Direct provides independent support workers, clients, and coordinators with direct access to affordable consumables, equipment, and wearables for their everyday needs.

Clients can use NDIS or aged care funding to make purchases, as long as they align with their needs. With Mable Direct you get fast delivery and customer support.

The NDIS consumables budget allows you to spend up to $1,500 on reasonable and necessary consumables.

Learn more about how you can use your NDIS funding for consumables with our Guide to your NDIS consumables budget.

How do I manage my NDIS funding?

With an NDIS plan, there are three options of how you can manage your funding: Self Management, Plan Management and Agency Management. You could even do a mix of these across your different support purposes and budgets.

Your NDIS management options

When learning about different NDIS management options, it’s important to remember that every individual is different. This means that every person with an NDIS plan will have unique support preferences and different lifestyles.

If you know other people with an NDIS plan, it may be helpful for you to discuss with them which management type suits them. However, it can also be useful to create your own path by seeking professional advice and doing your own research. It may be helpful to map out your aspirations, life goals, support needs and how much effort you are willing to provide to manage your NDIS funds.

With an NDIS plan, you can adopt one of these three core management options.

Agency-managed

Agency managed plans are plans that are managed by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). The NDIA will work directly with your chosen NDIS registered provider to seek out disability support for you. The NDIA will maintain all your NDIS funds. If your NDIS funding is managed by the NDIA:

  • You can only use NDIS-registered providers for your support
  • You can’t use your NDIS funding to book independent support workers on Mable (see FAQs below for more information on this).

Plan-managed

A plan-managed NDIS plan means a financial intermediary maintains the financial aspects of your NDIS plan.

A plan manager may receive and pay invoices, plus make claims from the NDIS portal on your behalf. When you choose a plan manager the NDIS will add extra funds to pay your plan manager.

If your NDIS payments are managed by a plan manager, you can choose to work with both registered and non-registered providers for your support, but you will need to follow the price limits for supports set out by the NDIS for your Plan Manager to be able to claim them from your plan.

Learn in detail about how plan management works, and how to find a plan manager.

If you are looking for a plan manager, learn more about Leap in!, Australia’s leading NDIS plan manager.

Self-managed

If you’ve chosen to self-manage your NDIS plan, you receive your NDIS plan funding directly and control how it’s spent to meet your support needs, in line with what’s included in your plan. You choose, book and negotiate rates with service providers directly and you’re not required to adhere to NDIS Price Limits, but can use them as a guide. You can choose to work with both registered and non-registered providers for your support.

You’re responsible for administration tasks and meeting the rules of your NDIS plan. This includes: ensuring that the support you book links to the goals in your plan, managing your budget, ensuring you have service agreements in place with your providers, claiming and paying for supports, keeping invoices and receipts and preparing your documents for plan reassessment.

Learn more about NDIS management types and how they work with Mable.

How Mable works with your self-managed or plan-managed NDIS funding

If you choose plan management or self-management for your NDIS funding, you can book independent support workers on Mable with your NDIS funding.

Mable provides safeguards plus features and services to assist you to manage your support team and bookings on Mable and track your support and how it relates to the goals in your NDIS plan. These include:

  • Online service agreements
  • Worker search with search filters
  • Private, public and last-minute job posts
  • An inbox to save your chats with workers
  • Online meet-and-greets
  • A calendar to plan your support sessions
  • Session notes to track how the support is working towards your goals, these can be shared with your therapists and downloaded to form part of your reassessment reporting
  • Invoice and receipt tracking, downloads and exports
  • An Australia-based customer support team to assist you
  • An online help centre, industry news, newsletters and notifications.

If you’re self-managing your NDIS plan You can do this by emailing info@mable.com.au with either: The cover letter from the NDIA which advises you’ve been approved for self-management; or The section in your ‘Plan Budgets Table’ that confirms how the supports will be paid: ‘NDIS will pay me directly for these supports’.

