Changes to some NDIS support budgets: what you need to know

Support Determinations are changes to funding in two NDIS support categories under the new NDIS laws:

• Social, Economic and Community Participation (SECP)
• Improved Daily Living Skills (IDLS)

The changes reduce SECP funding by 50% and IDLS funding by 10%. Some supports within these categories are excluded from the reductions.

The changes apply:

• when a new NDIS plan is created or a plan is reassessed from 1 October 2026
• when an existing plan is renewed from 1 February 2027

The changes do not reduce your funding partway through your current plan. If your current plan is still active, continue using your plan and agreed supports.

The NDIA has advised that if your scheduled plan end date is on or after 1 October 2027, it will be brought forward to occur on or before 30 September 2027.

The NDIA will contact you 60 days in advance if your plan end date is being brought forward.

No. The impact will be different for each person because every NDIS plan is based on individual circumstances, goals and support needs.

Some supports are also excluded from the reductions.

The exact impact will become clearer when you receive your new, reassessed or renewed plan.

The NDIA has identified several groups of supports that are excluded, including:

• supports in employment
• disability-related health supports
• high intensity supports
• intensive and complex behaviour supports
• customised and wearable technology
• hearing services.

Whether an exclusion applies will depend on the supports in your individual NDIS plan.

The Support Determination does not directly reduce funding for essential day-to-day supports such as:

• assistance with eating and drinking
• dressing and personal care
• toileting
• cleaning and laundry
• nursing
• medication support.

Your overall NDIS plan will still be subject to the normal planning, reassessment and renewal processes.

Yes, within the conditions of your plan.

You can continue working with your providers, support coordinator and NDIS partners to understand your revised budget and decide how best to use your funding across your plan period.

You can still request plan changes, including a plan reassessment or variation.

The NDIA may consider a reassessment if there has been a significant and ongoing change to areas such as your:

• ability to complete daily activities
• living arrangements
• education or employment circumstances
• available informal supports.

The Support Determination reduction alone is not considered a significant and ongoing change in circumstances for the purpose of requesting a reassessment.

The Support Determination reduction itself is not a reviewable decision under the NDIS Act.

However, decisions made under the High Support Needs variation pathway, including eligibility and whether a variation is approved, can be reviewed.

No. You can continue using your current supports while your existing NDIS plan remains active. You do not need to make changes before your plan is reviewed if you do not want to.

We can talk with you about the different support options available and help you understand your choices. You can also involve family members, supporters or other people you choose in these conversations.

If you decide to consider a change, we will talk it through with you based on your goals, preferences, support needs and the funding available in your plan.

Please:

1. Contact Northcott as soon as possible.
2. Share relevant information from your updated plan with us, with appropriate consent.
3. Talk with us about what the changes may mean for your services.
4. Tell us immediately if you are concerned about your safety, wellbeing or continuity of essential supports.

Northcott can work with you and the people you choose to understand the changes, discuss your options and identify any concerns.

We understand that changes to NDIS funding can create uncertainty.

Your current plan remains in place until it is replaced. When you receive your updated plan, please contact Northcott so we can review what it means with you and discuss the next steps.

If you have concerns about your safety, wellbeing or essential supports, please let us know as early as possible.

The NDIA has introduced a specific plan variation pathway for some participants with 24-hour disability support needs whose funded support arrangements may not be able to be safely maintained following the reduction.

You may be eligible if you meet both of these requirements:

• Before the reduction, you have a combined budget of at least $215,030 across Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and SECP.
• You receive 24-hour NDIS-funded support for support needs arising directly from the impairments through which you access the NDIS.

Receiving 24-hour support does not automatically mean you will qualify.

You can only request a variation after you receive a new, reassessed or renewed plan that includes the Support Determination reduction.

Eligible participants generally have 90 days after receiving the approved plan to request a variation.

The NDIA may extend this timeframe in exceptional circumstances.

A request can be made by you or, where applicable, your:

• nominee
• child representative
• authorised state guardian.

Northcott can also support you to understand the pathway and, with appropriate consent, assist you through the process.

No.

Meeting the eligibility requirements does not automatically mean a variation will be approved.

The NDIA must also determine that the reduction has left insufficient funding to maintain the funded supports providing your 24-hour disability care.

Not necessarily.

A variation is not a refund and does not automatically restore all the funding that was reduced.

Any additional funding is intended to address the identified support gap and cannot exceed the amount removed by the Support Determination. The funding may also be added to Assistance with Daily Living or Home and Living rather than returned to SECP or IDLS.

The NDIA has advised that, for participants who meet the High Support Needs definition, 50% of affected SECP funding will be front-loaded into the first funding period to provide time to request a variation.

If you think this may apply to you, please contact Northcott once you receive your updated plan.

No.

Your current agreed services continue under your existing plan. Any effect on future services can only be properly considered after your updated plan and relevant funding information have been reviewed.

Please share your updated plan with your Northcott Clinical or Therapy team so we can discuss what it means for you.

No.

Northcott’s assessments and clinical recommendations will continue to reflect your actual functional, clinical and safety needs.

Recommendations will not be increased or reduced simply because of the Support Determination changes or to influence eligibility for a particular pathway.

Yes. Identified exclusions include:

• disability-related health supports
• customised and wearable technology
• hearing services
• high intensity supports
• intensive and complex behaviour supports.

Whether an exclusion applies will depend on your plan and the specific supports involved.

Please tell your Northcott team as early as possible.

We can review your concerns with you and identify the appropriate next steps.

Social, Economic and Community Participation is one of the two funding categories affected by Support Determinations.

The impact will be different for each person and cannot be confirmed until your updated plan is available.

The Support Determination reductions apply directly to SECP and IDLS, not Home and Living.

However, for some people receiving 24-hour support, community participation funding may form part of their broader support arrangements. Northcott may therefore need to review the overall impact after an updated plan is received.

Potentially.

Support arrangements in shared homes can be interconnected. A change affecting one resident may need to be considered in relation to staffing, support ratios, service arrangements and continuity of care.

This does not mean these things will automatically change.

Northcott will assess the circumstances of each customer and household individually.

No.

Northcott will need to understand the customer’s updated plan and the household’s support arrangements before determining whether there are any implications.

We will not assume in advance that staffing or support arrangements need to change.

No.

You must meet both the 24-hour NDIS-funded support requirement and the $215,030 combined budget threshold.

The NDIA must also determine that the funding reduction leaves an insufficient amount to maintain the funded supports that provide your 24-hour disability care.

Northcott will consider any potential broader impact on the household, including continuity and safety.

We will also respect each customer’s privacy. We cannot share another person’s individual NDIS plan or personal information without an appropriate authorised basis.