NDIS explained · 6 minute read
NDIS explained
The NDIS, explained plainly
What the words mean, how your plan is put together, and where to go for help. General information for participants, families and anyone new to the NDIS.
The basics
Three names you will hear a lot
They sound alike, but they do different jobs. Knowing which is which tells you who to ask.
The NDIS
The National Disability Insurance Scheme. It funds reasonable and necessary supports for eligible people with permanent and significant disability. People in the scheme are called participants.
The NDIA
The National Disability Insurance Agency runs the NDIS. It decides who can join, what goes in each plan, and when plans are reassessed. Providers never make these decisions.
The NDIS Commission
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission regulates providers and workers, registers providers and handles complaints. You can contact the Commission at any stage.
Support budgets
Core, Capacity Building and Capital, in plain words
The funding in an NDIS plan is grouped into support budgets. Each has a different purpose and different rules about how it can be used.
Core supports
Help with everyday life, now.
Support with daily tasks at home, getting out into the community, everyday items such as continence products, and some transport. Supported Independent Living (SIL) is usually funded here.
How flexible: Often flexible across its categories, unless a support is stated in your plan.
Capacity Building supports
Building skills and independence over time.
Therapy, support coordination, plan management, help to find and keep a job, and learning everyday life skills such as cooking, budgeting or catching the bus.
How flexible: Usually tied to the category it sits in, so it cannot simply be moved to another one.
Capital supports
Bigger, one-off investments.
Assistive technology, home modifications and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), which is funded housing for people with very high support needs.
How flexible: Only for the item it was approved for, and usually needs quotes or reports first.
Stated supports. Some supports are written into a plan in a specific way. Stated funding can only be used for that support, whichever budget it sits in.
Funding periods. Some newer plans release funding in periods rather than all at once, so part of a budget becomes available at the start of each period. Check how much is available now, not only the total.
Who decides. The NDIA decides what goes in each budget, using the reasonable and necessary test. Plans are set out differently from person to person, so check yours with the NDIA, your local area coordinator (LAC) or your support coordinator.
Managing your funding
Plan-managed, self-managed or NDIA-managed
Your plan says how each part of your funding is managed. That decides who pays your providers, which providers you can use and who keeps the records. A plan can mix all three.
| NDIA-managed | Plan-managed | Self-managed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who pays providers | The NDIA pays them directly. | A plan manager pays them from your plan. | You pay them, then claim from the NDIA. |
| Which providers | Registered providers only. | Registered and unregistered providers. | Registered and unregistered providers. |
| Price limits | Apply. Prices must sit within the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026–27. | Apply, in the same way as NDIA-managed funding. | Can sometimes differ, as long as the support still meets NDIS rules. |
| Records and paperwork | The least for you. | Your plan manager keeps records and sends you statements. | You keep invoices, receipts and records. |
Plan management is funded separately in Capacity Building, so it does not come out of your other supports. You can ask the NDIA to change how your plan is managed, and the NDIA makes the decision.
Your plan
How to read your NDIS plan, in five steps
Most plans follow the same basic shape. Read it with someone you trust, and write your questions down as you go.
Step 1: You and your goals
Check your details, your informal supports and your goals. Do the goals sound like you, in words you recognise?
Step 2: Your budgets
See which supports sit in Core, Capacity Building and Capital, and whether any are stated.
Step 3: How it is managed
Find out whether each part is NDIA-managed, plan-managed or self-managed.
Step 4: Periods and dates
Look for funding periods, the plan start date and when the NDIA expects to reassess it.
Step 5: Ask early
If something is missing or wrong, ask the NDIA about a variation, a reassessment or a review.
Guides
Guides to the NDIS
NDIS explained · 6 minute read
Plan-managed, self-managed or NDIA-managed: which suits you?
Supported Independent Living · 6 minute read
Preparing for a plan reassessment for home and living supports
For families · 6 minute read
Short Term Accommodation and respite explained
NDIS explained · 6 minute read
What does a support coordinator do, and how do you work with one?