If you’re self-managing your NDIS plan

You can do this by emailing info@mable.com.au with either: The cover letter from the NDIA which advises you’ve been approved for self-management; or The section in your ‘Plan Budgets Table’ that confirms how the supports will be paid: ‘NDIS will pay me directly for these supports’.

If you’re plan-managing your NDIS plan

You can do this by emailing info@mable.com.au with either:

  • An email from your plan manager which confirms they’ll pay invoices from Mable on your behalf and includes the information Mable should include on the invoices and the email address where the invoices should be sent; or
  • If your plan manager is unable to provide confirmation, a copy of your monthly statement from them (or similar document) that confirms they are your current plan manager.

Once we’ve verified your document, we’ll approve your account and you can start booking support workers on Mable. Verification takes one business day.

Paying your independent support workers on Mable

After you’ve found a support worker on Mable, your support worker will send you a service agreement to review and, once accepted, you can begin receiving support. After a support session, your support worker will submit support hours which, once approved, are converted into an invoice by Mable.

  • If your NDIS plan is self-managed, Mable invoices you directly each week for any support hours that have been approved in the previous week (7-day payment terms) and you use the invoices to claim from the NDIS portal. Then, once you’ve transferred the funds to Mable, we’ll process the payment and send it to your worker within two business days.
  • If your NDIS plan is plan-managed, Mable invoices your plan manager each week for any support hours that have been approved in the previous week (7-day payment terms) and they’ll make payments on your behalf or, If your plan manager requires your approval before paying invoices, we’ll invoice you directly and you’ll forward invoices to them. Then, once we’ve received payment from your plan manager, we’ll process the payment and send it to your worker within two business days.

Start connecting with supports through Mable

You can connect with support workers by either posting a job in the online community or by searching for workers in your local area who suit your support requirements. You can learn more about how to book support workers.

FAQs

Service providers that are formally registered with the National Disability Insurance Agency and have been approved by the NDIA to deliver NDIS funded services are called registered NDIS providers.

The NDIS Commission regulates all NDIS providers, provides national consistency, promotes safety and quality services, resolves problems and identifies areas for improvement.

Service providers that choose not to register with the NDIA — but can still provide NDIS-funded supports — are called non-registered NDIS providers.

NDIS participants whose plan is self-managed or plan managed can use non-registered NDIS providers in most circumstances. However, non-registered NDIS service providers can’t deliver some services such as Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), services and supports to NDIS participants whose plans are NDIA-managed, supports that involve restrictive practices, services or supports to older people with disability who are receiving continuity of supports under the Commonwealth Continuity of Support Programme relating to Specialist Disability Services for Older People.

NDIS participants who are self-managing or plan-managing their plan can access services from registered or non-registered providers (except for the specific services and supports such as those listed above that require registration with the NDIS Commission) if they:

  • Self-manage the supports and services in their plan;
  • Have someone else to do it for them (a plan nominee); or
  • Use a registered plan manager.

Mable is not a traditional support provider organisation, it is an online platform. Mable doesn’t provide support, so it does not fit into any of the currently available provider registration categories.

Mable is an online platform that uses technology to connect people – including older Australians, people with disability or their carers – with independent support workers and support service providers in their community. These sole traders and small businesses may or may not be NDIS-registered.

By providing an online platform with safeguards where people can find, connect and manage their support teams, they have more choice and control over the support they receive and can pay lower hourly rates for support than NDIS reference rates. You can pay less and workers can earn more. Learn how Mable’s pricing works for everyone.

If you’ve chosen to have your NDIS plan managed by the NDIA (also referred to as agency-management), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is responsible for managing payments and keeping payment records of spending using your NDIS plan funding. If your NDIS funding is managed by the NDIA, you can only use NDIS-registered providers for your support. This means you cannot use Mable to book support.

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Do I need NDIS funding to get support?

According to the 2021-22 quarterly report released by the NDIA, just over 518,000 Australians are receiving NDIS funding. There are more than 4.4 million Australians are living with disability, so only about 12 percent of these are eligible for access NDIS funding packages.

