NDIS budget changes from 1 October: what it means for you

NDIS budget changes started on 1 October 2026, and if you’re worried about what they mean for your plan, you’re not alone. Here is what has actually changed, and what hasn’t.

As at 5 October 2026. General information only, not legal, financial or medical advice. Rules can change, so check the official sources below.

What the NDIS budget changes are

The change comes from the new NDIS laws passed in August 2026. It reduces budgets in two support categories: Social, Economic and Community Participation, and Improved Daily Living Skills. The reductions are applied over 12 months, as plans are created or reassessed from 1 October 2026, or renewed from 1 February 2027.

The impact will be different for everyone. Your new or reassessed plan will show how much these two budgets have been reduced by.

What is not affected

Some supports inside those two categories are protected: employment supports, disability-related health supports, high intensity supports, intensive and complex behaviour supports, customised and wearable technology, and hearing services.

The rest of your plan isn’t touched. That includes help with eating, drinking, dressing, toileting, laundry, cleaning, nursing care and medication, plus home and vehicle modifications, personal mobility equipment and specialist disability accommodation.

What you can do now

1. Keep using your plan as normal until it is reassessed or renewed.
2. Watch for contact from the NDIA. For scheduled reassessments, it will get in touch 2 to 3 months before your reassessment date.
3. When your new plan arrives, talk to your providers about how to use these budgets within the new amount.
4. If your circumstances have changed in a big and lasting way, you can still ask for a plan reassessment or variation. The reduction on its own doesn’t count as that kind of change.
5. If you get 24-hour funded supports for needs arising directly from your disability, and your combined Assistance with Daily Life, Home and Living, and Social, Economic and Community Participation budget was $215,030 or more before the reduction, ask about the new high support needs variation pathway.

How Kinship can help

We know a funding letter can sit heavy for days. It’s hard to plan a life when you don’t know what next year’s budget looks like.

Kinship Uniting Services has worked in disability and aged care since 2017, and we’re a registered NDIS provider (4-GWVHCEY). We provide community participation and life skills and group activities, so we see how these budgets are used week to week. You’ll have the same support worker every visit, and if your budget changes, we’ll talk with you about how our supports fit the new amount. See all our NDIS services or where we work across Sydney.

If you’d like us to help with this, call 0437 733 744 and we’ll talk it through. Or send us a note through our get support page, whichever is easier for you.

Ask us: got a question about this change? Email info@kinshipunitingservices.com or call 0437 733 744, and we’ll answer it in plain English.

Common questions

Will my NDIS plan be cut on 1 October 2026?

Not automatically. The change applies when your plan is created or reassessed from 1 October 2026, or renewed from 1 February 2027. Until then, you can keep using your current plan as usual.

Can I ask for a review of the budget reduction?

The NDIA says the reduction itself is not a reviewable decision. You can still ask for a plan reassessment or variation if your circumstances have changed in a significant and ongoing way.

Official sources

• NDIA: Changes to support budgets from 1 October (1 October 2026)
• NDIA: Securing the NDIS for future generations
• Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: Funding changes for NDIS supports (updated 24 September 2026)

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📞 0437 733 744 | kinshipunitingservices.com
Kinship Uniting Services, 39 Victory Road, Colebee NSW 2761
Registered NDIS provider 4-GWVHCEY