How many NDIS support categories are there?

There are 15 support categories, grouped under 3 budget types: Core, Capacity Building and Capital. On PACE plans a fourth budget type — Recurring — is added, and some categories are renamed or broken out.

Can I move funding between NDIS categories?

Usually only within Core Supports, which is flexible. Capacity Building and Capital categories are "stated", so funding is locked to each. Moving money between budget types generally needs a plan reassessment.

Which category is Support Coordination in?

Support Coordination sits in the Capacity Building budget as its own category — never in Core. On PACE it is called "Support Coordination and Psychosocial Recovery Coach".

Which category pays for therapy like OT or speech?

Therapy is funded under Improved Daily Living in the Capacity Building budget — not Improved Health & Wellbeing, which is a common mix-up.

Is SIL a Core or Capacity Building support?

Supported Independent Living is funded from Core Supports. On legacy plans it sat under Assistance with Daily Life; on PACE it appears under a separate Home and Living category.

NDIS Support Categories & Budgets Explained

The NDIS organises the funding in your plan into 3 budget types — Core, Capacity Building and Capital — which together contain 15 support categories. Each category has its own rules about what it pays for and how freely you can move the money. If your plan was built in the newer PACE system, you may also see a fourth budget type, Recurring, and some renamed categories — we cover both versions below.

Understanding these categories is the difference between using your plan confidently and accidentally claiming the wrong support — a common reason claims get rejected. This guide explains every budget and category in plain English, which ones are flexible, what they do and don’t fund, and how to get the right supports into your plan.

What is an NDIS support category?

An NDIS support category is a labelled “bucket” of funding in your plan that can only pay for certain types of disability-related support. The NDIA groups these buckets under a small number of budget types. You choose providers and supports within each category, but you generally can’t spend one category’s money on a support that belongs to another. Not everyone has funding in every category — your plan reflects your assessed needs and goals.

The 3 NDIS budget types at a glance

Budget type	What it’s for	Flexibility
Core Supports	Everyday disability-related help and activities	Most flexible — funds usually move between Core categories
Capacity Building	Building skills and independence toward your goals	Stated — each category separate, funds don’t move between them
Capital Supports	One-off, higher-cost items like equipment and home changes	Least flexible — tied to specific quoted items

On PACE plans, a fourth type, Recurring, is added — mainly for regular transport payments made straight to you. Core is usually the largest share of a plan; Capacity Building is time-limited by design.

Core Supports categories

Core Supports fund the everyday, disability-related help you use most often. According to the NDIA, Core is the most flexible budget — in most cases you can move funding between Core categories without a plan review. The exceptions are stated supports and, on PACE plans, Home and Living funding.

Assistance with Daily Life — personal care and daily tasks: showering, dressing, meal prep, cleaning, in-home help. (On PACE, SIL moves into a separate Home and Living category.)
Transport — travel to work, study or appointments when you can’t use public transport. On PACE this usually becomes a Recurring payment made directly to you.
Consumables — disability-related items like continence products and low-cost assistive technology (under $1,500).
Assistance with Social, Economic & Community Participation — a support worker who helps you take part in activities (pays for the support, not the activity’s own cost).

Capacity Building categories

Capacity Building funds supports that build skills and independence. The key rule: every Capacity Building category is “stated,” so funding can’t move between them. The categories are Support Coordination; Improved Living Arrangements; Increased Social & Community Participation; Finding & Keeping a Job; Improved Relationships; Improved Health & Wellbeing; Improved Learning; Improved Life Choices (which funds Plan Management); and Improved Daily Living (which is where therapy — OT, physio, speech, psychology — sits). Many people wrongly assume therapy is under “Health & Wellbeing” — it isn’t. On PACE, the NDIA also breaks out a separate Behaviour Support category.

Capital Supports categories

Capital Supports cover one-off, higher-cost items. According to the NDIA, all Capital supports are stated — funding is tied to the specific approved item, usually needs quotes, and can’t be redirected. Assistive Technology covers equipment like wheelchairs and communication devices (as a rule, disability-related items over $1,500). Home Modifications covers changes like ramps and bathroom rails; Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) also sits under Capital.

Legacy plans vs PACE plans

PACE is the NDIA’s newer system, and everyone moves to it at their next reassessment. The supports don’t change, but the presentation does: a fourth budget type (Recurring), several new categories broken out (Home and Living, Behaviour Support, SDA), and five renamed Capacity Building categories. If your plan and an older guide disagree on names, this is usually why — always check your own plan.

What the NDIS doesn’t fund

No category can be used for everyday living costs. According to the NDIA, funding can’t pay for rent, groceries or utility bills, and won’t fund supports that duplicate Medicare or another mainstream service. Every support must be disability-related, reasonable and necessary, and drawn from the official NDIS support list.

How to get the right categories in your plan

Which categories you receive is decided at your planning meeting, based on your goals and assessed needs. To get a category funded you generally need evidence — often from an allied health professional — showing how your disability affects daily life. If a support isn’t in your plan, you usually can’t add it without a reassessment, so raise everything you need at the meeting. See

understanding your NDIS plan

and

how to apply for the NDIS

Browse NDIS support categories

Explore each category to see what it funds and find verified providers who deliver it near you.

NDIS support categories — FAQs

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General information, not NDIS or financial advice. Category names and rules differ between legacy and PACE plans and can change — always check your own plan or confirm with the NDIA, your plan manager, or a support coordinator.