NDIS support budgets and categories explained

What are core supports?

Core supports help with everyday activities and getting involved in your community. The core budget can have funding in up to 3 support categories:

• Assistance with daily life: help with daily tasks, such as support workers for personal care, cooking, cleaning and yard maintenance. Our support work and personal care fall here.
• Consumables: everyday items such as continence products, and low-cost equipment like non-slip bathmats or small aids for dressing and eating.
• Assistance with social and community participation: support to take part in your community, group and social activities and your interests. Our community access support is funded here.

Core funding is flexible: you can use the total amount across and within these categories to buy the supports you need, as long as they're supports the NDIS can fund and in line with your plan.

What are capital supports?

Capital supports are for more expensive equipment and changes to where you live. This budget can have funding in up to 2 categories:

• Assistive technology: usually expensive items you buy once, such as a powered wheelchair or vehicle modifications. The NDIA often needs reports and quotes first. Repairs and rental now sit in a separate assistive technology repairs and rental category.
• Home modifications and specialist disability accommodation (SDA): changes to your home, or SDA if you need specialist housing.

Capital funding is stated. Where a support says "quote required", the NDIA needs quotes or reports before it makes the funding available. Read our SDA eligibility checklist and our guide to SDA funding in your plan.

What's the difference between flexible and stated funding?

Flexible funding means you choose which supports to buy and how many, and you can use the overall budget across its categories. Your plan will say "This is a flexible support". You still can't spend more than the total, and you can't use one budget to pay for another; core funding can't buy transport from the recurring budget, for example.

Stated funding means you can only buy the support described in your plan, within that budget and category. Your plan will say "This is a stated support". You still choose the provider and how much of that support you buy.

An example based on the NDIA's own: with $25,000 for assistance with daily life and $10,000 for social and community participation in core, you could spend up to $35,000 across those two categories. Funding stated for one kind of capacity building support can only be spent on that support.

What changed in October 2026?

From 1 October 2026, two categories are being reduced as plans are created or reassessed, or renewed from 1 February 2027: assistance with social, economic and community participation, and improved daily living skills. Some supports inside those categories aren't affected. Our guide to the October 2026 budget changes has the detail.

Common questions

What are the 4 NDIS support budgets?

Core supports, capacity building supports, capital supports and recurring supports. You'll only have funding in the ones you need.

How many NDIS support categories are there?

The NDIA says there are 21 support categories across the 4 budgets.

Can I move money between core categories?

Yes. Core funding is flexible, so you can use the total across its categories, unless your plan says a support is stated.

Can I use core funding for capacity building?

No. You can't use one support budget to pay for supports in another.

What can I spend core supports on?

Supports for everyday activities and joining in your community, such as support workers, consumables and help to take part in social activities, as long as the NDIS can fund them and they're in line with your plan.