How the NDIS works

To join the NDIS you make an access request to the NDIA.

In general, you need to be under 65 when you apply, live in Australia, and meet residency rules. You also need to show your disability is likely to be permanent and significantly affects your daily life. Some people qualify under early intervention rules instead.

You'll be asked for evidence from professionals who know you. Evidence that describes how your disability affects what you can do each day is just as important as the diagnosis itself.

If your condition fluctuates, it still counts. The NDIA looks at your situation over time, not just on one day. Describing how often high-need periods happen, and what they're like, helps paint that picture. The My Fluctuation Patterns tool can help you organise your own description to discuss with your treating professionals.

Where to check: the "Applying to access the NDIS" pages on ndis.gov.au.

Once you're accepted, you have a planning conversation with the NDIA or a Local Area Coordinator (LAC).

They'll ask about your life, your supports now (including family and friends), what's hard, and what you want to work towards.

You can bring a support person. You can ask for breaks. You can ask for things in writing. You can also send information beforehand.

It helps to think ahead about four things: a typical day, a hard day, the support you already get, and what you want to change. The worksheets on this site are built for exactly this kind of preparation.

After the meeting, the NDIA decides what goes in your plan. That decision is theirs to make, but clear, organised information from you and your treating professionals helps them understand your situation.

Your plan sets out your goals and your funded supports, arranged in budgets.

Funding generally needs to be used for supports related to your disability. The supports must be reasonable and necessary. They must also fit the current NDIS rules about what can be funded.

Plans are managed in one of three ways. Agency-managed means the NDIA pays providers directly. Plan-managed means a plan manager pays invoices for you. Self-managed means you handle payments yourself, with the most flexibility and the most admin. You can use a mix.

Keeping simple records of what's working and what isn't, even a few diary notes, makes your next reassessment much easier. The Support Diary can help with that.

Plans are reassessed from time to time. Before your plan ends, or when your circumstances change, the NDIA looks at whether your plan still fits.

You can also ask for a reassessment yourself if your situation has changed significantly, for example your needs have increased, or a major support has fallen away.

Good preparation usually covers three things: what worked, what didn't, and what's changed. The Plan Reassessment Prep worksheet walks you through exactly those questions and gives you printable notes to bring.

If your needs have changed, updated reports from your treating professionals carry a lot of weight. The Evidence Organiser can help you keep track of what you have and what you're waiting on.

You have the right to challenge NDIA decisions. This is normal and using it is okay.

Step one: internal review. You can ask the NDIA to look at the decision again. A different person reviews it. There are time limits for asking (currently three months from receiving the decision), so it's worth acting early.

Step two: external review. If you still disagree after the internal review, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which is independent of the NDIA.

You don't have to do this alone. Free, independent advocacy services can support you through reviews, find one through the Disability Advocacy Finder. Legal aid services in each state also help with NDIS appeals.

Where to check: the "Reviewing our decisions" pages on ndis.gov.au.

NDIA, the government agency that runs the NDIS and makes funding decisions.

LAC (Local Area Coordinator), helps you understand the NDIS, prepare for planning, and connect with supports. LACs work for partner organisations, not the NDIA itself.

Support coordinator, if funded in your plan, helps you find and manage your supports.

Plan manager, if you choose plan management, pays your providers' invoices.

Providers, the people and organisations that deliver your supports.

Advocates, independent people who help you have your say. Free advocacy is separate from the NDIS itself.

More plain-language definitions are in the glossary.