Guide ยท NDIS
How the NDIS works: who is eligible and how to apply
The NDIS funds supports for people with a permanent and significant disability. This guide explains who can get in, how to apply, what evidence counts and what the new laws change.
Updated 25 September 2026 · About 9 minutes to read · All guides
In short
- The NDIS is Australia's national disability scheme, run by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). It funds supports for people with a permanent and significant disability.
- To be eligible you must be 0 to 64 when you apply, live in Australia as a citizen, permanent resident or Protected Special Category visa holder, and meet the disability or early intervention requirements.
- Evidence of how a disability affects everyday life matters as much as the diagnosis. The NDIA says it will tell you if you are eligible within 90 days of getting your application and all your evidence.
- Children younger than 9 usually start with an NDIS early childhood partner, who can help even if a child isn't eligible.
- New laws passed in August 2026. Eligibility changes start on 1 January 2028, and from then children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs will be supported by Thriving Kids instead.
What the NDIS is and what it pays for
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funds supports for Australians with a permanent and significant disability. It is run by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). Not everyone with a disability is eligible, and the NDIS works alongside the health system, schools and other services rather than replacing them.
The NDIS funds what the law calls reasonable and necessary supports. In the NDIA's words, a support has to relate to your disability, help you work towards your goals, be value for money and be likely to be effective. It can't cover day-to-day living costs or holidays, and it isn't meant to replace what families, community services, health or education provide.
The law also spells out what counts as an NDIS support. There are two lists: one of what is an NDIS support and one of what isn't.
Who is eligible
You need to meet three kinds of eligibility requirements:
- Age. You must be 0 to 64 years old when you apply.
- Residence. You must live in Australia and be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or a Protected Special Category visa holder.
- Disability or early intervention. You must meet either the disability requirements or the early intervention requirements.
The disability requirements
The NDIA lists five, and you need all of them:
- your disability is caused by one or more impairments
- the impairment is, or is likely to be, permanent
- it substantially reduces your ability to do everyday tasks in one or more of six areas: communicating, socialising, learning, moving around, looking after yourself and managing your life
- it affects your ability to work, study or take part in social life
- you are likely to need NDIS supports for your lifetime.
The early intervention requirements
These are for people with an impairment that is likely to be permanent, where getting support early should improve their functional capacity, stop it getting worse or reduce the support they need later. For a child younger than 6 with developmental delay, the NDIA says the delay must substantially reduce the child's functional capacity compared with other children the same age, and the child must need specialist help from more than one professional working as a team for longer than 12 months.
How the NDIA decides: diagnosis lists and evidence
The NDIA's Applying to the NDIS guideline includes lists of conditions that make some decisions quicker.
- List A is conditions likely to meet the disability requirements. If you give evidence of a List A diagnosis, the NDIA says it will likely decide you meet them. For autism, List A covers autism assessed under current DSM criteria as level 2 (requiring substantial support) or level 3 (requiring very substantial support), diagnosed by a specialist multidisciplinary team, paediatrician, psychiatrist or clinical psychologist experienced in assessing autism.
- List B is permanent conditions where everyday functioning varies. With a List B diagnosis, the NDIA will likely accept that the impairment is permanent, but it will want evidence of how much it affects daily life. Autism that doesn't meet the List A criteria, which usually means level 1, is on List B.
Most conditions are on neither list, including ADHD. That doesn't rule anyone out. It means the evidence of everyday impact has to do the work.
That evidence usually comes from your treating professionals. For autism, the NDIA names the DSM-5 for diagnosis and prefers standard measures of everyday functioning, such as the Vineland-III, WHODAS 2.0 (17 and over) or PEDI-CAT (16 and under). A functional capacity assessment, done by an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist or medical specialist, looks at the six everyday areas. The NDIA says you don't need one to apply, but it can be useful evidence. Our guide to autism levels explains what the levels mean.
