NDIS guides, articles & resources

Expert articles on NDIS plans, providers, housing and supports — written for participants and families.

Latest articles

Moving into supported accommodation: a 6-step checklist — From your first enquiry to move-in day — the practical steps, the questions to ask, and the red flags to watch for.
Free NDIS templates & checklists: progress reports, carer statements, handovers and more — Six printable templates built from our guides — no sign-up, no email capture. Open, print or save as PDF, and adapt freely.
How to apply for the NDIS: a step-by-step guide (2026) — From checking eligibility to your first plan — every step of the NDIS application explained in plain English, including the evidence that…
Understanding the SDA design categories — High Physical Support, Robust, Fully Accessible, Improved Liveability and Basic — what each category means for you.
NDIS Price Guide 2026–27: rates, limits and how pricing actually works — What the NDIS Pricing Arrangements mean for your plan: the key hourly rates for 2026–27, when loadings apply, and the rules that decide what…
NDIS Capacity Building supports: what each category funds and how to maximise yours — Capacity Building is the budget that changes your trajectory — but it is locked into categories and silently underspent in thousands of…
NDIS support worker pay rates 2026: what workers earn (and why it differs from what plans are charged) — SCHADS Award rates, casual loadings, weekend penalties — and the honest maths between a worker’s hourly pay and the $67.56 an agency bills…
Functional capacity assessments: the report that shapes your whole NDIS plan — An FCA is the single most influential document in NDIS decision-making — access, funding levels, housing, everything. What it involves, what…
How to prepare for your NDIS plan reassessment (and not lose funding) — Plans are no longer rebuilt every year by default — which makes the reassessments that do happen higher-stakes. The evidence to gather, the…
NDIS service agreements: what to check before you sign anything — The service agreement decides what you pay, how you leave, and what happens when things go wrong. The clauses that matter, the red flags,…
NDIS line items: how to read the codes on your invoices and statements — Every NDIS dollar is claimed against a code like 01_011_0107_1_1. Here is how to decode them, why the right code matters, and the claiming…
Choosing an NDIS provider: the ten questions that actually matter — Beyond the brochure: the questions that separate providers who deliver from providers who onboard — and the answers that should end the…
How to change NDIS providers without losing support — You are never locked in. The clean sequence for switching — overlap, records, notice — and what to do when a provider makes leaving…
NDIS for children under 9: how the Early Childhood Approach really works — No diagnosis needed under 6, a different front door, and a family-coaching model that outperforms clinic-hopping. What parents need to know,…
What is a psychosocial recovery coach — and is one right for your plan? — The NDIS support built specifically for mental health: what recovery coaches do, lived versus learned experience, and how coaching differs…
SLES explained: the two years that decide whether school leads to work — School Leaver Employment Supports bridge the gap between the school gate and real employment. Who gets it, what good programs deliver, and…
The I-CAN assessment and automated NDIS plans: what is actually changing — The NDIA is moving toward standardised needs assessment feeding computer-assisted budgets. What the I-CAN rollout means, what stays human,…
SIL vs SDA: What’s the difference, and which is in your plan? — Supported Independent Living and Specialist Disability Accommodation are funded differently and do different jobs. Here’s a plain-English…
Getting NDIS behaviour support: the process from first incident to working plan — When behaviour is putting someone at risk, the path to funded help has specific steps, regulated deadlines and long waitlists. Here is the…
How to find speech therapy on the NDIS — NDIS speech therapy can be funded under Capacity Building or Core Supports, but knowing how to find a registered provider and get the most…
How to choose an NDIS plan manager — Choosing the right NDIS plan manager can save you hours of administration and help your funding go further. This guide explains what plan…
What the NDIS will NOT fund — The NDIS funds supports that are reasonable and necessary for your disability — but there is a long list of things it will not pay for.…
How to read your NDIS plan budget — Your NDIS plan sets out your goals and the funding available to achieve them, but the layout can be confusing at first. This guide explains…
How to apply for the NDIS step by step — Applying for the NDIS involves confirming eligibility, gathering evidence, and submitting an access request — this step-by-step guide walks…
NDIS worker screening check explained — The NDIS Worker Screening Check is a national background check required for anyone working in risk-assessed roles with NDIS participants.…