For people who are not eligible for NDIS funding, Mable can be a flexible, affordable support option.

Mable offers a variety of support services to those seeking it – regardless of whether the government provides them funding to help manage their disability.

How Mable can help you

Mable is home to a community of 23,000+ support workers with varying levels of support services and qualifications – all of which you can see on each workers’ profile. Whether you’re looking for support to get out and about, want a hand around the house and garden, or assistance with personal matters, you can access it all on Mable.

Every support worker on Mable is an independent contractor – that means they set their own payment rates, are motivated to connect with clients in their area and are effectively creating their own support business.

If you aren’t eligible for NDIS funding, you can still connect, schedule and pay your supports all in one place – the Mable platform.

What are the benefits of paying privately for disability support?

Mable allows you to pay directly for the support you receive through our platform. Because payments are processed online, there’s less reason to worry about where, how and when your worker will receive their payment.

At Mable, we want each person to enjoy the experience of living independently and accessing support whenever they require it. Paying privately for support means you can maximise your independence by directly connecting with workers and letting them know exactly what kind of support you require.

Even if you don’t receive NDIS funding, you can discover quality, flexible, affordable support from motivated workers in your local area. Search for workers in your community or sign up for free today to start directly connecting with workers.

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Using your NDIS funding to connect with supports

Here we are — from applying for the NDIS to having your first NDIS meeting to getting your NDIS plan approved, you are finally ready to put your plan into action by using your NDIS funding to find the best support for yourself or your loved one.

The question is: How do you find support using your NDIS funding?

To answer that question, you first need to answer: How do you manage your NDIS funding?

NDIS plan management options

There are three ways to manage your NDIS funding: self-managed, plan-managed and NDIA/agency-managed. Find out in detail what each style of management involves.

If you are self-managed or plan-managed, there are different ways to build a support team of independent support workers on Mable.

NOTE: If you’ve chosen to have your NDIS plan managed by the NDIA (also referred to as agency-management), the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is responsible for managing payments and keeping payment records of spending using your NDIS plan funding. If your NDIS funding is managed by the NDIA, you can only use NDIS-registered providers for your support. This means you cannot use Mable to book support.

Finding support if your NDIS funding is plan-managed

If you have a plan manager assisting you with your NDIS plan, you can create your own profile on Mable and inform your plan manager that you’d like to find support through Mable. If you don’t have a plan manager yet but want to get one, find out what to look for when choosing a plan manager.

A plan manager like Leap in!, Australia’s leading NDIS plan manager, can help by paying providers on your behalf, tracking your spending and making it easier to use your funding on platforms like Mable. 

When organising your support through a plan manager, you will need to stick to the NDIS Price Limits. This means when you connect with an independent support worker on the platform, you will need to both agree to an hourly payment rate that falls within the NDIS line item price limits relevant to your plan.

Finding support if your NDIS funding is self-managed

By self-managing your funds, you can create your own Mable profile, begin booking support workers, and pay for your supports from your chosen bank account.

When you self-manage your funding, you do not have to adhere to NDIS line item price limits, meaning you and your worker can work together to choose an hourly rate that suits you both.

If you’d like to have more control over your disability support system, you can always contact your planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC) to organise a review of your current management plan. To get in touch with your LAC, you should visit the NDIS portal on myGov.

Is Mable registered with the NDIS?

Mable is not a traditional support provider organisation, it is an online platform. Mable does not provide support, so it does not fit into any of the currently available provider registration categories.

Mable is an online platform that uses technology to connect people – including older Australians, people with disability or their carers – with independent support workers and support service providers in their community. These sole traders and small businesses may or may not be NDIS-registered.

By providing an online platform with safeguards where people can find, connect and manage their support teams, they have more choice and control over the support they receive and can pay lower hourly rates for support than NDIS reference rates. You can pay less and workers can earn more. Learn how Mable’s pricing works for everyone.

