Local Area Coordinator (LAC): Find Your NDIS Contact
LAC stands for local area coordinator. If you need to find your LAC, start with the official NDIS offices and contacts search. Enter your suburb or postcode, then confirm which partner is allocated to you. The nearest office is not necessarily your allocated partner.
You can also call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 to ask for your local contact. Carevo does not allocate LACs, provide the LAC service or make NDIS access decisions.
What is a Local Area Coordinator (LAC)?
A LAC works through an NDIS partner organisation and can help people connect with the NDIS and community supports. Community connections can also be useful to people who do not have an NDIS plan. See the NDIS community connections guidance.
The help you need may be information about applying, understanding next steps or finding local mainstream and community services. Your NDIS contact can explain which team should handle your situation. Do not assume a LAC can approve funding, change a plan or deliver ongoing personal care.
How to Find Your Local Area Coordinator
- Open the official location search.
- Search your suburb or postcode and look for the relevant partner or NDIS office.
- Contact the listed office to check that it covers your circumstances. If uncertain, call 1800 800 110.
- Ask about appointment arrangements, accessibility, an interpreter or another communication method if needed.
Partner organisations and areas can change. Use the official listing rather than an old list of company names. In areas without an NDIS partner, contact the NDIA to ask about the local arrangement. Do not assume every remote community has a LAC office.
LAC vs Support Coordinator: Key Differences
| Question | LAC or NDIS partner contact | Support coordinator |
|---|---|---|
| Where do I start? | The official NDIS contact route for your area | Research providers after checking the coordination funded in your plan |
| What kind of help? | NDIS and community connections, and help with relevant next steps | Organising supports and building your ability to use your plan |
| Do I choose a commercial provider? | Ask the NDIA which partner is allocated to you | You choose your coordinator and agree on the work |
| Does Carevo arrange this role? | No, use official NDIS contacts | Carevo can help you request responses from providers |
If you need ongoing help coordinating the services in your plan, read what a support coordinator does. If the problem is paying invoices, plan management is a different role again.
Who Can Access LAC Services?
The NDIS community-connections guidelines describe LACs working with people with disability aged 9 to 64. Younger children and families use the relevant early childhood pathway. Ask the NDIA which contact applies to your circumstances rather than choosing a provider based only on age.
You do not need a Carevo account or a commercial provider agreement to ask the NDIS who your local contact is.
What to prepare for a conversation
Write down the question you want resolved and any action you have already taken. For example: “I need to know who can explain my new plan” or “I want help finding accessible community activities.”
Bring or refer to relevant letters, your current plan if you have one, and the dates of earlier conversations. Share documents through the official channel the contact identifies. Ask for the next action, the responsible person and how to follow up. There is no universal appointment duration or guaranteed response time to promise here.
If you cannot reach your contact
Check the official listing for current details. Keep a note of contact attempts and ask the organisation or NDIA how to follow up or provide feedback. If you need to change an appointment or communication arrangement, explain the practical issue rather than assuming you must stop receiving help.
Do not use a provider-comparison enquiry for an NDIS portal login problem. The participant portal guide links to the official support routes.
Already have a plan and need providers?
Once you know the services you need, you can compare provider options, with help from your coordinator or my NDIS contact if appropriate. Compare providers for the services in my plan through Carevo. This asks providers to respond; it does not find or appoint your LAC.
Where local area coordination sits in the current reforms
For changes to NDIS arrangements, check the NDIS website and communications sent to you. Continue using the current contact and instructions for your circumstances unless the NDIA tells you they have changed. Proposed future arrangements are not a reason to assume your existing contact has disappeared.
Frequently asked questions
Is a local area coordinator the same as a support coordinator?
No. Your local NDIS partner contact and a provider delivering funded support coordination have different roles. Use the official NDIS contact search for your LAC and check your plan before arranging support coordination.
Can Carevo find or appoint my LAC?
No. Use the NDIS offices and contacts search or call 1800 800 110 to confirm your allocated partner.
Is the closest LAC office always my allocated partner?
No. The NDIS location search warns that the closest office may not be your allocated early childhood or LAC partner. Confirm with the office or the NDIA.
Co-founder & CEO · Updated
Andre is the co-founder and CEO of Carevo. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing, and a Bachelor of Arts from UNSW Sydney, where his majors were International Relations, Politics, Information Systems, and Media and Communications, graduating in 2014, and went through the UNSW 10x Founders accelerator in 2023.
