Practical NDIS information

Plain-language information you can actually use

These guides explain how the NDIS generally works. They are general information, not advice about your own plan — always confirm details with the NDIA, your plan manager or your support coordinator.

A participant and her support worker reading plan information together on a veranda — Plain-language information, read through together whenever you need it.

Guides

Six things worth understanding

Written for participants, families and new support coordinators. Ask us about any of it over the phone.

Understanding your NDIS plan

An NDIS plan sets out your goals and the funded supports available to pursue them. Funding is grouped into budgets, and each budget has rules about what it can be used for.

Core supports generally cover everyday assistance — personal care, community participation, consumables and transport.
Capacity Building supports fund things that build skills or independence, such as Support Coordination or therapy, and are usually tied to a specific category.
Capital supports fund higher-cost items such as assistive technology or home modifications, and are quoted and approved separately.
Funding is not interchangeable between all categories, so ask before assuming a support can be paid from a particular budget.
Your plan has a start and end date. Keep track of what has been spent so funding lasts the full plan period.

Plan managed, self managed or NDIA managed?

How your plan is managed changes who pays providers and which providers you can use. All three options give you a say in your supports.

NDIA managed: the NDIA pays providers directly, and you must use NDIS-registered providers.
Plan managed: a plan manager handles invoices and claims for you, and you can use registered or unregistered providers.
Self managed: you receive funds and pay providers yourself, with more flexibility and more record-keeping responsibility.
You can have a mix across different budgets, and you can ask to change the arrangement at a plan reassessment.
Tell any prospective provider how your plan is managed early — it determines whether they can work with you at all.

Preparing for a plan reassessment

A plan reassessment looks at whether your funded supports still match your needs and goals. Preparation makes a real difference to the outcome.

Write down what has changed since your last plan — new needs, new risks, things that are working and things that are not.
Ask your providers for progress reports well before the meeting, and check they describe function and support needs, not just attendance.
Describe a typical day and a bad day, including how much support you actually needed rather than what was funded.
Bring goals in your own words. Goals shape which supports can be funded.
Take someone with you if that helps, and ask for information in a format that works for you.

What to look for in a service agreement

A service agreement is the written understanding between you and a provider. You should never feel rushed into signing one.

The supports to be delivered, how often, and who is responsible for what.
Prices, plus any travel, cancellation or short-notice charges, in line with current NDIS pricing rules.
How to change or cancel supports, and the notice period each side must give.
How your information is handled, and how to give feedback or make a complaint.
Ask for an Easy Read or plain-language version if the document is hard to follow, and take it away to read before signing.

Your rights as a participant

You have the right to safe, respectful support and to choice and control over who provides it. The NDIS Code of Conduct applies to every worker who supports you.

You can ask questions, change your mind, or change providers.
You can involve a family member, friend, advocate or interpreter at any time.
You can complain to a provider, or go directly to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, without permission from anyone.
Raising a concern must never affect the support you receive.
Read our participant rights page for what this means in practice with IDIM Care.

Asking for culturally safe support

Cultural safety is decided by the person receiving support, not the provider delivering it. It is reasonable to state your preferences and to expect an honest answer.

Say what matters to you: language, gender, family and kinship involvement, food, community and cultural obligations.
Ask a provider what they can actually meet from their current workforce, and what they cannot.
Ask how interpreter or accessible communication needs will be met, and who pays for them.
Ask how your preferences are recorded, and who they are shared with.
If support does not feel respectful, you can say so and ask for a change.

These guides are general information about the NDIS and do not replace advice from the NDIA, your plan manager, your support coordinator or a qualified professional. NDIS rules and pricing change over time — always confirm current details for your own circumstances.

Useful links