How to pay for supports received through Mable

After you’ve found a support worker on Mable, your worker will send you a service agreement to review and, once accepted, you can begin receiving support. After a support session, your worker will submit support hours which, once approved, are converted into an invoice by the Mable platform.

Mable will invoice your plan manager each week for any support hours that have been approved in the previous week (7-day payment terms) and they’ll make payments on your behalf or, If your plan manager requires your approval before paying invoices, we’ll invoice you directly and you’ll forward invoices to them. Then, once we’ve received payment from your plan manager, we’ll process the payment and send it to your worker within two business days.

Start connecting with supports through Mable

You can connect with support workers by either posting a job in the online community or by searching for workers in your local area who suit your support requirements. Learn more about how to book support workers.

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How NDIS price limits could affect your supports

If you’re a support worker providing assistance to people living with disability, there’s a good chance your client is an NDIS participant. This means they receive funding that is subject to cap rates/price limits set by the National Disability Insurance Agency. Cap rates may be affecting the amount of work you are receiving on the Mable platform, so here are some things to bear in mind.

What are NDIS Price Limits?

NDIS Price Limits apply to NDIS participants whose funding is managed by a plan manager, such as Leap in!, or the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). These rates are monetary limits that allow the NDIA to monitor the costs charged by Registered Providers and independent support workers like those on Mable. Clients who self-manage their NDIS funding are not subject to cap rates.

If you provide support to an NDIS participant on Mable, your rate may be reviewed by the client’s Registered Provider to ensure that it does not exceed the cap rate.

The limits are updated annually in the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.

Why are there cap rates?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 claims that the cost of supports must be reasonable and relative to the support provided and the costs of alternative support.

The NDIA updates cap rates annually to take into account market trends, changes in costs and average wage rates. 

How can they affect my work?

If you’re a disability support worker providing support through Mable, and you are charging a higher hourly payment rate than the core support cap rates, clients living with disability may not hire you. The most commonly applied cap rates are those that fall under assistance with self-care activities. These rates can be anywhere between $62.17 and $213.53 per hour depending on the time and day support is provided, and the state in which your client lives.

When considering your hourly payment rate on Mable, you should also take into account Mable’s client service fee. Your client’s Registered Provider may also implement a service fee that could increase your client’s payable amount.

Example: exceeding the cap rate

If your client lives in NSW and receives core supports under the support item ‘Assistance with self-care activities during daytime weekdays [reference number 01_011_0107_1_1]’, their cap rate for this service is $62.17 per hour according to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2022-23. (Please note this is just an example and these rates have since changed.)

If your weekday payment rate is $55 and you provide one hour of support to a client, your client will pay Mable $55 plus their Mable platform fee (7.95%) which amounts to $4.37.

Your client’s NDIS Registered Provider may also have a service fee that will add to the amount. In this case, the service fee is 12% and will amount to $6.93. These fees vary from provider to provider, so this rate is only illustrative. Please check with your client to confirm what service fees are applicable to them.

This means that the total amount is $66.30 and this exceeds the NDIS cap rate for your client. Your client will not be able to pay for this cost with their NDIS funding.

Exceeding NDIS price limits can result in in your support hours being rejected by an NDIS plan manager, and rejected hours may not be paid. If the rates you enter in an agreement exceed price limits, you will be alerted by the Mable platform.

What does this mean for me as a support worker?

If you’re looking to provide support to people living with disabilities, when you are discussing rates, it’s important to have a conversation about whether they are NDIS funded and ensure the agreed rate will fall within the NDIS price limits for the items included in their plan. Ensuring this is clear from the outset will avoid unnecessary delays when the NDIA processes your invoices.

We want to provide support workers with opportunities to connect with clients and help create lasting support connections. To start giving back to your community and begin working for yourself, sign up to Mable today.

Please note, the information in this article is designed as a guide and should not be solely relied on when designing your NDIS plan. If you have questions about the NDIS, accessing the scheme, or your plan specifically, we recommend getting in touch with the NDIA or visiting the NDIS Pricing and Payment site.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated in April 2023 for accuracy and relevance.

