NDIS Changes in 2026: What Participants and Families Need to Know

NDIS Changes in 2026: A Guide for Participants and Families

On 20 August 2026, the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 became law. Some rules started a week later, a funding reset began on 1 October, and bigger changes to planning, access and provider registration arrive between now and 2028.

For most people, nothing about their current plan changes today. The details still matter, especially if you or someone you care for relies on daily personal care in Brisbane. This guide explains what has changed, what is coming and what to do now.

Understanding the changes together makes plan reviews less stressful.

General information from public sources, current at 12 October 2026. It is not legal or NDIS advice. Check your own plan with the NDIA or an independent advocate.

The short version

• Your current plan stays in place until it is reassessed or renewed. Most participants need to do nothing differently right now.
• From 1 October 2026, budgets for social and community participation (reduced by 50%) and capacity building daily activities (reduced by 10%) are being cut as plans are reassessed or renewed, over about 12 months.
• Supports in the home, such as help with dressing, toileting, eating and medication, are on the Government's protected list.
• New framework planning was delayed. It now starts on 1 April 2027.
• Mandatory provider registration expands from 1 July 2027 to cover personal care and daily living supports.
• A new access process starts on 1 January 2028.

Key dates at a glance

The changes roll out in stages from August 2026 to July 2028.

Date	What changes	Who notices
27 Aug 2026	Tighter rules for asking for a reassessment, new record-keeping duties, stronger fraud powers	Participants, nominees, providers
1 Oct 2026	Funding reductions begin as plans are reassessed or renewed; Thriving Kids begins	Participants with affected budgets; families of young children
1 Dec 2026	Claims must be made within 90 days of the support being delivered	Self-managed participants, plan managers, providers
1 Feb 2027	Plan renewals begin; new tests for reasonable and necessary supports	Every participant at the end of a plan
1 Apr 2027	New framework planning starts in stages, finishing by 31 Dec 2030	Participants aged 16 and over
1 Jul 2027	Mandatory registration expands for higher-risk supports, including personal care	People using those supports, and their providers
1 Oct 2027	Panel of plan managers introduced	Plan-managed participants
1 Jan 2028	New access process; existing participants reassessed over three years	Applicants and current participants
1 Jul 2028	Commissioned support coordination replaces plan-funded support coordination	Participants who use support coordination

Source for the dates: People with Disability Australia's timeline, current as at 1 October 2026.

What has already started

Reassessment requests are tighter

Only a participant, plan nominee or child representative can now ask the NDIA for an unscheduled plan reassessment. You can still ask if there has been a significant and ongoing change to your functional capacity and support needs, where or how you live, your education, your work or your informal supports. If the NDIA does not decide within 90 days, the request is treated as refused and you can use your review rights.

A plan variation is still available for an emergency, a crisis or a short-term change in needs.

There is a catch. If a reassessment goes ahead, the new funding reductions can apply when the reassessed plan starts. Before you ask for one, work out which budget lines it could touch.

Record keeping

Participants and plan managers must keep records of NDIS support payments for 3 years. Nominees keep them for 5 years and providers for 7. The detailed rules on what counts as a record are still being finalised. The NDIA must also explain why it thinks a debt exists and give you a chance to respond.

Fraud powers and pricing

The NDIA now has stronger powers to investigate fraud and non-compliance. The Minister, rather than the NDIA, now makes pricing determinations. There is no immediate change to prices: the 2026–27 pricing schedule has applied since 1 July 2026.

Funding changes from 1 October 2026

Two budget types are being reduced as each participant's plan is reassessed or renewed:

• Social, civic and community participation (also called assistance with social, economic and community participation): affected allocations fall by 50%.
• Capacity building daily activities (also called improved daily living skills): affected allocations fall by 10%.

Your plan did not change on 1 October. The Government expects the reductions to phase in over about 12 months, and a 50% cut to an allocation does not always mean you will spend 50% less. It depends on how much of the budget you were using and on the safeguards added to the law.

In-home supports are protected; community participation budgets are the ones being reduced.

What is protected

The Government says the reductions do not apply to budgets for critical supports, including:

• home and vehicle modifications
• supports in the home, such as help with eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry, cleaning, community nursing care and medication
• personal mobility equipment and transport
• consumable products, such as those for incontinence and menstruation
• Specialist Disability Accommodation

Amendments also protect employment supports, disability-related health supports, high-intensity supports and complex behaviour supports. The NDIA checks for excluded supports when it applies a reduction, so you do not need to send extra information.

Extra protection for 24-hour support

If a reduction leaves you unable to safely maintain 24-hour supports, you may be able to ask for a plan variation. You must receive disability supports throughout the day and night and hold at least $215,030 across specified support budgets before the reduction. Ask within 90 days of the reduction being applied. The NDIA has up to 21 days to decide whether you are eligible and up to another 21 days to decide on the variation, so there may be a gap. If a reduction creates an immediate gap in essential supports, contact the NDIA and consider independent advocacy straight away.

What it means for personal care and daily living support

If your plan funds help at home, the Government says those budgets are protected from the October reductions. That matters for anyone searching for personal care assistance in Brisbane: the core of daily support at home is not what is being cut.

The budgets more exposed are those for community outings and skill-building. If your support worker's time mixes personal care with community access, check how your plan splits those lines before it is reassessed or renewed. Ask the NDIA to explain which parts of your plan are protected and which are not.

Registration is the other change to watch. From 1 July 2027, mandatory NDIS provider registration expands for higher-risk supports, which may include personal care, daily living supports and supports in closed settings. People receiving those supports will need a registered provider. You can still choose unregistered providers for lower-risk supports. The rollout runs to the end of 2030, and the details are still being designed.

