NDIS plan review season runs from April to June each year. It is the busiest review period in the NDIS calendar — and for most families, the most stressful.
Not because the review itself is complicated. Because most families walk in without knowing what the NDIA actually looks at when deciding what to fund next.
This guide covers exactly what to prepare, what evidence to bring, and what to check before your review meeting — so you get the funding your family actually needs.
The One Thing Most Families Don’t Know About NDIS Plan Reviews
The NDIA looks at what you used. Not what you needed.
This is the single most important thing to understand before any plan review.
If your current plan allocated $12,000 to Community Participation and $1,400 was actually claimed — your next plan may be smaller. Not because your support needs changed. Because the system interprets unused funding as evidence the allocation was too generous.
This means families who had poor providers — workers who cancelled, services that never properly started, support that was promised but not delivered — can be penalised twice. First by the poor service. Then by having their next plan reduced because the funding sat unused.
The reason for unspent funding matters enormously. But the NDIA will not automatically know the reason. You have to tell them.
Step One — Check Your Funding on myplace.ndis.gov.au
Before your review, log into myplace.ndis.gov.au and find your current plan.
Look at every support category. For each one:
- Note the total amount allocated
- Note the total amount spent to date
- Calculate the gap
If there is a significant gap in any category, write down why. Was it a provider issue? Cancelled visits? A life event that disrupted services? A mismatch between the support worker and the participant’s needs?
That explanation belongs in your review meeting — ideally in writing.
Log in at: myplace.ndis.gov.au → My Plans → select your current plan → View Details → Budget Summary
The Complete NDIS Plan Review Checklist
Use this checklist in the weeks before your plan review. Work through it with your support coordinator if you have one.
Before the review — gather evidence:
- Progress notes from your occupational therapist
- Reports from your speech therapist, physiotherapist, or other allied health providers
- A summary from your support coordinator of what supports have been in place
- Any letters, assessments, or medical reports confirming current diagnoses or changes in condition
- School reports or teacher feedback if the participant is a child or young person
Write down what has changed:
- New goals that have emerged since your last plan
- New challenges or changes in your condition or living situation
- Changes in what family or informal support is available
- Any significant life events that affected service delivery
Write down what is not working:
- Which services failed to deliver as expected
- Which goals did not get the support they needed
- What is still missing from your current plan
- What you would change if you could
Know your goals for the next plan:
- What do you want to achieve in the next 12 months?
- Which specific supports will help you get there?
- What does a good week look like for the participant?
What Your Support Coordinator Should Be Doing Before Your Review
Plan review preparation is a core function of NDIS Support Coordination (Category 7). A good support coordinator will:
- Review your current plan with you at least 6–8 weeks before the review
- Gather progress reports from all providers
- Help you identify what worked, what didn’t, and what you still need
- Brief your LAC or planner before the review meeting
- Attend the review with you or provide a written submission on your behalf
If your support coordinator is not doing these things — that is important information for your review. You are entitled to a coordinator who prepares you.
To check your Support Coordination spend: myplace.ndis.gov.au → My Plans → Support Category 7 → Budget used vs allocated.
Common NDIS Plan Review Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Mistake 1 — Going in without evidence The NDIA responds to documented evidence. Progress reports, therapy notes, and written summaries of what did and didn’t work carry more weight than verbal descriptions in the meeting.
Mistake 2 — Not explaining unspent funding If funding went unspent due to service failures, provider cancellations, or life events — say so explicitly. Document it. The NDIA needs to understand the reason before they can maintain or increase the allocation.
Mistake 3 — Focusing only on what went well Plan reviews are the opportunity to advocate for what you still need. A list of what is not working, what goals haven’t been met, and what support is still missing is just as important as celebrating progress.
Mistake 4 — Walking in without clear goals The NDIA funds goals, not just services. If you can clearly articulate what you want life to look like in 12 months — and which supports will help you get there — your review will go better.