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NDIS Updates:

What you need to know about the latest changes

There have been some important changes announced for the NDIS, and understandably, families may have questions about what they mean for their child and their supports.

On 19 August 2026, Parliament passed new NDIS legislation, with the first changes beginning from 27 August 2026. Other changes will be introduced gradually over the next few years.

The most important thing to know is: you can continue using your current NDIS plan and supports as usual. Not every change will affect every participant, and the NDIA has said it will contact participants when a change affects them.

So, what's changing?

The new laws make changes across several areas of the NDIS, including how plans are reviewed and renewed, how funding can be used, record keeping, access to the Scheme and how some providers operate.

Because the changes are being introduced at different times, most families won’t need to understand everything at once.

Some of the first changes relate to plan reassessments and record keeping.

    • From this date only a participant, their plan nominee or child representative can request a plan reassessment.
    • The NDIA will only reassess a plan when a participant’s support needs or circumstances have changed in a significant and ongoing way.
    • There will be some extra record-keeping requirements for participants and providers.
      • Participants will need to keep records for 3 years.
      • Nominees will need to keep records for 5 years.
      • Providers will need to keep records for 7 years.
    • The new laws also provide a new definition of ‘functional capacity’, but no access changes will occur until January 2028.
    • These laws support other changes including:
      • new registration requirements for some providers
      • new integrity powers to help us better protect participants’ wellbeing, privacy and plans
      • greater penalties for providers who are not doing the right thing
      • using automated systems for some administrative actions.
    • The NDIA will let you know when they intend to make these changes.

Changes to some support budgets will begin to be introduced as plans are reassessed or renewed. These changes relate specifically to social, civic and community participation and capacity building daily activities.

    • Funding will reduce for:
      • social, community and civic participation supports
      • supports that help participants build skills for everyday life.
    • These funding changes will happen gradually as plans are renewed or reassessed.
    • A new plan variation pathway will be created for high support needs participants who require continuous 24-hour care to meet their disability-related care needs.
    • There will also be very clear guidelines around when a participant’s NDIS plan can be put on hold, including at least 5 attempts at contact over an extended period.

NDIS claims will need to be submitted within 90 days of the support being delivered.

There are two changes families may particularly want to be aware of.

  • The first is plan renewals. When a plan is due to be reassessed, it will either be reassessed by an NDIA planner or a new plan will be created with the same supports as the old plan.
    • Plan renewals will replace the process of ‘plan continuations,’ which the NDIA does for many participants.
  • Unspent funds from the previous plan won’t be rolled over.
  • There will also be new criteria for deciding what is considered a reasonable and necessary support.
    • For children, this will include clearer guidance about what parents would ordinarily be expected to provide, such as supervision, personal care, transport and emotional support. However, this does not include the additional support a child needs because of their disability compared with another child of a similar age.

This change will initially apply to new participants and it will be applied to current participants when it is time for their plan to be reassessed.

Some of the bigger changes will happen further down the track:

    • The NDIA will begin introducing the new way of planning, but they will share more information about this as they move forward with planning.

It’s expected to take about 4 years to transition all participants to the new way of planning.

There will be expanded mandatory registration requirements for some providers. This will impact providers who deliver personal care and daily living supports and supports provided in ‘closed settings’, such as supported independent living or group homes.

A new panel of plan management providers will be introduced, with participants supported to transition over six months.

    • Changes to how people access the NDIS will begin.
    • A new Technical Advisory Group has been set up to provide advice on the future assessment approach that will support NDIS access decisions.
    • The Group will also seek input from the public on this work.
    • Access will be based on how a person’s disability affects their ability to do everyday activities.

People with permanent and significant disability will continue to be able to access the NDIS.

A new support coordination and connection service is planned.

What do families need to do now?

For most families, there is no need to make immediate changes to your child’s supports or plan because of the new legislation.

The reforms will be introduced gradually, and some of the details are still being developed. The NDIA has said it will provide participants with more information before they move to new planning or access processes.

For now, it is a good idea to:

  • continue using your child’s current plan and supports as usual
  • keep clear records of NDIS-funded supports and payments
  • make sure your contact details with the NDIA are up to date
  • keep an eye out for information from the NDIA about your child’s plan
  • seek advice if you receive information you don’t understand or are unsure how a change affects your family.

We're here to support you

We know NDIS changes can feel complicated, particularly when you’re already managing appointments, therapies and everything else that comes with supporting your child.

At Youthrive, we’ll continue to keep an eye on changes that affect children and families accessing allied health supports and share important updates as more information becomes available.

In the meantime, your current NDIS plan remains in place and you can continue accessing your supports as usual.

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