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Did you know your Core Supports budget might be able to fund a cleaner, Short Term Accommodation (STA), wheelchair repairs, assistive technology, or even a meal delivery service? And that’s just for starters!

Depending on your disability, and its impact on your daily life, there’s an abundance of support you may be able to access through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), without dipping into your personal savings.

In the NDIS, Core Supports funding is designed to help you with daily activities. While participants typically use it to pay support workers to assist with everyday tasks like household chores or going to appointments, it has the flexibility to cover much more.

This means that, within your Core Supports budget, you can move money from one category to another (with some exceptions that you can find here). While you can’t move funding across your NDIS plan, within the Core Supports ‘bucket’ there’s a great deal of flexibility – if spending aligns with your disability, plan and goals. If you’re not quite sure, just ask your plan manager, support coordinator, NDIA planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC).

Here’s six ways you might be able to spend your Core Supports funding. Read on – then give us a call to see if these might work for you!

1. House and yard maintenance

Disability can create barriers to everyday tasks like cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, or fixing a broken cupboard, and the cost of hiring a cleaner, gardener or handyman can quickly add up.

The good news is, you can claim these supports out of Core Supports funding if your inability to complete the tasks alone is related to your disability, and if the supports meet the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) reasonable and necessary criteria.

2. Short Term Accommodation (STA), including respite

STA is accommodation at a different place to your usual home. You can access STA funding (in the right circumstances) for up to 14 days at a time, for a total of 28 days per year.

The cost of your STA – personal care, accommodation, food, and activities you and the provider agree to – may be able to be covered by your Core Supports budget.

STA can be used for a short stay away from home, to make new friends, develop new skills or try new things. It can also be used for respite, which can help participants and their informal supports take a break, with the aim of maintaining current living arrangements.

You can find more information about STA here and here.

3. Meal preparation

If you have a support worker who assists you with cooking and serving your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and they can’t come in for a while – or if you’re just looking to become a little more independent at home – you may be able to use your Core Supports funding to have meals prepared and delivered to your door.

If meal preparation isn’t specifically written into your NDIS plan, but it meets the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary criteria, it can be claimed from Core Supports funding for 90 days. After that time, you’ll need written approval from an NDIA planner to continue claiming meal preparation, or you might need to submit a change of circumstances or undergo a plan reassessment.

Last year, the NDIS made it easier for participants to access meal preparation support. Find out more here.

If meal preparation isn’t included in your plan but you’re keen to explore your options, give us a call on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday, and we’ll assist you.

4. Low-cost assistive technology

Assistive technology is equipment or devices that help you do things you can’t do – or are limited in doing – because of your disability. Using assistive technology can help you to do those tasks more easily or more safely.

There are thousands of products on the market to make your daily life simpler, like adaptive cutlery, non-slip bathmats, laundry and washing line adaptors, and medication management devices. If assistive technology costs less than $1500, it can often be claimed through your Core Supports funding – but check first!

Like all NDIS supports, assistive technology must meet the NDIA’s reasonable and necessary criteria. If you’re not sure if the NDIS will fund a support you want to purchase, here are five questions to help you find out. You can also visit the NDIS website for further advice.

5. Disability related health supports

If they help you to participate in everyday activities, you may be able to use your Core Supports funding for a range of disability related health supports.

Specified by the NDIA within the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, these supports – while medical in nature – may be funded when they directly relate to disability:

Support typeWhat it isExample/s
Dysphagia supportsSupports for participants who have trouble eating, drinking, or swallowing.Meal management and planning, pumps, tubes, and antibacterial wipes.
Respiratory supportsSupports for participants who require support to assist them to breathe.Coughing assistance machine.
Nutrition supportsSupports for participants who require support to enable them to eat.Liquid nutrition products.
Diabetes management supportsSupports for participants who require assistance to manage their diabetes.Funding for a support worker to be trained in the delivery of blood sugar testing.
Continence supportsSupports for participants who need assistance with continence.Absorbent pads, nappies, wipes.
Wound and pressure care supportsSupports for participants who require assistance to manage wounds or ongoing loss of feeling in their body.Dressings, barrier creams.
Podiatry supportsSupports for participants who need assistance to develop and implement a care plan to support their feet, ankles, and lower limbs.Assistance by a podiatrist to fit custom orthotics.
Epilepsy supportsSupports for participants who require help to manage seizures.Seizure monitoring devices.