NDIS explained · 6 minute read
What is a service agreement, and what should you check before you sign?
NDIS explained · 6 minute read
How to change your NDIS provider
NDIS explained · 6 minute read
SIL and SDA: what is the difference?
Words to know
The NDIS glossary
46 NDIS terms, each explained in a sentence or two. Here are a few people ask about most.
- Core supports
- One of the three support budgets in an NDIS plan. It funds everyday support: help with daily life, consumables such as continence products, help to take part in the community, and some transport. Supported Independent Living is usually funded here.
- Capacity Building supports
- One of the three support budgets in an NDIS plan. It funds supports that help you build skills and independence over time, such as therapy, support coordination, plan management and learning everyday life skills. Funding is usually tied to the category it sits in.
- Capital supports
- One of the three support budgets in an NDIS plan. It funds bigger, one-off investments: assistive technology, home modifications and Specialist Disability Accommodation. Capital supports usually need quotes or evidence first and can only be used for the item they were approved for.
- Supported Independent Living (SIL)
- Help with, or supervision of, daily tasks at home, usually across much of the day and often overnight, worked out through a Roster of Care. SIL is support, not housing: it never pays for rent, food or bills.
- Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA)
- Funded housing designed or built for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs. SDA pays for the home, not the support. The NDIA decides who is eligible, and only a small group of participants are.
- Roster of Care
- A week-long picture of the support someone needs at home: which hours, what kind of help, and whether it is one to one or shared with housemates. It is the basis of a Supported Independent Living quote.
- Plan manager
- An organisation that pays your providers from your NDIS funding, keeps track of your budget and sends you statements. With a plan manager you can use registered and unregistered providers, and prices must sit within the NDIS price limits. The NDIA funds plan management separately, so it does not come out of your other supports.
- Reasonable and necessary
- The test the NDIA uses to decide what to fund. In general, a support must relate to your disability, help you pursue your goals, be value for money, be likely to work, and take into account what family, community and other services can reasonably provide.
Where to get help
Who to ask, and about what
The NDIA
Questions about your plan, funding decisions, reassessments and reviews. Visit the NDIS website.
Your LAC or support coordinator
Help to understand your plan, find providers and get ready for your next reassessment. Read what a support coordinator does.
Your plan manager
If your plan is plan-managed: invoices, payments and how much is left in each budget.
The NDIS Commission
Concerns about the quality or safety of a support. Call 1800 035 544 (TTY 133 677) at any stage. Read complaints and feedback.
An interpreter
TIS National can interpret for you. Call 131 450 and ask for your language.
Us
Questions about our supports and whether they fit your plan. We explain things plainly. Contact Manora Care.
Questions
Common questions about the NDIS
What is the difference between the NDIS, the NDIA and the NDIS Commission?
The NDIS is the scheme. The NDIA is the agency that runs it and decides what goes in your plan. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is the independent regulator of providers and workers, and you can contact it at any stage on 1800 035 544.
Can a provider decide what is in my plan?
No. Only the NDIA decides what is funded. A provider can help you understand what your plan says about the supports they offer, and can give the NDIA information, such as a quote, when you ask them to.
Can I move money between budgets?
Sometimes, within Core supports, unless a support is stated. Capacity Building and Capital funding is usually tied to its category or item. Your plan manager, support coordinator or the NDIA can tell you how your own plan works.
What if I think my plan is wrong?
Act early. You can ask the NDIA for a plan variation for a small fix, a reassessment if your needs have changed, or an internal review of a decision you disagree with. There are time limits for reviews, so ask the NDIA about them straight away. Read how to read your NDIS plan.
Is this information the same for everyone?
No. This is general information. Plans differ from person to person, and the NDIS changes from time to time. Always check your own situation with the NDIA, your local area coordinator, your support coordinator or your plan manager.
This page is general information, not advice about your plan. NDIS rules change from time to time. For your own situation, check with the NDIA.
Questions about your plan? Ask us.
We are happy to explain how our supports fit an NDIS plan, in plain words. There is no cost or commitment to talk.