Plan renewals, claims and the new test for supports

Plan renewals from 1 February 2027

When a plan reaches its reassessment date, the NDIA may reassess it or renew it. A renewed plan carries the same level of supports you were previously assessed for, adjusted for current prices. Renewals replace what people call plan continuation. Unspent money does not carry over, and the NDIA says it will contact you 60 days before a renewal. If your plan has affected funding and has not been created or reassessed since 1 October 2026, the Government says it will be renewed by 30 September 2027.

A 90-day claims deadline from 1 December 2026

Claims must be made within 90 days of the support being delivered. This matters most for self-managed participants, plan managers and providers.

New considerations for reasonable and necessary supports

From 1 February 2027, the NDIA must consider equity between participants, the sustainability of the NDIS and the circumstances of participants with similar needs. For children, the law now spells out the support parents would ordinarily provide, such as supervision, personal care, transport and emotional support. It does not count the extra support a child needs because of their disability compared with another child of the same age.

New framework planning: now 1 April 2027

Many guides written earlier this year say new framework planning starts in mid-2026 or July 2026. That is out of date. After consultation, the Government delayed the rollout until 1 April 2027 to allow more time to test the rules and share detail about the transition.

The planned journey has four steps:

1. Prepare: the NDIA contacts you and gives you information ahead of your assessment.
2. Support needs assessment: you meet an NDIA assessor to talk about your daily life support needs and plan preferences.
3. Build the plan: the NDIA uses the assessment report to set your total funding. You receive the report and an explanation of how the budget was created.
4. Use the plan: you can have an implementation meeting, then choose, buy and claim supports from the NDIS supports list.

Participants move across in stages between 1 April 2027 and 31 December 2030. Your current plan stays in place until your turn, and the NDIA says it will tell you before anything changes. You keep your right to ask for a review.

Children and Thriving Kids

Thriving Kids begins on 1 October 2026 and is due to be fully rolled out by 1 January 2028. It offers early identification, advice for families, parenting programs and targeted supports such as speech therapy and occupational therapy, with no diagnosis needed and no gap fees. Children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs will no longer be eligible for the NDIS and will be supported through Thriving Kids. Children with higher support needs stay in the NDIS. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing explains the change.

Access changes from 1 January 2028

People can keep applying under the current access process until 1 January 2028. After that, applicants will go through a standardised assessment of functional capacity, and current participants will be reassessed against the new criteria over three years. The tools and thresholds are still being developed with a Technical Advisory Group.

Pros, cons and open questions

What supporters point to:

• A planning process that is clearer and explains how a budget was reached
• Stronger safeguards against fraud and exploitation
• Protection for in-home and other critical supports

What advocates are raising:

• Whether support needs assessments will recognise fluctuating, episodic and non-apparent disability
• A possible funding gap while a 24-hour support variation is decided
• How much human oversight automated decisions will have
• How the sustainability test will sit alongside individual circumstances

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming your plan changed on 1 October. The reductions apply when your plan is reassessed or renewed.
• Requesting a reassessment without thinking it through. An agreed reassessment can bring the new reductions with it.
• Letting the 90-day claims window lapse. The deadline starts on 1 December 2026.
• Not keeping records. Participants and plan managers need 3 years of payment records.
• Ignoring NDIA contact. The NDIA can suspend a plan if you do not respond adequately after reasonable attempts to reach you.
• Missing the review window. For most reviewable decisions you have 3 months from receiving the decision in writing.

How to prepare now

Tidy records and clear dates make renewals and claims easier.

1. Check your plan end date and note that the NDIA says it will contact you 60 days before a renewal.
2. Read your plan's line items for community participation and capacity building daily activities, and ask which supports are protected.
3. Keep invoices, timesheets and service agreements for at least 3 years.
4. Set a monthly reminder to claim well inside the 90-day window.
5. Jot down changes in your daily needs over time, in plain words. Real examples help at a reassessment and will help at a support needs assessment.
6. If the NDIA contacts you, ask why, which process it is, what could change and whether there is a deadline. You can bring a support person and ask for things in writing.
7. If you disagree with a decision, ask for an internal review within 3 months, using the NDIA's guide to decision reviews. The Disability Gateway (1800 643 787) can connect you with advocacy services.

FAQs

Will my NDIS plan change in 2026?

Not automatically. Your current plan stays in place until it is reassessed or renewed. The NDIA says it will tell you before changes that affect you begin.

Are in-home personal care supports being cut?

The Government says the October 2026 reductions do not apply to supports in the home, such as help with eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry, cleaning, community nursing care and medication. The reductions target social and community participation (50%) and capacity building daily activities (10%).

When does new framework planning start?

On 1 April 2027, after the Government delayed it from mid-2026. Participants aged 16 and over move across in stages until 31 December 2030.

What is a support needs assessment?

It is a semi-structured interview with a trained NDIS assessor about your daily life support needs and plan preferences. You receive a report that explains how your budget was decided.

How long do I have to claim for a support?

From 1 December 2026, claims must be made within 90 days of the support being delivered.

Do I need a registered provider for personal care?

Not yet. From 1 July 2027, mandatory registration expands for higher-risk supports, which may include personal care and daily living supports. The Government is still finalising the details and rollout, which continues to the end of 2030.

What can I do if I disagree with an NDIA decision?

For most reviewable decisions you can ask for an internal review within 3 months of receiving the decision in writing. The Disability Gateway (1800 643 787) can connect you with advocacy services.

How Issa Care Services can help

Issa Care Services supports people in Brisbane with personal activities assistance, helping with everyday routines at home and in the community. We cannot predict what any individual plan will look like after reassessment, but we can talk through the day-to-day support side: what help you need, how often, and how to describe it clearly when your plan is reviewed.

If you are weighing up personal care assistance in Brisbane and want to understand how your current supports fit with these changes, get in touch for a no-pressure conversation.