New Framework Planning explained — The NDIS new framework planning model, rolling out from 2025 to 2027, changes how plans are written, how budgets are structured, and how…
SDA vs SIL vs ILO: plain-English comparison — SDA, SIL, and ILO are three distinct types of NDIS housing and living support — and they are often confused. This guide explains what each…
How to find an occupational therapist (OT) on the NDIS — An occupational therapist (OT) can unlock equipment funding, home modifications, and clearer plan goals — but finding the right one through…
Self-managed vs plan-managed vs agency-managed — Choosing how to manage your NDIS plan affects who handles your payments, which providers you can access, and how much admin you take on.…
What can I spend my NDIS funding on? — Your NDIS plan is divided into budget categories with different rules about what you can buy. This guide explains what each category covers,…
Core vs Capacity Building vs Capital explained — Your NDIS plan has three funding categories that work very differently. Understanding how Core, Capacity Building, and Capital supports work…
Am I eligible for the NDIS? Criteria & checklist — NDIS eligibility depends on your age, residency, disability type, and how your disability affects daily life. This guide explains the…
How to get listed in NDIS provider directories — Being listed in NDIS provider directories puts your services in front of participants who are actively searching. Here is how to get listed…
How to become a disability support worker in Australia — Disability support work is one of Australia's fastest-growing careers. Here is what you actually need — qualifications, checks, and…
Support workers: how to hire and manage — Finding the right NDIS support worker takes more than browsing a few profiles. This guide walks you through every step — from writing a job…
NDIS Reforms 2026–2027: Everything Explained — The NDIS is undergoing its most significant overhaul since launching in 2013, with new planning frameworks, foundational supports, tighter…
NDIS Housing Explained: SDA, SIL & ILO — NDIS housing options can be confusing because the scheme funds two very different things: the physical home you live in and the support you…
NDIS Therapy & Allied Health: The Full Guide — A complete guide to NDIS therapy and allied health in 2026: which disciplines are funded, how budgets work, what assessments cost, and how…
NDIS Plan Management & Coordination: Complete Guide — NDIS plan management and support coordination are two of the most important levers in your NDIS plan, yet many participants confuse them or…
NDIS Funding & Pricing Explained (2026) — A plain-English breakdown of how the NDIS decides your funding, what the price limits mean, and how to make every dollar in your plan work…
Understanding Your NDIS Plan: The Complete Guide — Your NDIS plan is the document that unlocks funding for the supports you need — but it only works well when you know how to read it, use it,…
What is the NDIS? A Plain-English Guide (2026) — The NDIS is Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme, a government-funded program that gives eligible Australians with permanent and…
ILO vs SIL: two very different answers to “where will I live?” — Supported Independent Living and Individualised Living Options fund support at home in opposite ways. How each works, who suits which, and…
The NDIS evidence pack: assembling an access request that gets approved first time — Most rejected applications fail on evidence, not eligibility. What a complete pack contains, who writes what, and the phrases reports must…
The complete guide to AWDO (Active Waking Day Overnight) support — What active overnight support means, when it’s funded, and how to find a home that staffs it every night.
Carer impact statements: the unpaid-work audit that changes NDIS funding — Plans are built on assumptions about what families can keep doing. A carer impact statement corrects the record — here is how to write one…
Progress reports that protect funding: what to ask your providers for — The reports your therapists and providers write are the evidence your next plan is built from. What a funding-protective report contains —…
Support coordination levels 1, 2 and 3: which one is in your plan, and what it buys — Support connection, coordination of supports, specialist support coordination — three levels, three price points, three very different jobs.…
How to read an NDIS provider’s registration status (and why it matters) — Registered, unregistered, plan-managed, self-managed — untangling which providers you can actually use.
Assistive technology funding tiers: why a $400 item and a $40,000 item follow different rules — The NDIS sorts assistive technology by cost and risk — and the tier decides what evidence you need, who must assess it, and how fast you can…
Self-managed, plan-managed or NDIA-managed: which gives you more choice? — Your plan management type decides which providers you can use. Here’s how to make the most of yours.
Every NDIS support category explained: Core, Capital and Capacity Building — Your plan is organised into three budget types and seventeen support categories. Here is what each one funds, how flexible each budget…