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How to use your NDIS funding to build a team of support workers with Mable

Although the NDIS is meant to simplify obtaining supports, it can be challenging for those navigating it for the first time. So, we’d like to share some good news about Mable and the NDIS, and show you how to use your funding to build a team of support workers around your goals.

If you have access to NDIS funding, how you work with us depends on how the funding is being managed.

Can I use Mable if I’m self-managed?

Yes, you can! You can register on our website and start searching and connecting with independent support workers. You’re welcome to message them directly or to Post a Job to a few workers. When you’ve found someone you’d like to engage, we’ll just need a copy of the page in your NDIS plan that confirms you’re self-managed. Timesheets and invoices are kept online, and you can easily access them for reporting.

Mable client David has sourced people from his local community and asked them join Mable as Independent Support Workers so they can be part of his team. He is currently self-managing half of his plan while “he gets to know the NDIS and its ins and outs”. David self-manages his community access, health and wellbeing, consumables and support coordination.

David says, “You just have a lot more freedom of choice to allocate the funds as you choose and it is stress-free. There is no approval process that can take up valuable time. All you need to do to self-manage is set up a simple spreadsheet to track your spending and develop a monthly budget so you don’t overspend.”

What about if I’m plan managed?

Yes, you can work with us! Sign up and search for the support that’s right for you. Once you’ve found someone, we’ll need to confirm your funding. Your plan manager will then need to email us advising they will pay invoices on your behalf. It’ll take us a day to verify your account, then you can engage your first independent support worker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I only use one provider?

Under the NDIS you’re no longer limited to just one service provider. You get to mix and match your support providers, in a way that works best for you and your lifestyle.

Can I only use an NDIS registered provider?

If your NDIS funding is Plan-Managed or Self-managed you’re able to maximise your choice and control regarding what providers you choose by engaging both registered and non registered providers. 

Is it safe?

We have industry leading safeguards in place and take the safety of our community very seriously. Our independent worker onboarding process is one of the most rigorous in the business, and we arrange insurances on behalf of workers for any services invoiced through the Mable platform. Find out more about client safeguards.

What if I can’t find the right worker?

If you ever reach a roadblock, you can contact your dedicated support specialist who can work with you to build your team. They will help you search the profiles of independent support workers, craft a job post, and shortlist independent workers to arrange a meet and greet with. You can even bring on board people in the community who have supported you in the past, whether that’s a friend, neighbour or personal trainer, for example.

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What is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)?

The introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in 2013, and the capacity for people to self direct their paid support, has been a true game changer for people with disability and their families in particular, and the disability sector in general.

A brief history of the NDIS

Prior to the introduction of the NDIS, there had been years of discussion about the numerous problems in the disability sector and the dire need for reform.

In 2010, these discussions led to the Commonwealth Government asking the Productivity Commission to undertake a public inquiry into a National Disability Long-term Care and Support Scheme.

Important milestones

March 2013: The National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 was passed in Parliament

July 2013: The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) was established to implement the Scheme

July 2013: NDIS trial commenced in four States: NSW, Tasmania, SA and Vic

July 2016: The NDIS began the transition to full Scheme across Australia

2019: The Scheme reached full rollout

2021: The National Disability Insurance Act 2013 was reviewed and updated.

What is the NDIS?

The NDIS is Australia’s first national disability scheme designed to provide people with disability, who meet the eligibility criteria, the support and services they need to live and enjoy their life. It provides a new way of delivering support, in that it moves away from the State-run, block-funded systems that existed before and provides funding directly to people with disability via an individual, funded plan.

The NDIS exists in two main forms:

  • NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention (ECEI) – for children 0-6yrs
  • NDIS for eligible Australians 7-65yrs.

The name says it all:

  • National: available to all Australian regardless of where they live in Australia
  • Disability: provides support to eligible people with intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive and psychosocial disability
  • Insurance: support will be provided to any eligible Australian child or adult who is born with, or acquires a permanent disability
  • Scheme: The programmatic structure through which planning and the distribution of funds occurs.

