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NDIS budget changes 2026: which supports are protected?

PHA-032 · Video published 13 October 2026 · Last checked: 30 October 2026

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Slide showing two affected support groups: social, economic and community participation reduced by 50%, and improved daily living skills reduced by 10%. Exclusions apply, not the whole plan.
Two affected support groups. Exclusions apply, and it is not your whole plan. Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Funding changes for NDIS supports (updated 24 September 2026).

From 1 October 2026, new and reassessed NDIS plans face reductions: 50% for affected social, economic and community participation funding, and 10% for affected improved daily living skills funding. These cuts apply to affected allocations, not your whole plan. Plan renewals follow from 1 February 2027, and you can keep using existing supports until your plan changes. Help with eating, dressing and toileting is outside the reduction. Some supports inside the affected categories are also excluded, including employment, disability-related health and high-intensity supports.

Slide titled A targeted safety pathway: 24-hour funded supports, $215,030 or more combined before the reduction across Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation. Apply within 90 days. Extra funding is not automatic.
The special variation pathway for people who need 24-hour supports. Eligibility does not guarantee extra funding. Source: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (updated 24 September 2026).

If the reduction leaves your 24-hour disability supports unsafe, a special plan variation may help. Eligibility includes at least $215,030 combined across three specified budgets before the reduction, and you generally need to apply within 90 days. The reduction itself cannot be reviewed, but decisions under the special variation pathway can. Ask the NDIA for your individual breakdown and flag any care gap early.

Key numbers

  • 50%: reduction to affected social, economic and community participation funding.
  • 10%: reduction to affected improved daily living skills funding.
  • 1 October 2026 / 1 February 2027: start dates for new or reassessed plans, then renewals.
  • $215,030: minimum combined funding across three specified budgets for the special variation pathway.
  • 90 days: the general timeframe to apply for a special variation.

Sources

These are the sources named in the video and its description.

  1. NDIA: Changes to support budgets from 1 October (1 October 2026)
  2. Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Funding changes for NDIS supports (updated 24 September 2026)
  3. People with Disability Australia: More NDIS changes from 1 October (1 October 2026)

Last checked: 30 October 2026. This is general information, not medical advice.

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