There are a range of supports that may relate to disability but are more appropriately funded by the health system. Some examples include end of life/palliative care, direct care supports accessed within a hospital, and emergency electrical generators.

6. NDIS training

You may have heard, or even experienced yourself, that the NDIS can sometimes be complex, time-consuming and difficult to understand. This can be true, but at My Plan Manager – your NDIS un-complicator – we’re focused on making the Scheme easier for our clients to navigate, so they can achieve the outcomes they’re after.

Time and again we hear from NDIS participants who are struggling to understand how to get bang for their NDIS buck and feeling unsure about where to find the providers who can support them to build their capacity so they can manage their funding and their lives.

They want expertise to ensure they use their plans well and make every dollar count so they can achieve their goals that much faster.

We’ve listened, and Kinora – our free online community of solutions – has created training to empower NDIS participants to manage their plans and their providers, right from the start of their NDIS journey.

Kinora’s capacity building training will show you how to use and maximise your NDIS plan funding and how to find and engage the right providers for you. The cost of the training is $210, and the great news is it may be funded by your Core Supports budget if it’s in accordance with your plan.

Click here to learn more.

We’re here to help

Here’s some more information from us about your Core Supports budget – including the different categories within it. And here’s our NDIS funding explained resource, which unpacks each NDIS plan budget and the categories within them.

If you have any questions about how to use your Core Supports (and wider NDIS) funding, we’re here to help. You can call us on 1800 861 272 from 8am-6pm (SA time), Monday to Friday, or email us at [email protected].

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by the different budget support categories in your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan. We are here to help explain the core supports budget and how to get the most out of it. 

There are three types of supports budgets that may appear in your NDIS plan: core, capacity building and capital. Your NDIS planner will tailor your NDIS plan with funding connected to achieving your goals and supporting you in your day-to-day life.

Core Supports

The core supports budget is funding to support the everyday tasks that relate to your plan and life goals. It’s quite flexible across the four support categories that make up the core supports budget, and it is up to you how you spend it. You can choose to spend your funding interchangeably between the support categories to better suit your needs. For example, you may prefer to spend more of your total core funding on meal preparation and less on taxi expenses. Your support coordinator and plan manager are experts in all things NDIS and can help you to understand how to use your NDIS plan flexibility to get the best outcome! 

01: Assistance with Daily Life 

Name on NDIS portal – “Daily Activities”.  

This category will cover all your expenses related to assisting you to undertake daily tasks. This could include: 

02: Transport 

Funding to cover transport expenses related to the impact of your disability, such as: 

03: Consumables 

Funding to pay for everyday items and low risk/low-cost products, like: 

04: Assistance with Social, Economic and Community participation

Name on NDIS portal – “Social, community and civic participation”. Covers cost to access and participate in the community, such as: 

Making the most of your core supports budget 

There are lots of ways to use your core supports budget so you’re getting the best value for your funding.  

Be creative 

As the core supports budget is flexible you can make it work for you and choose the services that best suit your life. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Is there a low-cost assistive technology such as an app that could help you to achieve smaller tasks in your day-to-day life? Could you have hand rails installed in the bathroom or around the house to improve your independence? 

Get the best price 

The majority of our clients have most of their NDIS funding allocated to the core supports budget, so making the most of this is important. Researching providers and finding a provider with competitive pricing can make a big different to your budget. One of the benefits of being plan managed is that you can use any provider, whether they are an NDIS-registered provider or not. Providers who aren’t NDIS-registered generally charge below the NDIS price guide. But it’s important to do your research, ask questions and trial a provider to find one who best suits your needs. 