Who manages the NDIS?

The NDIS is overseen by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which is the Commonwealth Governments statutory authority established under the National Disability Insurance Act 2013, to implement and manage the NDIS.

The NDIA has a Board of Directors and a Chief Executive Officer. The NDIA is responsible for the following functions:

  • To deliver the NDIS
  • To manage, and advise and report on the financial sustainability of the NDIS
  • To develop and enhance the disability sector
  • To build community awareness of disability
  • To collect, analyse and exchange data about disability and supports for people with disability
  • To undertake relevant research
  • Any other functions conferred on the Agency by or under the NDIS Act.

What governs how the NDIS works and how decisions are made

Operational Guidelines

The Operational Guidelines assist the NDIA to make decisions and are based on the NDIS Act and the NDIS Rules. They provide guidance to the decision makers on how to apply the Act and they help people understand how the NDIA applies the Act in the daily operations of the NDIS.

The guidelines are divided into 10 parts and cover things like:

  • Access to the NDIS
  • Planning
  • Including specific types of supports in plans
  • Specialist Disability Accommodation
  • Child representatives
  • Nominees
  • Registered providers
  • Compensation
  • Information handling
  • Review of decisions

NDIS rules

There are numerous rules that provide detailed instructions on the operation of the NDIS. They cover topics such as:

  • Becoming a participant
  • Supports for participants
  • Children
  • Nominees
  • Code of Conduct
  • Participants plans
  • Worker screening
  • Plan Management
  • Provider registration and practice standards
  • Specialist Disability Accommodation.

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Who is eligible for the NDIS?

When the NDIS was rolled out, it was relatively easy in the beginning, as all the people who were being supported by the individual State funded and run disability programs were simply ‘transitioned’ over from the State system into the NDIS.

Others at the time, who were not then receiving any funded support – and were therefore not known to the ‘system’ – had to apply for ‘access’ to the NDIS. This is where the eligibility criteria comes into play. You have to meet the eligibility requirements to apply for access to the Scheme.

Before finding out the eligibility requirements for the NDIS, find out what the NDIS does.

NDIS eligibility requirements

To qualify for the NDIS, the person must meet:

  • The age requirement
  • The residency requirement
  • The disability requirement or the early intervention requirement.

A person meets the age requirement if the person was aged under 65 when the access request was made.

A person meets the residency requirements if:

  • The person resides in Australia
  • Is one of the following:
    • An Australian Citizen
    • The holder of a permanent visa
    • A special category visa holder who is a protected SCV holder
  • Satisfies other requirements prescribed by the NDIS rules.

A person may meet the disability requirements if:

  • The person has a disability that is attributable to one or more intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory or physical impairment or to one of more impairments attributable to a psychiatric condition; and
  • The impairments or impairments are, or are likely to be, permanent; and
  • The impairment or impairments result in substantially reduced functional capacity to undertake or psychosocial functioning in undertaking one or more of the following activities:
    1. Communication
    2. Social interaction
    3. Learning
    4. Mobility
    5. Self-care
    6. Self management
  • The impairment or impairments affect the person’s capacity for social or economic participation; and
  • The person is likely to require support under the NDIS for the person’s lifetime.

NOTE: The information around eligibility requirements is based on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013, but is a summary only and is to be used in that context.

Learn more about the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act. You can also check the NDIS eligibility checklist.

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What does the NDIS do?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a national disability support scheme that provides funding to eligible people based on their individual support needs. The supports and services purchased using NDIS funding assist individuals work towards and hopefully, ultimately achieve their goals.

The NDIS Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or an NDIS Planner:

  • Gathers information and reports provided by the participant or their nominee and based on various legislated requirements
  • Creates a plan linked to identified goals and Allocates funding to be used on purchasing services and supports in order to achieve the stated goals.

If the participant is a child, it will be a person from an Early Childhood Partner organisation who will gather the initial reports and information.

What types of supports can be purchased using NDIS funds?

