Plain-English guide

How the NDIS works

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funded support to Australians under 65 with permanent and significant disability. It's not means-tested. Here's what you need to know to apply, prepare, and avoid the traps.

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Eligibility

Who it's for

Under 65 (under 50 if you're Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander).
Live in Australia and an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or hold a Protected Special Category Visa.
Have a permanent (or likely-to-be-permanent) disability that significantly affects daily life — communication, mobility, self-care, learning, social interaction, or self-management.

The NDIS doesn't have a list of approved conditions. Eligibility is about how the impairment affects your daily life, not the diagnosis.

The path

How it works, briefly

1
Apply for access.
Make an Access Request and submit evidence about your disability and how it affects you.
2
Get a decision.
The NDIA has 21 days to decide once your application is complete.
3
Plan your supports.
If you're approved, you'll have a planning conversation that turns into your first NDIS plan.
4
Use your plan.
Choose providers, sign service agreements, and use your funding.
5
Reassess.
Plans run for 12 months to three years. Toward the end of yours, the NDIA creates a new one.

Source for the 21 days decision window: ndis.gov.au (verified 2026-03).

Watch out

Three things to know

The NDIS cares about impact, not diagnosis.

The single most common reason families get knocked back at access is evidence that describes the condition but not the impact. When you ask your treating health professional for a report, ask them to write it in functional-impact terms — communication, mobility, self-care, self-management, learning, social interaction.

Support Lists changed in October 2024.

From 3 Oct 2024, the NDIS has two formal lists set in legislation — an "in" list of supports it funds and an "out" list of supports it doesn't. Some things that were previously funded are now on the "out" list. If your current plan started before October 2024 and you're spending in those categories, expect changes at your next

Refused? You have a 3-month window.

If access is denied, you have

, and

. You must do internal review first — you can't skip straight to the ART. Read the decision letter carefully — it tells you what to focus on.

Keep reading

What we recommend you read next

Getting ready for an Access Request

What evidence works and what doesn't.

Preparing for your first planning meeting

The single most important thing to get right.

What changed in October 2024

The new in/out Support Lists and how they affect what you can buy.

Turning 65 and on the NDIS

The transition you need to plan twelve months in advance.

Greenbees is an independent guide. We don't approve NDIS plans, run assessments, or sell financial products. For decisions with money or rights on the line, please use the official channels — call the NDIS on 1800 800 110 or visit ndis.gov.au.

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