Understanding Your NDIS Budget: A Participant Guide
Your NDIS plan comes with funding divided into specific categories. Understanding how these categories work helps you make the most of your plan and avoid common pitfalls like overspending in one area or leaving funding unused.
The Three Main Budget Categories
1. Core Supports
Core supports fund your day-to-day disability-related needs. This is often the largest category in your plan. Core includes four sub-categories:
- Assistance with Daily Living — personal care, household tasks, meal preparation
- Transport — funding to help you get to appointments, work, or community activities
- Consumables — everyday items related to your disability (continence supplies, low-cost assistive technology)
- Assistance with Social and Community Participation — support workers for community access, social activities, recreational programs
Flexibility: Core supports are generally flexible, meaning you can move funding between Core sub-categories. For example, if you spend less on transport, you can use that funding for community participation instead.
2. Capacity Building Supports
Capacity Building funding helps you build skills and independence over time. Unlike Core, this funding is category-specific — you cannot move money between Capacity Building sub-categories.
Key Capacity Building categories include:
- Support Coordination — help to find and coordinate your providers
- Improved Daily Living — therapy services (occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychology)
- Plan Management — your plan manager's fees (this comes from here, not your other budgets)
- Employment Support — help to find and keep a job
- Improved Relationships — support for social skills and relationships
- Increased Social and Community Participation — programs to build your community connections
3. Capital Supports
Capital supports fund higher-cost items and modifications:
- Assistive Technology — wheelchairs, communication devices, vehicle modifications, specialised equipment
- Home Modifications — ramps, bathroom modifications, accessible kitchens
- Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) — for participants with very high support needs
Capital funding is strictly allocated to specific items approved in your plan.
How to Track Your Budget
Keeping track of your spending is essential. Here is how:
If you are plan-managed: Your plan manager tracks your budget for you and provides regular statements. At Ripper Plan Management, you receive clear breakdowns by category and provider so you always know where your funding stands.
If you are self-managed: You need to track spending yourself using spreadsheets, accounting software, or the NDIS myplace portal.
If you are agency-managed: You can check your budget through the myplace portal, but updates may be delayed compared to plan-managed tracking.
Common Budget Mistakes
- Not using all your funding — unspent funding does not roll over to your next plan. If you are consistently underspending, consider using more supports or discuss adjustments with your support coordinator.
- Overspending in one category — particularly with Capacity Building, where you cannot transfer between sub-categories. Your plan manager can alert you when you are approaching a limit.
- Not understanding flexibility — many participants do not realise Core supports are flexible. This can mean leaving funding on the table.
How Plan Management Helps
A plan manager gives you real-time visibility of your budget. At Ripper Plan Management, we:
- Track spending across all categories
- Alert you when funding in any category is running low
- Provide data and reports to support your plan review conversations
- Help you understand which categories are flexible and which are not
If you want better visibility and control over your NDIS budget, complete a referral with Ripper Plan Management, or call 03 9022 1229.