2026 NDIS Guide: What You Need to Know About NDIS Changes From 2025

As we move through 2026, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) continues to operate with several important reforms that were introduced in 2025. These changes affect how funding is managed, what supports are eligible, pricing arrangements, and the future direction of planning. This article aims to summarise those changes for ease of understanding so you, as a participant or a guardian, can more accurately understand how your plan or funding may change.

Funding Periods: How Your Plan's Money Is Released

From 19 May 2025, new rules about funding periods began to be introduced gradually into NDIS plans. This means that:

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Plans approved after this measure may include smaller funding periods (often quarterly, rather than one lump sum for the whole year).

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These changes do not apply immediately to everyone. Funding periods are added when you receive a new or reassessed plan.

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The total amount of your funding doesn't change, only when you can access parts of it.

What you should know:

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Smaller funding periods aim to help participants manage budgets over the plan year and reduce the risk of running out of money too early.

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Unused funds from one period can roll into later periods within the same plan year.

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Understanding when your funds become available, and planning services to match, is important to avoid unexpected gaps in support.

Guardian Challenge: Monitoring the use of your participant's funds becomes more critical as funding becomes limited. If funding for a period is exhausted, services and supports can be put at risk. Talk to our Support Coordination Team today for assistance.

Clear Definition of NDIS Supports: Stricter Rules from October 2025

One of the most important changes that took full effect in 2025 relates to what the NDIS will fund.

Starting 3 October 2025:

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The NDIA fully applied a new definition of NDIS supports, splitting items and services into those that are NDIS supports and those that are not.

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During a transition period (Oct 2024 – Oct 2025), small mistakes under $1,500 were often not treated as errors. After 3 October 2025, this grace period ended, and NDIA can raise a debt if you use your NDIS funds for something not recognised as a NDIS support.

What this means for participants:

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Always check whether a good or service is on the NDIS supports list before claiming it with your funding.

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A debt may be raised even for small amounts if something is not on the approved list.

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Your planner or support coordinator can help confirm what is eligible.

Guardian Challenge: Working within the framework of the new rules around what is a NDIS funded item and what is not is challenging guardians to think through the purpose of the supports. For example, a digital device to support communication and skill development may be acceptable whilst an iPad or phone for a purpose not linked to overcoming a disability is not.

Pricing Changes: Updates Effective Mid-2025 and Late 2025

The NDIA updated the Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL) for supports throughout 2025:

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From 1 July 2025, price limits for many supports, especially those linked to disability support workers, were increased to align with industry wage changes (reflecting the Fair Work Commission's award increases and superannuation changes).

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Further pricing updates were published on 24 November 2025, including changes to item price limits and guidance for participants and providers.

Key points for participants:

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Price limits determine the maximum a provider can charge for a support and affect how much of your funding is used when a support is delivered.

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You and your provider can negotiate prices that are lower than the maximum.

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Good planning conversations ahead of bookings can help you make the most of your available funds.

Guardian Challenge: Guardians need to place focus on planning and structuring support objectives and strategy. Whilst the NDIS places a maximum limit on provider price points, the reality is that very few providers have a business model that incorporates loss making with only a few working on a charitable and non-profit basis. These can assist in stretching the limited resources to go further, but it is in the strategy and delivery plan that cost management starts. With limited resources, strong planning is key.

New Framework Planning: Delayed to Mid-2026

There are ongoing reforms to how NDIS planning works, part of making the system more consistent and fairer. These include:

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Introducing support needs assessments and a new planning model. This was originally expected in late 2025 but was delayed based on participant and sector feedback.

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The NDIA now aims to begin rolling out this "new framework" from mid-2026, with gradual implementation.

What this means for you:

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Current plans and planning processes continue as usual until these new rules start.

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You will not yet experience the new framework until it is formally introduced.

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Start preparing now by understanding how support needs assessments work.

Guardian Challenge: Context is critical. Understanding the impact of support needs assessments will be a key factor in building out the strategy and planning the utilisation of support funding. Every dollar in a NDIS budget will be tied to a support need and this tightening of the budgets will only drive up the importance of strategy and plan.

Impairment Information for New Participants

From 2025 onwards, new participants have received impairment information along with their access decisions. This provides clearer transparency about which impairments the NDIA accepted and how that relates to access and planning.

This helps participants better understand the basis of their eligibility and what supports might be funded.

Why this matters:

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Better understanding of your eligibility basis.

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Clearer connection between impairments and funded supports.

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Improved ability to advocate for appropriate support levels.

Guardian Challenge: Understanding the language around impairments is critical in the argument for funding through plans. It is the first step in working out the support needs assessment and hence comes before any plans or funding. As a result, it is critical that the impairment is understood and the impact that it has on an individual's ability to undertake day to day tasks and to understand the world around them, which in turn informs the support needs assessment. Talk to our Support Coordination Team for guidance.

Participant Planning Tips for 2026

Here are some practical tips to help you manage your NDIS plan this year:

Know impairment language

Arguing using impairment language and the impact of the impairment is the first step in getting a robust plan in place. It is the cornerstone of a solid plan.

Drive the support needs assessment

Drive the support needs assessment as this creates the reason for funding and leads to a robust plan from which a strategy for delivery can be developed.