Plan your budget 

The core supports budget funds your essential everyday tasks and it also needs to last the whole way through your plan. This is where budgeting is important, as you don’t want your core budget to run out before your plan ends. Do the sums on your everyday expenses and work how much it will cost (roughly) to fund for the duration of your plan. If you’re a client of My Plan Manager, we can help you with budgeting, and our online client portal helps you view and track your funding so you can see what you’ve spent and how much you have left. If you’re not a client yet, find out how we could help you manage your plan. 

To find out more about the other types of funding (capital supports and capacity building supports) or other NDIS lingo check out NDIS Category Confusion or NDIS Dictionary: Breaking down the jargon

If you have any queries about how to use your funding please contact us via phone or email and we will be more than happy to assist. 

It’s common for people to be overwhelmed by their NDIS plans and wonder what all the categories mean. Don’t worry, we can explain.

There are three types of support budgets that may appear in your NDIS plan: core, capacity building and capital supports. Your NDIS planner will tailor your NDIS plan with support budget categories and funding connected to achieving your goals and supporting you in your day-to-day life.

Core Supports

The core supports budget is funding to support all your assistance with day-to-day tasks that relate to your plan and life goals. Your core funding is where all your carer, support worker, cleaning and other regular expenses will be paid from. The core budget is often flexible across the four support budget categories meaning you can choose to spend your funding interchangeably between them. For example, you may want to spend more of your total core funding on continence products and less on your transport expenses. The four budget support categories under core support are:

01: Assistance with Daily Life

Name on NDIS portal – “Daily Activities”. This budget will cover all your expenses related to assisting you to undertake daily tasks. This could include:

02: Transport

Funding to cover transport expenses related to the impact of your disability, such as:

03: Consumables

Funding to pay for everyday items and low risk/low cost products, like:

04: Assistance with Social, Economic and Community participation

Name on NDIS portal – “Social, community and civic participation”. Covers cost to access and participate in the community, such as:

Capital Supports

The capital supports budget pays for products to reduce the impact of your disability. These budgets are not very flexible and usually cover specific items which were discussed in your planning meeting and have been approved in your plan by the National Disability Insurance Agency.

05: Assistive Technology

Specialised technology or equipment, like a smart device, wheelchair, or app.

06: Home Modifications

Funding for modifications to be made to your home to make it easier for to live your everyday life where your disability creates barriers. This may include modifications to your kitchen or bathroom equipment.

Capacity Building Supports

The capacity building supports budget is funding specifically allocated to assist you to build your skills and achieve your goals.

07: Support Coordination

A support coordinator can be claimed from this budget. Support coordinators help you put your plan in action and organise your supports. They can assist you to build connections with the community and broader systems of support; develop and design support options to help you work towards your goals; and work with you to prepare for review and report on what you’ve achieved.

08: Improved Living Arrangements

Name on NDIS portal – “CB Home Living”. This funding is for help for you to find suitable accommodation to live more independently, and could cover someone to assist you with inspecting properties or negotiating your contract. Supports may including assistance with applying for a rental property, meeting tenancy obligations and ensuring the home is appropriate for your needs.

09: Increased Social and Community Participation

Name on NDIS portal – “CB Social Community and Civic Participation”. This is to pay for support to help you build your skills in accessing the community. This may include funding a mentor or therapist to assist with learning skills for independence in the community.

This category of funding can be used to pay for tuition fees, art classes, sports coaching and similar activities that build skills and independence. You can use this category to pay for camps, classes and vacation activities that have capacity-building components. Activity based transport is also included.

10: Finding and Keeping a Job

Name on NDIS portal – “CB Employment”. Funding to support you to find a job and have assistance in your work. This budget can pay for a support worker to assist you at your job or helping you to find a job that’s right for you, including:

11: Improved Relationships

Name on NDIS portal – “CB Relationships”. Supports to help build your skills to connect and build relationships in your community. This could include funding to pay for someone to help you build your social skills or behavioural therapy services.

12: Improved Health and Wellbeing

Name on NDIS portal – “CB Health and Wellbeing”. Services that improve your health and wellbeing, like a personal trainer, exercise physiologist or dietitian to improve your skills in maintain your own health and wellbeing.

