NDIS budget changes from October 2026: what to check first

What the October change covers

The NDIA says budgets are changing for some supports in Social, Economic and Community Participation and Improved Daily Living Skills. The changes apply as plans are created or reassessed from 1 October 2026, or renewed from 1 February 2027.

The impact is not identical for every participant. The NDIA says plans are based on individual goals, circumstances and support needs, and identifies groups of supports that are not included in the reductions. A general headline cannot tell you how a particular plan will change.

Check the plan, not just the headline

Start with the current plan and the date it was created, reassessed or renewed. Check the exact budget category and support item for the service you use, then compare it with the NDIA list of supports that are not affected. If a support is unclear, ask the NDIA, your plan manager or support coordinator to explain the current written guidance for your circumstances.

Do not assume every support in either category has been reduced, or that the same reduction applies to every participant. Essential daily supports and several other support groups are described separately in the official information.

A separate pathway for some people with high support needs

The NDIA has also described a plan-variation pathway for participants with high support needs. Its published criteria include a combined plan budget of at least $215,030 across Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation, plus 24-hour funded NDIS supports for needs arising directly from the impairments for which the person accesses the NDIS.

That threshold is not a substitute for checking the full criteria. Read the NDIA pathway and ask the agency what evidence and process apply before relying on eligibility assumptions.

If the person’s circumstances have changed

The NDIA says a participant can still request a plan change when there has been a significant and ongoing change, including changes in daily activities, living arrangements, education or employment, or available informal supports. Keep relevant information together and use the official plan-change process.

This explainer is general information, not financial, legal or plan advice. The source information can change; check the linked NDIA pages and the person’s current plan before making support decisions.

Keep learning

• NDIS jargon explained: the terms you will hear and what they mean: Plans, supports, coordinators, managers, registered providers: a plain-language glossary of the words that come up most often.
• Keeping records of your NDIS supports: a simple system: Good records make plan reviews, claim queries and changes of provider far easier. Here is a light-touch way to keep them.
• Your first month with a new NDIS plan: what to do and in what order: A new plan can feel like a pile of unknowns. Here is a sensible order for reading it, setting things up and starting supports.
• NDIS or My Aged Care: which system supports you?: Two government systems support people with disability and older people. Here is how to think about which one applies and what to do if you are not sure.

More in our NDIS updates and insights, our step-by-step guides, or the NDIS and aged care provider directory.

Official sources

• NDIS: Changes to support budgets from 1 October
• NDIS plan variation pathway
• NDIS list of supports not affected by the budget reductions (XLS)

Source checked 9 October 2026. Rules and guidance can change; verify current details with the responsible agency. How we write and check our guides.