NDIS jargon explained: the terms you will hear and what they mean
· Plans and funding · Source checked 12 October 2026
Plans, supports, coordinators, managers, registered providers: a plain-language glossary of the words that come up most often.
About your plan
A participant is a person with an approved NDIS plan. Your plan sets out your goals and the funding for supports to help you reach them. “Reasonable and necessary” is the test used to decide whether a support can be funded: broadly, that it relates to your disability, helps you pursue your goals and is good value.
A plan review or reassessment is a scheduled look at how your plan has worked and what should change. A plan variation is a change to an existing plan, usually when something has changed in your circumstances.
About money
Funding has traditionally been grouped into Core, Capacity Building and Capital budgets. Pricing arrangements set the maximum amounts that can be charged for many supports. A claim is a request for payment for a support that has been delivered, usually made by a provider, plan manager or you if you self-manage.
Management type describes who looks after the money: the NDIA, a plan manager, or you.
About the people
A support coordinator helps you use your plan. A plan manager handles payments and budget tracking. A local area coordinator, where the NDIA works through them, helps people understand the NDIS and prepare for planning. A nominee is someone formally appointed to act for you or receive information on your behalf.
A registered provider has been approved by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission; an unregistered provider has not, but still must follow the Code of Conduct.
About homes and equipment
Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is a type of housing designed for people with very high support needs. Supported Independent Living (SIL) is help with daily tasks in a shared or individual home. Assistive technology means equipment that helps you do things you would otherwise find hard, and home modifications are changes to your home to make it safer or more accessible.
If you hear a term you do not know, ask for it to be explained. A good provider or coordinator will not mind. This is general information, not advice about your plan.
Frequently asked questions
What does “reasonable and necessary” mean?
It is the test used to decide whether a support can be funded: broadly, that it relates to your disability, helps you pursue your goals and is good value.
What is the difference between a plan review and a plan variation?
A plan review or reassessment is a scheduled look at how your plan has worked and what should change. A plan variation is a change to an existing plan, usually when something has changed in your circumstances.
What is the difference between a support coordinator, a plan manager and a nominee?
A support coordinator helps you use your plan. A plan manager handles payments and budget tracking. A nominee is someone formally appointed to act for you or receive information on your behalf.
What if I hear a term I do not know?
Ask for it to be explained. A good provider or coordinator will not mind.
Keep learning
- 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.
- 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.
- Support coordination explained: do you need it?: Support coordination helps you turn a plan into real services. Here is what it covers, who benefits most and what to ask a coordinator.
More in our NDIS updates and insights, our step-by-step guides, or the NDIS and aged care provider directory.
Official sources
Source checked 12 October 2026. Rules and guidance can change; verify current details with the responsible agency. How we write and check our guides.