13: Improved Learning

Name on NDIS portal – “CB Lifelong Learning”. Access to services that will help you to transition from school to further education. This budget could fund a support worker to help you to go to university or TAFE.

14: Improved Life Choices

Name on NDIS portal – “CB Choice and Control”. This budget pays for your plan manager.

15: Improved Daily Living

Name on NDIS portal – “CB Daily Activity”. Funding to cover your therapies and other programs to build your capacity to reduce the impact of your disability. This could be a physiotherapist, speech pathology, OT or any other therapy that assists you to become more independent with your daily living tasks.

By Belle Owen

There is plenty of information on how to start your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan off right, setting up supports and allocating budgets. There’s also plenty of advice on what to do when your NDIS plan is coming to an end, but what about those of us that are somewhere in the middle?

Here are our top tips:

Do a halfway health check on your plan:

Ideally, around the six-month mark of your plan (or year mark if it’s a two-year plan) you should be around halfway through your total budget. There may be reasons for being off the mark, like larger home modifications or expensive technology purchased in one half of the plan, but generally you want to have about half of the money left to receive consistent and ongoing supports. Spending too much is a problem – but so is not spending enough! Your plan is designed to allow you to reach your potential and live your best life, so make the most of it. If you have a plan manager, they should be helping you with a budget plan that gets you as much value from your plan as possible.

Make use of the tools available:

Use technology to keep up to date with your spending as it happens: many plan managers offer a client portal, and clients of My Plan Manager also have access to a mobile phone app. Ideally you want to be able to view your total amounts, the amount you have spent and show you past invoices so that you can plan for future spends. Monitoring over the life of your plan keeps the choice and control in your hands. If you don’t have access to an app or client portal, get regular updates from your plan manager or the NDIS portal.

If possible, when you plan or review your spending, keep a small percentage aside as an ‘emergency’ fund to help you avoid running out. You can use My Plan Manager’s budget calculator (free for all NDIS participants to use) to help you to work out your spending and make sure you won’t overspend. If you’re with My Plan Manager, our budget conversations and milestone checks will also help keep you on track.

Keep up to date with NDIS announcements:

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) makes frequent changes to rules around spending, and regularly updates their price guide. These announcements can impact the amount of support you receive and it’s a good idea to stay informed.

Following the NDIS on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter is one of the simplest ways to make sure you’re in the know. There are also great resources like the Clickablog and The Growing Space which break down these often-confusing rulings into easy to understand language. The My Plan Manager blog is also updated regularly with useful information. If you are confused about any NDIA announcements, your plan manager should be able to help you to understand the information.

Choosing your supports:

If you’re doing a halfway health check and are feeling concerned about your budgets, there are some ways you can be more creative with your spending. NDIS price guides are a maximum amount you can be charged for a specific support, service or product. If you can find a similar service that will charge under the price guide amount, you can make your NDIS money go further. Try searching on Clickability! For mainstream services like cooking or gardening, self or plan managed participants can use any service provider, not just NDIS-registered ones. Check with the NDIA or your plan manager if you’re unsure, but if you’re able to pay out of pocket and be reimbursed, you can avoid disclosing that you’re an NDIS participant and can sometimes receive cheaper services. Be sure to compare before you commit to any providers.

But… what if something unavoidable happens and your plan will no longer meet your needs?

Sometimes things just happen, and your budget won’t be enough to last until the end of your plan. This is why it’s so important to keep an eye on your spending. If this happens, contact the NDIA or your LAC to let them know things have changed. If you’re plan managed, your plan manager should help you to go through this process. You need to do this as soon as you become aware: don’t leave it until the last minute.

See the NDIS website’s page, “I have a significant or urgent change in circumstances, and my plan no longer meets my needs”.

And if you end up with the opposite problem – money left at the end of your plan – then you need to read our other blog article, which will tell you exactly what to do!


Belle Owen is a writer, consultant and disability advocate with over ten years experience living and travelling overseas. She is passionate about social justice, human rights and disability representation in popular culture.

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My Plan Manager acknowledges the objectives of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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