How to apply, step by step
- Talk to an NDIS partner. Call 1800 800 110 or visit a local office. For a child younger than 9, the NDIA encourages parents to talk to an early childhood partner first.
- Gather evidence with your treating health professionals.
- Complete the application. Your partner can help, or you can fill in an access request form yourself.
- Submit it through the NDIS online service hub, by post, in person at a local office, or through your partner.
- Wait for a decision. The NDIA says it will tell you whether you are eligible within 90 days once your application and all your supporting evidence are in.
If you are found not eligible, the NDIA sends a letter explaining why. You can ask for an internal review within 3 months of getting the decision. If you still disagree, you have 28 days after the internal review to ask the Administrative Review Tribunal for an external review. There is no limit on how many times you can apply, so if your situation or your evidence changes, you can apply again.
Children younger than 9: the early childhood approach
For young children, the NDIS works through early childhood partners: local organisations with teams of professionals who work with children with developmental delay or disability, and their families. The early childhood approach is for children younger than 9.
Partners can offer early connections, which give quick access to supports, and the NDIA says they can help even if your child isn't eligible for the NDIS. If your child needs longer-term support, the partner can help you apply.
This is the part of the system that changes most for families. From 1 October 2026, the government's new Thriving Kids program starts supporting children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs, outside the NDIS. From 1 January 2028, those children will be supported by Thriving Kids instead of the NDIS. Our Thriving Kids guide covers what is known so far.
If you get in: plans and funding
Participants get a plan with a budget for the supports the NDIA decides are reasonable and necessary. You can manage the funding in one of three ways:
- Self-managed: you, your nominee or your representative pay providers and keep the records.
- Plan-managed: a registered plan manager pays providers and keeps the records for you.
- NDIA-managed: the NDIA pays providers and keeps the records.
If your functional capacity or support needs change in a significant and ongoing way, you can ask for your plan to be reassessed before its due date.
What is changing, 2026 to 2028
On 19 August 2026, Parliament passed the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026. The changes roll out over several years. The government's timeline includes these:
| When | What changes |
|---|---|
| From 1 October 2026 | Thriving Kids starts. Budgets for social, civic and community participation supports are cut by 50 per cent, and capacity building daily activity budgets by 10 per cent, as plans are reassessed or renewed over 12 months. The government notes this won't always mean spending drops by that much, because many people don't use their whole budget. |
| From 1 February 2027 | Tighter rules for deciding which supports are funded for new participants. |
| From 1 January 2028 | New applicants are assessed using a new standardised, evidence-based assessment of functional capacity. Existing participants are reassessed progressively over 3 years. Children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs are supported by Thriving Kids instead of the NDIS. |
| By 31 December 2030 | All participants have moved to new-style plans. |
The NDIA also says there will be clearer guidelines on what parents are expected to provide for a child with disability, such as supervision, personal care, transport and emotional and behavioural support, as distinct from the extra support a child needs because of their disability.
Until 1 January 2028 there are no changes to how people get into the NDIS, and the NDIA says people with permanent and significant disability will continue to be able to access it. Existing participants can keep using their plans, and the NDIA says it will contact people about changes that affect them. Nobody can promise an NDIS outcome.
Questions people ask
Am I eligible for the NDIS?
You may be if you are 0 to 64 when you apply, live in Australia as a citizen, permanent resident or Protected Special Category visa holder, and have a permanent impairment that substantially reduces your ability to do everyday tasks. Some people qualify under the early intervention requirements instead. The NDIA decides based on your evidence, and not everyone with a disability is eligible.
How long does an NDIS application take?
The NDIA says it will tell you whether you are eligible within 90 days of getting your application and all your supporting evidence. An NDIS partner, or an early childhood partner for a child younger than 9, can help you get the application ready.
Does autism qualify for the NDIS?