Some of the supports that can be purchased include:

  • Daily activities
  • Transport to enable community participation or to access chosen activities
  • Assistance in the workplace
  • Therapies like speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy
  • Assistance to maintain the home environment
  • Assessments to enable the purchase, set up and training in the use of aids and equipment
  • Home or vehicle modifications
  • Mobility equipment
  • Consumable items.

However, this is not a definitive list. The NDIS decides what supports are deemed ‘reasonable and necessary’ for each eligible participant and funds the plan accordingly. To be considered ‘reasonable and necessary’, a support or service:

  • Must relate to the participants disability
  • Must not include day-to-day living costs not related to the disability support needs of the participant
  • Should represent value for money
  • Must be likely to be effective
  • Should take into account supports provided via other avenues i.e. family, other government agencies, etc.

To know more about the supports funded under the NDIS, visit the NDIS website.

What doesn’t the NDIS cover?

The NDIS won’t fund supports that are:

  • The responsibility of another Government system
  • Not related to the person’s disability
  • A day-to-day living cost and not related to the person’s support needs
  • Likely to cause harm to the participant or others.

Find out more about how to apply for the NDIS.

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How to apply for the NDIS

Before exploring how to apply for the NDIS, find out if you or the person you might be applying on behalf of, is eligible for access to the NDIS.

With the funding comes responsibility – you should be completely open and transparent about the need for the funded support, you should be prepared to do what is required to receive the funding, and you should be prepared to be held accountable for the funding you might receive, especially if you intend to self-manage.

Before you apply for the NDIS, it is important to be aware of what the NDIS is, what the NDIS does, and what is being taken on when entering into the NDIS. There will be meetings to attend – in person, over the phone or online; reviews to prepare for; reports to be gathered; invoices to check and perhaps pay. Conversations will need to be had about what is needed; what, if anything, has changed – has it improved or gotten worse? Goals need to be identified and articulated. A MyGov account is required and an additional bank account may need to be established, if you choose to self-manage. You may then need to find the services and supports you require, yourself.

Some of these things may be done by others depending on how the funded plan is managed and whether Support Coordination is included in the plan, but some of them apply regardless. All of these things will happen to some degree or another if you go down the path of applying for access to the NDIS and it may be that there isn’t any other option. If that is the case, then you now know what you are getting involved in and applying to enter into the NDIS is the next step.

Application for the NDIS

The first step is to check if you are eligible for the NDIS. You can also find the eligibility checklist on the NDIS website, that walks you through the initial eligibility requirements regarding age, residency status and impact of the disability. It also checks whether you require equipment and support now to reduce future need.

Once you know you’re eligible, you can apply via a couple of different avenues.

  1. Call the 1800 800 110 number and ask to make an Access Request; or
  2. Complete and submit the 28 page online Access Request form; or
  3. Contact your local Local Area Coordinator Partner, if you have one, or NDIS office.

If you have a child aged 0-9 years, the pathway is different. As you may already be connected to an Early Childhood Early Intervention centre, they are the best source of information and will help you apply for the NDIS if your child has longer-term support needs.

If you aren’t already connected to an Early Childhood partner visit the NDIS website to find one in your local area or speak to your child’s GP for assistance.

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Preparing for the first meeting with the NDIS

Following notification that you or the person you are representing, has been accepted into the NDIS, it is time to get everything ready for that very important meeting.

Who the first meeting is held with will depend on the age of the person with disability. If it is a child under seven years of age, the meeting will be held with an Early Childhood, Early Intervention (ECEI) Coordinator from your local ECEI partner organisation.

If the person is more than seven years old, the meeting will be held with a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Planner. Whoever the person is, they should contact you to arrange the meeting at a time that is convenient to you.

The three most important things to now consider in the lead up to the meeting are:

  1. Goals for the person to work towards
  2. What support will be needed to achieve these goals?
  3. Is there any unmet need in the person’s life?

