NDIS funding changes from October: what you need to know
From October, NDIS participant budgets will begin to change as plans are reassessed or renewed.
There’s a fair bit happening across the NDIS at the moment, so I wanted to explain this change clearly, what we know so far, and how InLife can support our clients as the changes roll out.
What’s changing from October?
The new NDIS laws passed Parliament in August 2026, bringing a range of changes to the scheme.
From 1 October 2026, funding for social, civic and community participation supports and capacity building daily activities will begin to be reset.
Under the changes:
- budget allocations for social, civic and community participation supports will be reduced by 50%
- budget allocations for capacity building daily activities will be reduced by 10%
The changes will be introduced progressively as plans are reassessed or renewed.
The government says the new settings will apply from 1 October 2026 for new plans and reassessments, and from 1 February 2027 for all other participants through the plan renewal process.
So, the changes won’t happen to everyone on the same day, they'll roll out progressively over the 12 months from October 2026.
What about people who need 24-hour care?
There's an important safeguard for participants with high support needs who require continuous 24-hour care.
The government has said these participants will continue to receive the critical supports they need for that care.
A new plan variation pathway will allow an affected participant to apply for additional funding if the changes would otherwise affect their ability to maintain their 24-hour care.
The important part is the timeframe.
A participant will have 90 days from the support determination applying to their plan to apply.
The request needs to be made by the participant or their nominee. InLife can support our clients to understand the process and prepare relevant information, but the decision about eligibility and any change to funding sits with the NDIA.
We’re still waiting for more practical detail about how people who may qualify for this pathway will be identified and notified.
We’ll keep following this closely.
Why good evidence matters
One thing I think is particularly important for our clients is evidence.
We’ve been told that clear, first-hand evidence of a person’s day-to-day support needs will matter when these changes are being worked through.
A report or assessment can describe what someone needs. Day-to-day records can also help show what those needs look like in real life.
That’s where things like InLife shift notes, incident records, support reports and other client-specific information can be useful.
They can help show patterns over time: what support is actually being provided, what happens during a person’s day, what assistance they need, and what can happen when that support isn’t available.
The NDIA already asks for information and evidence when some changes to a plan are requested.
Good records can help provide a clearer picture of a person’s support needs. They don’t determine the outcome, but they can form part of the information available when a decision is being made.
What InLife will do
There are still parts of these reforms that are being worked through, and I don’t want to pretend we have answers that aren’t available yet.
As the changes reach our clients, our coordinators, client service teams and Quality team can help clients, families and broader support teams understand what’s changing and what options may be available.
Where information is needed, we can help identify and provide relevant records we hold.
Where we become aware of an important timeframe, we’ll do our best to flag it and help our clients understand what they may need to do.
And where we don’t know something yet, we’ll be upfront about that and find out what we can.
We can’t control the decisions the NDIA makes, but we can make sure our clients have InLife alongside them as they work through the changes.
If you’re an InLife client and you’re unsure what this could mean for your plan, please reach out. Your coordinator is a good place to start. You can also speak with our Quality team, or contact me directly.
We’ll keep sharing what we know as more detail becomes available and support our clients as the changes reach their plans.
Read the Australian Government’s full information about the NDIS changes >