It can. The NDIA's guideline lists autism at level 2 or 3, diagnosed by a specialist multidisciplinary team, paediatrician, psychiatrist or clinical psychologist experienced in assessing autism, as likely to meet the disability requirements. Autism below that, usually level 1, needs evidence of how it substantially affects everyday life. From 1 January 2028, children aged 8 and under with low to moderate support needs will be supported by Thriving Kids instead.
Can you get the NDIS for ADHD?
ADHD isn't on the NDIA's List A or List B, and on its own it rarely meets the disability requirements. It can be part of the picture alongside another condition, such as autism or intellectual disability. Other systems, like school adjustments and Centrelink, treat ADHD differently.
What happens if my NDIS application is rejected?
The NDIA sends a letter explaining why. You can ask for an internal review within 3 months, and if you still disagree, go to the Administrative Review Tribunal within 28 days of the internal review. You can also apply again, with no limit on how many times.
What are the NDIS changes in 2026?
New laws passed in August 2026. From 1 October 2026, Thriving Kids starts and budgets for social and community participation supports are reduced as plans are reassessed or renewed. Eligibility rules change from 1 January 2028, when a new standardised assessment of functional capacity starts and existing participants begin to be reassessed over 3 years.
Wondering whether an assessment makes sense? The free screener takes about three minutes, for your child, your adult son or daughter, or yourself. It suggests which assessment fits, and it will tell you if one does not look like the right next step. Start the free screener.
Where this information comes from
We would rather you checked us than took our word for it. Every link below is the original source, not a summary of one.
- NDIS. What are the NDIS eligibility requirements?The NDIA's summary of the age, residence, disability and early intervention requirements.
- NDIS. What are the disability requirements?The NDIA's plain-English statement of the five disability requirements, including the six areas of everyday functioning.
- NDIS. What are the early intervention eligibility requirements?Early intervention criteria, including the definition of developmental delay for children younger than 6.
- National Disability Insurance Agency (2026). Applying to the NDIS (guideline dated 26 August 2026).The NDIA's access guideline, including List A (autism at level 2 or 3, diagnosed by specified clinicians) and List B (autism not meeting those criteria).
- NDIS. What are examples of disability evidence?The NDIA's list of accepted evidence for autism, including the DSM-5 and preferred measures of everyday functioning.
- NDIS. What is a functional capacity assessment?What a functional capacity assessment covers, who does one, and that it isn't required but can be useful evidence.
- NDIS. How to apply.The five steps to apply, the ways to submit, and the NDIA's 90-day timeframe once all evidence is in.
- NDIS. How to request a review of a decision.The 3-month window for an internal review and the 28 days to go to the Administrative Review Tribunal.
- NDIS. Guide to the early childhood approach.How early childhood partners support children younger than 9, including children who aren't eligible for the NDIS.
- NDIS. What is reasonable and necessary?The NDIA's explanation of what the NDIS will and won't fund.
- NDIS. What are NDIS supports?Explains that NDIS laws define what the NDIS can fund, with two lists of what are and aren't NDIS supports.
- NDIS. Guide to your management options.The three ways NDIS funding can be managed: self-managed, plan-managed and NDIA-managed.
- NDIS (2026). Securing the NDIS for future generations.The NDIA's summary of the August 2026 law changes, including reassessment of existing participants over 3 years from 2028.
- NDIS (19 August 2026). New NDIS laws pass.The NDIA's announcement that eligibility changes won't occur until 1 January 2028 and participants can keep using their plans as usual.
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2026). About the changes to the NDIS.Government summary of the changes, including the October 2026 budget reset and the 2028 access changes for young children.
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (2026). Securing the NDIS for future generations: timeline.Dated timeline of the reforms from 2026 to 2030, including Thriving Kids and the January 2028 access changes.
Links to external sites are provided for reference. We do not control them and they may change. Last checked 25 September 2026.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about yourself or your child, talk to your GP.
Not sure where to start?
For your child, your adult son or daughter, or yourself. The free screener takes about three minutes and tells you which assessment fits — or whether you need one at all.