16 September 2024

The Australian Parliament has approved changes to NDIS legislation. This means there will be some changes to how the NDIS works, starting from 3 October 2024. 

There has been a lot of talk about the changes and what they mean – in the community, in the media and probably among your family and friends too.

I know for some people change can cause uncertainty, so we want to keep you informed about the changes and what they mean for you.

I want to reassure you that for most people, not much will change about the way you experience the NDIS now. You will start to see more practical changes when we start to transition to the new planning framework later next year.

The NDIA will support you through the changes every step of the way. We’ll tell you before things change, and what you need to do.

One thing I want to be clear about is the purpose of the NDIS will not change. It will continue to provide NDIS participants with disability related supports. 

I’m writing to help you understand what you need to know now:

• what’s changing
• when changes will happen
• where you can get more information. 

When the changes start 

Not all changes will start at once. 

The first changes will start on 3 October 2024. You can read more about these changes below. 

Other changes will start later. Most people won’t experience much change until then. We’ll share more information about these changes before they happen.

Until 3 October 2024:

• you should continue spending in line with your plan. 
• all access and planning processes, decisions and supports will continue as they have been, in line with current operational guidance. 

Changes to NDIS supports

From 3 October 2024, there will be a new definition of NDIS supports. This definition makes it clear what NDIS funding can and can’t be spent on. This change will affect all participants.

From 3 October 2024, you can only spend your NDIS funding on things that are NDIS supports. The new rule will also include things you can’t use your NDIS funding for. 

We will finalise the definition and rule after consulting with the community. We will tell you in an email when the new rule has been made, before it starts on 3 October 2024. 

In some circumstances you might be able to ask to use your funding for a support that is not an NDIS support. We will share more information about this in coming weeks.

If you make a mistake and buy supports that are not NDIS supports, we will work with you to help you understand the new rules and access supports that are NDIS supports.

Budget amounts and funding periods

If your plan is reviewed after 3 October 2024, your new plan will have a total budget amount. This means you’ll see a total amount for all supports in your plan.

Current plans show line by line supports. New plans will be shown as a budget.

This change makes clear the total funding available in your plan and how long the funds need to last. You can’t spend more funding than what’s available in your plan.

For now, all new plans created after 3 October 2024 will be 12 months. In the future, most people’s plans will go for longer than this. We will let you know as soon as this changes.

Where to get more information

You can learn more about the changes.

You can also subscribe to the NDIS Newsletter , where we share the latest news about the NDIS. 

We will share more videos, animations and information about the changes in the coming weeks.

Working together to make the NDIS stronger

We are committed to working with people with disability and the disability community to make sure we get the changes right.

We will keep listening to feedback and involving people with disability in how we improve the NDIS.

To get emails about how you can give feedback on the changes, you can join Participant First.

Yours sincerely, 
Rebecca Falkingham
Chief Executive Officer
National Disability Insurance Agency