NDIS Budget Planner 2025

How NDIS budget categories work

Every NDIS plan organises funding into three distinct support purposes, and the NDIA sets the amount for each category based on your assessed needs and goals. Core Supports typically cover day-to-day assistance: help getting dressed, attending appointments, participating in community activities, using transport, and purchasing consumables like continence aids. Capacity Building funds time-limited supports that build your independence over the plan period, such as occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology, behaviour support, and support coordination. Capital Supports cover one-off or larger purchases tied to a specific item, like a wheelchair, vehicle modification, or structural home modification.

The three budgets are separate by design. The NDIA intends that Core funding covers recurring daily needs, Capacity Building invests in your longer-term independence, and Capital locks funds against a specific approved item. You cannot move unspent Capital funding into Core to pay for daily support hours, and you cannot redirect Capacity Building funds to buy equipment. This structure is why it matters to estimate each category carefully before your plan review, not just your total.

Breaking your annual budget into weekly targets

NDIS plans are approved in annual dollar amounts, but your providers invoice weekly or fortnightly. Without a weekly target, it is easy to overspend Core in the first half of the plan and run short of hours later, or to underspend and lose funding at renewal. To find your weekly Core target, divide your Core annual amount by the number of weeks in your plan period: 52 for a 12-month plan, 26 for a 6-month plan, 104 for a 24-month plan.

For example, a $40,000 Core budget across 12 months gives a weekly target of roughly $769. If your support worker invoices average $800 per week and you are only 10 weeks into the plan, you already have a gap that will compound. Checking weekly spend monthly, or even fortnightly, against your target is the simplest way to catch drift early.

Translating Core dollars into support hours

The NDIS Price Guide sets maximum hourly rates for each support item. For standard weekday support work (assistance with daily life, social and community participation), the 2025-26 price limit is $70.88 per hour. Weekend rates are $99.24 per hour, public holiday rates are $156.40 per hour, and evening rates attract a loading on top of the standard rate. This means a $40,000 annual Core budget buys roughly 564 weekday hours per year, or around 10.9 hours per week at a standard rate, but closer to 7.8 hours per week if sessions fall on weekends.

In practice, most participants use a mix of weekday, weekend, and evening support, so actual hours will sit somewhere between the weekday and weekend estimates. High-intensity supports, which require a worker with additional qualifications, are priced higher still and will reduce total hours further. Use the planner estimates as a starting point, then refine with your coordinator once you know your actual support schedule.

Avoiding underspend and overspend risk

Unspent NDIS funding does not roll over. At the end of your plan period, any remaining dollars return to the NDIA. If you consistently underspend, your next plan may be reduced on the basis that your previous allocation was more than your needs required. This is sometimes called "use it or lose it", and it affects all three budget categories, not just Core.

Overspending carries its own risk. If you exhaust your Core budget before the plan ends, you will not be able to access further support hours until your next plan begins, unless you have an urgent plan review approved. Providers are not obligated to continue services once the budget is depleted. Staying within roughly 8 percent of your weekly target across each month gives you a reasonable buffer while still using your funding productively.

When to request a plan review

A plan review lets the NDIA reassess your funding based on changed circumstances. You can request an unscheduled review at any time if your support needs have increased significantly, if a major life change has affected your daily requirements, or if your current plan does not include a support category you now need. Common triggers include a health deterioration, a change in living situation, a new assistive technology requirement, or the end of informal support from a family carer.

The strongest reviews are backed by evidence: reports from your therapists, a letter from your GP, incident records, or provider notes that document the gap between what your plan funds and what you actually need. Starting that documentation early, rather than waiting until a review is lodged, gives the NDIA clearer grounds to increase funding. Your support coordinator or local area coordinator can assist with gathering evidence and lodging the request through myNDIS.