Identifying goals

If you have never had to think about identifying ‘goals’ for someone before, it can be a challenging thing to do. However, identifying goals is an important part of the NDIS process. The NDIS is interested in both short and medium-long term goals. Short term goals are those that can be worked towards and hopefully achieved within 12 months. The medium-long term goals will take longer to achieve.

A good place to start, is to think about the area of life that the person may wish to focus on eg. school, employment, friendship, home, health, spirituality, financial security, decision-making, safety, etc. It may be one of these or all of these and more.

Take each area of life and think about what it is that the person is wanting to achieve in that area of life? For example, if the aspect of life is home, what is the goal that the person is hoping to achieve? Is it for the person to move out of the family home into a home of their own over the next 12 months? If planning for a child, the area of life could be school. The goal might be for the child to be able to travel to school with their siblings.

Also, think about the purpose of the goals. Are they maintenance goals or capacity building goals?

Example goals for a child:

  • Wendy would like Thomas to be able to travel to school with his sister
  • Wendy would like Thomas to improve his fine and gross motor skills
  • Wendy would like Thomas to improve his emotional regulation and development.

Example goals for an adult:

  • To learn how to drive a car
  • To continue to manage my own home and be as independent as possible
  • To stay as healthy as I can by getting regular exercise, having support to plan and cook healthy meals.

Support needed to achieve the identified goals

This question is an important part of preparing for the first NDIS meeting, as to achieve some of the identified goals, some specialised support may be required. Looking back at the example goals for a child above, it’s very likely that the skills of an occupational therapist would be required to work towards the second example goal. It may be that a psychologist is required to assist with the third goal. These supports should be discussed at the time of the meeting and identified as being required in order for the child to work towards and eventually achieve the identified goals.

If the participant is an adult, and the goal is to stay healthy and have support to plan and cook healthy meals, it may be that the expertise of a dietitian and a personal trainer is required. Again, raise this at the meeting in terms of what support might be needed to achieve goals.

It is important to note that if allied health professionals of any kind are already providing services to the person, it would be good to have them write a report that recommends the services that you are hoping will be included in the funded plan, i.e. hours of speech therapy or physiotherapy, or how many times a month the person requires a meeting with a dietitian or their psychologist. Think about how many hours of in-home support or community access support the person needs across the week.

Is there any unmet need in the person’s life?

This initial meeting provides an opportunity to really think about the child or adult’s life. What do they do all day? What happens after school? Who do they interact with? Are there any forms of technology or equipment that would make life easier for them? Are there gaps in their day, week, life and what are they?

It might be helpful to actually create a document that captures a week in the person’s life. By doing this you can see what and who is currently present and it may uncover gaps across the week when there is nothing happening. Perhaps the weekends loom large with very little going on.

You can then think about a goal that the person is wanting to achieve that could fill the gap and what support might be needed to assist them reach it, and when and how often that support could be provided.

Other background information

The NDIS is also interested in capturing a snapshot of the person and their life, so it’s good to also have some background information available to share at the meeting.

  • About me: Tell a story about the person. How old they are, where they live, who they live with etc.
  • My daily life: Tell a story about the person’s daily life, do they attend school, go to work, have interests?
  • Important people in my life: Describe who is in the person’s life, from family and friends, teachers, local GP etc
  • Existing services and community supports: Describe what other supports the person might currently be receiving from other parts of government i.e. attending TAFE or Uni, using some form of subsidised transport, therapy services or Specialist services. Does the person attend a local church or youth group? Are they a member of a soccer club or local choir?
  • Assistive technology: Identify any aides or assistive technology that the person currently uses that are essential for daily life. Is there anything missing?

Other important things to consider

It is during this meeting that you would discuss the style of plan management you are wanting. Have you decided you want to self manage, use a Plan Manager, such as Leap in!, or have the plan Agency managed or a combination of these? Are you going to request Support Coordination?

It is really important that you have thought about these questions prior to the meeting so that you can put your views and wishes forward.

Also read:

How do I manage my NDIS funding?

A guide to NDIS support purposes and support categories

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