NDIS changes 2026: what passed, what starts now, and what waits
Short version: you do not need to reapply for the NDIS, and nothing was cut from your current plan this week. New NDIS laws passed Parliament on 19 August 2026 and were signed on 20 August. The first changes started on 27 August 2026, and they are narrow: tighter rules about who can ask for an unscheduled plan reassessment, and new record-keeping requirements. The bigger changes are staged across 2026, 2027 and 2028.
If you have seen headlines this week and felt your stomach drop, that reaction is reasonable. This article sets out what actually changed, and when.
What passed
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 passed Parliament on 19 August 2026. The Governor-General signed it on 20 August.
It is a staged reform. Very little of it took effect immediately. Most of it arrives over the next 18 months, and the parts that affect who can get on the NDIS do not start until 2028.
The timeline
| From | What changes |
|---|---|
| 27 August 2026 | Tighter rules for unscheduled plan reassessments — only you, your plan nominee or your guardian can request one. New participant record-keeping requirements also begin. |
| October 2026 | Budgets for social, civic and community participation, and capacity-building supports, begin to be progressively reset as plans are reassessed. This is phased, not a single date when everyone's funding changes. |
| 1 April 2027 | Participants begin transitioning to new framework planning, using a new support needs assessment and a new budget method. |
| 1 January 2028 | Changes to the boundaries between the NDIS and mainstream services apply to new applicants. Current participants are reassessed over a transition period. Diagnosis lists are removed as the means of entry, replaced by standardised assessments of functional capacity. |
What changed on 27 August
Two things.
Who can ask for an unscheduled plan reassessment. An unscheduled reassessment is when you ask the NDIA to replace your plan before its scheduled date, usually because your circumstances have changed. From 27 August, that request can only come from you, your plan nominee or your guardian.
In practice this matters most for people whose provider or support coordinator used to make that request on their behalf. Your coordinator can still help you prepare the request and gather evidence — but the request itself now needs to come from you or your formal nominee. If you have been relying on someone else to do this, it is worth confirming who is on your plan as nominee.
Record keeping. New requirements for participant records also began. For most people this is administrative and does not change day-to-day support.
What happens from October
This is the change people are most worried about, so it is worth being precise.
Support budgets for social, civic and community participation, and for capacity-building supports, will be progressively reset as plans are reassessed from October 2026.
Three things follow from the word progressively:
- It happens at your reassessment, not on 1 October.
- If your reassessment is not due for a year, this does not reach you for a year.
- It is a reset of how those budgets are calculated, applied as plans roll over.
What it does not mean is that funding disappears from your current plan in October. Your current plan runs as it is until it is reassessed.
If community participation funding is a significant part of your plan, this is the change to prepare for — and preparation means evidence. The single most useful thing you can do is be able to show what that funding achieves and what happens without it.
What does not happen until 2027 and 2028
New framework planning (from 1 April 2027). A new way of working out participant budgets, based on a support needs assessment rather than the current planning conversation. Participants transition gradually.
Eligibility changes (from 1 January 2028). These apply to people applying after that date. Two changes matter:
- Diagnosis lists are being removed as the means of entry to the scheme. Access will rest on standardised, evidence-based assessment of functional capacity.
- The boundary between the NDIS and mainstream services — health, education, housing — is being redrawn, with the intention that mainstream systems carry more of what they are meant to carry.
Current participants will be reassessed over a transition period rather than all at once.
A Technical Advisory Group has been established to advise government on where the functional capacity threshold should sit and how it should be assessed. That threshold is not settled yet. Anyone telling you today exactly who will and will not qualify in 2028 is guessing.
What this means if you have psychosocial disability
The shift away from diagnosis lists and toward functional capacity is not, in itself, bad news for psychosocial disability. Mental health has never sat comfortably on a diagnosis list — a diagnosis has never been enough on its own, and two people with the same diagnosis can have entirely different support needs.
What the shift does is raise the value of good functional evidence. Not "I have this diagnosis", but what changes across a week: what you can do on steady days, what stops on hard days, what support prevents, and what happens without it.
That is worth starting now, because it is also what helps at your next reassessment under the October changes. Our guides to preparing for a plan reassessment and describing functional impact go through this in detail.
The honest caution: the 2028 threshold has not been set. We are not going to tell you that you will be fine, or that you will not be. What we can say is that the people who do best in any evidence-based system are the ones whose evidence describes their actual functioning, over time, including the bad weeks.
What you should actually do
- Do not reapply. There is no new application process, and reapplying does not protect you.
- Check who your plan nominee is, if anyone. That now determines who can request an unscheduled reassessment.
- Know your reassessment date. The October budget changes reach you at reassessment, so that date tells you when this becomes real for you.
- Start keeping functional examples. Short notes about hard days, missed appointments, what support changed. This is the raw material for every reassessment from here on.
- Do not panic-spend your current plan. Your existing funding rules have not changed.
Common questions
Will my funding be cut in October?
Not on 1 October. Social, civic and community participation budgets and capacity-building budgets are reset progressively as plans are reassessed from October 2026. Your current plan continues on its current terms until it is reassessed.
Do I need to reapply for the NDIS?
No. The eligibility changes from 2028 apply to people applying after that date. Current participants are reassessed over a transition period.
Can my support coordinator still request a plan reassessment for me?
Not on their own. From 27 August 2026 the request must come from you, your plan nominee or your guardian. A coordinator can still help you prepare it.
I am applying now — do the 2028 changes affect me?
Not if you apply before 1 January 2028. Apply under the current rules if you are eligible now. Our guide to applying with psychosocial disability sets out the process.
Will diagnosis still matter?
Yes, as evidence — but diagnosis lists are being removed as the entry mechanism. The emphasis moves to assessed functional capacity.
Where to from here
This article will be updated as the reforms roll out, including when the October changes and the 2027 planning framework take effect.
If you are worried about what a reassessment will mean for your plan, talk to someone before it is booked rather than after. You can make a referral, book a call, or phone us on 1300 487 996.
Sources: New NDIS laws pass and Summary of legislation changes, NDIS; Securing the NDIS for future generations and the reform timeline, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Last checked 28 August 2026.
This article is general information, not medical or clinical advice. For support with your situation, talk to your GP, treating team, or call us on 1300 487 996. In an emergency call 000. For urgent mental-health support call Lifeline on 13 11 14.