Support Budgets

Summary

• There are 3 main budget categories, namely Core Supports, Capacity building supports, and Capital supports.

• Each main support categories have their own sub-categories and some are more flexible than others.

• You will have one or more support budgets in your plan.

• All supports funded from you plan needs to meet NDIS funding criteria.

What is support budget?

NDIS support budget is the allocated funds that you can use to spend on supports that meet your goals for the duration of your plan.

The support budgets can be categorized into three main categories and there are:

1. Core support budget – this budget is for you to pay for everyday activities and disability related needs.

2. Capacity building supports budget – this budget is to help you build your independence and skills towards your NDIS goals.

3. Capital supports budget – this budget is for you to pay for higher-cost assistive equipment, home or vehicle modification and one-off purchases.

You will have one or more support budgets in your plan. Each supports budget has its sub-categories and some of them are more flexible that another one.

Which budget should I use?

The support budgets are divided into three categories namely (1) Core support, (2) Capacity building supports, and (3) Capital supports. Each budget is divided into a few sub-categories and some are more flexible than others.

Core support budget

You can use core support for your everyday activities, disability-related needs, and to work towards you goal. Core support budget is the most flexible budget. There a four sub-category under core support budget:

1. Assistance with daily life (aka in myplace portal: Daily Activities) – you can use this this pay for assistance with everyday needs, household cleaning or yard maintenance.

2. Consumables – pay for everyday items such as continental products, low-cost assistive technology or equipment.

3. Assistance with Social & Community Participation (aka in myplace portal: Social, community and civic participation) – can be used to pay for support worker to assist you to participant in social and community activities.

4. Transport – it can be used to pay for your travel to other places that can help you pursue your NDIS goals.

Capacity Building Supports budget

Capacity building supports budget is to help you build your independent and skills to help you achieve you NDIS goals. Supports can only be paid using funding falls under its category. There are nine sub-categories

1. Support Coordination – this part of the funding allows you to pay for a support coordinator to help you use you plan.

2. Improved Living Arrangements (aka in myplace portal: CB Home Living) – this funding help you find and maintain the appropriate place to live.

3. Increased Social & Community Participation (aka in myplace portal: CB Social Community and Civic Participation) – pay for supports to develop or increase your skills so that you can take part in community, social and recreational activities.

4. Finding & Keeping a Job (aka in myplace portal: CB Employment) – this funding help you pay for employment related supports, training, or assessment to help you find or keep a job.

5. Improved Relationships (aka in myplace portal: CB Relationships) – this funding can be used to pay for supports that develop positive behaviours and interact with others.

6. Improved Health & Wellbeing (aka in myplace portal: CB Health and Wellbeing) – this funding can be sued to pay for exercise or diet advice to manage the impact of your disability. Note: this funding cannot be used to pay for gym membership.

7. Improved Learning (aka in myplace portal: CB Lifelong Learning) – this funding is for training, advice, help for you to move from school to further education.

8. Improved Life Choices (aka in myplace portal: CB Choice and Control) – you use this funding to pay a plan manager to manage you NDIS plan.

9. Improved Daily Living (aka in myplace portal: CB Daily Activity) – this funding is to fund supports, trainings, and assessments to increase your skills, independence and community participation. Parents can also use this part of the funding for training or guide so that you can support your disabled child.

Capital support budget

Capital support budget is for high-cost assistive technology, home modification and one-off purchases you many need. There are two sub-categories in this budget:

1. Assistive technology – this funding is for equipment such as mobility, personal care, communication and recreational for example wheelchairs, or vehicle modifications.

2. Home modifications – this funding is for home modification such as installing a handrail, or access ramp. it might also cover specialist disability accommodation.

In-kind support

In-kind support means the service has already been paid for by your state, territory or the Australian government. You don’t have to pay for sin-kind supports from you NDIS funds. More information regarding in-kind supports is available on NDIS website.

State-supports

If state-supports is listed in you plan means the service is not flexible and you have to use that allocated fund to pay for that specific support or service.

If you are not sure what support can be funded through you NDIS plan, you can visit NDIS's funding guidelines here.

1. www.ndis.gov.au. (2021). Plan budget and rules | NDIS. [online] Available at: https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/creating-your-plan/plan-budget-and-rules.
2. ourguidelines.ndis.gov.au. (2022). Would we fund it | NDIS. [online] Available at: https://ourguidelines.ndis.gov.au/would-we-fund-it.
3. ourguidelines.ndis.gov.au. (2021). How we work out if a support meets the funding criteria | NDIS. [online] Available at: https://ourguidelines.ndis.gov.au/how-ndis-supports-work-menu/reasonable-and-necessary-supports/how-we-work-out-if-support-meets-funding-criteria