Informal supports

Unpaid help from family, friends and community that the NDIA takes into account.

What it means

Informal supports are the unpaid, everyday help you receive from the people and community around you. This includes family members, friends, partners, housemates, neighbours, carers and volunteers, as well as help you get through mainstream services and community groups. It is support that already exists in your life, given freely rather than paid for through your NDIS plan.

Informal supports matter because the NDIA must take them into account when deciding what funded support is reasonable and necessary. The idea is that the NDIS complements the care you already receive, rather than replacing it. So the everyday help around you directly affects what the NDIA will fund.

In practice

When you plan, it helps to describe your informal supports honestly, including where there are gaps. If a family member helps you shower each morning but is unavailable during the day, or a friend drives you to appointments but cannot do it regularly, that is important for the NDIA to understand. Describing both the help and its limits paints a realistic picture.

Be clear about what is sustainable. A carer may be doing a lot now, but if that arrangement is putting their own health, work or wellbeing at risk, it may not be reasonable to expect it to continue long term. Explaining this helps the NDIA weigh what funded support you genuinely need alongside the unpaid help you already have.

A real example

For example, Priya lives with her elderly mother, who helps her prepare meals and reminds her to take medication in the mornings. Her mother works part time, so she cannot help during the day or on weekends. When planning, Priya described both the help her mother gives and these gaps, so the NDIA could see where funded support was still needed.

Informal supports — FAQs

What counts as an informal support?
Informal supports are the unpaid help you already receive in daily life. This includes family, friends, partners, housemates, neighbours, carers and volunteers, plus help you get through community groups and mainstream services. The key feature is that the support is given freely, rather than paid for through your NDIS funding.
Why does the NDIA ask about informal supports?
The NDIA must consider informal supports when deciding what funded support is reasonable and necessary. The NDIS is designed to complement the help you already have, not replace it. So understanding the unpaid support in your life helps the NDIA decide what genuinely needs to be funded through your plan.
Will having informal supports reduce my funding?
It can, because the NDIA takes existing unpaid help into account. However, it should only reduce funding where that help is genuinely available and sustainable. If relying on a family member or friend puts their health, work or wellbeing at risk, that is not reasonable, so it is important to explain any limits and gaps honestly.
Should I mention gaps in my informal supports?
Yes. Describing where your unpaid help falls short is just as important as describing the help itself. If someone assists you in the morning but not during the day, or helps occasionally rather than reliably, say so. This gives the NDIA a realistic picture of where funded support is still needed.
Are paid carers considered informal supports?
No. Informal supports are unpaid. If you pay someone to provide support, whether through your NDIS plan or privately, that is a formal or funded support, not an informal one. Family and friends who help without payment are informal supports, even if they provide a large amount of care.

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