The new NDIS laws are now in force. The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026, and the first changes started on 27 August 2026. However, this is not a single switch that flips once. The changes roll out in stages all the way through to July 2028, and each stage affects something different.
Below, this guide sets out every change and the exact date it begins, in plain language. It also separates the parts that affect you now from the parts that are still years away, because a great deal of the coverage online mixes the two together.
New NDIS laws: quick summary
- The Act is real and it has passed. It is Act No. 66 of 2026, and it passed both Houses of Parliament on 19 August 2026.
- The first changes started 27 August 2026. These cover plan reassessments, record keeping, compliance powers, pricing decisions and automated processing.
- You can still ask for an early plan reassessment. Nevertheless, you now need a significant and ongoing change, and the NDIA has 90 days to decide.
- Unspent funding will stop carrying over. From February 2027, plan renewals replace plan continuations, and the NDIA will not carry unspent funds across from your previous plan.
- Claims will get a deadline. From December 2026, you must submit claims within 90 days of delivering a support.
- Access rules change last. New applicants face a new eligibility process from January 2028, and the NDIA reassesses existing participants over three years.
- Nothing about your current supports stops. Meanwhile, your existing plan continues as normal until your next reassessment or renewal.
How the new NDIS laws passed Parliament
Firstly, the Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on 14 May 2026 and passed the House on 2 July 2026. Subsequently the Senate passed it with 32 Government amendments on 18 August 2026, the House agreed to those amendments on 19 August 2026, and the Governor-General signed it on 20 August 2026.
Notably, because the Act amends the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 rather than replacing it, most of what you already know about the NDIS still applies. The Act changes specific mechanisms: how plans are reassessed and renewed, how long records are kept, who sets price limits, how access is assessed, and what the NDIA can do about fraud.
New NDIS laws timeline: every change and when it starts
Consequently, the new NDIS laws take effect across nine separate dates. Here is every stage the NDIA has published, in order.
| Starts | What changes |
|---|---|
| 27 August 2026 | Plan reassessment rules, record keeping periods, stronger information gathering and civil penalties, the Minister gains power to set price limits, and automated administrative actions become possible |
| October 2026 | Support budgets for social, civic and community participation and capacity building daily activities progressively reset at reassessment or renewal. A new plan variation pathway opens for participants needing continuous 24 hour care. The NDIA gains the ability to suspend plans where a participant does not respond to requests for information |
| December 2026 | You must submit claims within 90 days of delivering a support |
| February 2027 | Plan renewals replace plan continuations, and unspent funds do not carry over. New reasonable and necessary criteria apply, with clearer guidelines on what the NDIA expects a parent to provide for a child with disability |
| April 2027 | The NDIA begins introducing the new way of planning |
| July 2027 | Mandatory registration expands to providers delivering personal care and daily living supports, and supports in closed settings |
| October 2027 | The NDIA establishes a trusted panel of plan management providers, with a six month transition. See how to choose an NDIS plan manager |
| January 2028 | Access changes begin for new applicants, with existing participants reassessed over three years |
| July 2028 | A new commissioned support coordination and connection function begins |
Source: NDIA, Securing the NDIS for future generations, page current as at 21 August 2026.
What changed on 27 August 2026
Plan reassessments
Above all, this is the change most likely to affect you in the near term, and other coverage describes it most loosely. Here is what actually changed about asking for a reassessment before your scheduled date.
- You need a significant and ongoing change. Specifically, a significant and ongoing change to your functional capacity and support needs, or to your living, education, work or informal support arrangements.
- Only certain people can ask. The request must come from the participant, a plan nominee, or a child representative.
- The NDIA has 90 days to decide. That is 90 days to decide whether to reassess at all, once it receives your request.
- Smaller changes go through a plan variation. You have not lost the ability to get a quicker change. Short term and urgent changes run through the variation path instead.
Reassuringly, scheduled reassessments continue as normal, and you keep your review and appeal rights. Under the Participant Service Guarantee, the NDIA still aims to start setting up a scheduled reassessment 56 days before your review date, and to finish a reassessment it has agreed to within 28 days.
Record keeping
In addition, the Act sets how long records of supports and payments must be kept.
| Who | How long |
|---|---|
| Participants | 3 years |
| Nominees | 5 years |
| Providers | 7 years |
Moreover, the NDIA is direct about why this matters: if you cannot show that you used NDIS funding correctly, you may need to pay money back. Therefore, if you are self managed or plan managed, a simple system now is worth more than a scramble later. NDIS rules will explain exactly what records you need to keep.
Compliance and information gathering
Alongside that, the NDIA gains stronger compliance, enforcement and information gathering powers, aimed at fraud and non-compliance. Participants and providers may need to give the NDIA information when asked. Additionally, the NDIA may issue a penalty where providers do not comply with certain requirements, such as providing information.
Who sets NDIS price limits
Meanwhile, the Minister for Disability and the NDIS now has the power to make a pricing determination setting the maximum amounts for NDIS supports. The NDIA advises the Minister through the existing Annual Pricing Review process.
Crucially, this changes who decides, not the current price limits. The NDIA states there are no immediate changes to NDIS pricing and providers can continue to follow current pricing arrangements. You can always check the current limits on the official NDIS pricing page, or in our NDIS Price Guide.
Automated administrative action
The NDIA can now use computer systems to automate some administrative actions, including claims and payment processing. Nevertheless, the NDIA states the safeguards plainly. Oversight applies, people continue to make decisions that are complex, discretionary or require judgement, and the NDIA must publish details of how and where it uses automated systems.
The two changes most people have not noticed yet
So far, most coverage has focused on reassessments. However, two later changes are likely to affect more people day to day.
Unspent funds will not carry over. Notably, from February 2027 onwards, when a plan falls due, an NDIA planner either reassesses it or renews it with the same supports. This replaces the plan continuation process, and the NDIA will not carry unspent funds across from your previous plan. If you have been running an underspend deliberately, that approach will need rethinking before your renewal.
Claims will have a 90 day deadline. Even sooner, from December 2026, claims must be submitted within 90 days of a support being delivered. For self managed and plan managed participants especially, letting invoices sit for months will stop being an option.
What the new NDIS laws did not change
Given how much the new NDIS laws do change, it is worth being equally clear about what they leave alone.
- Your current plan continues. Supports do not stop because the law changed.
- Scheduled reassessments still happen on their normal cycle.
- You keep your right to an internal review, and to appeal to the Administrative Review Tribunal.
- Current price limits stay as they are, and providers follow existing pricing arrangements.
- Plan variations remain available for smaller, quicker changes.
How to check any NDIS law change yourself
The new NDIS laws have attracted a lot of second hand summaries, and some of them are wrong. Fortunately you can check any claim in about two minutes using two free official sources.
- Check the Act itself on the Parliament website. Go to aph.gov.au, search the Bills and Legislation section for the Bill name, and open its page. The Progress section shows every stage with dates, and the Assent line gives the Act number and the date the Governor-General signed it. For this one it reads: Assent, Act no 66, Year 2026, 20 August 2026.
- Check what the NDIA says it means. The NDIA publishes a plain-language page, Securing the NDIS for future generations, listing each change and its start date. Look for the “This page current as of” line at the bottom, because that tells you how fresh the guidance is.
However, one important caution applies. At the time of writing, several NDIA guidance pages still describe the process as it worked before 27 August 2026. Where a guidance page and the Securing the NDIS page disagree, the Securing page and the Act are the later source. Always check that date line before relying on a page.
Frequently asked questions
When did the new NDIS laws start?
The new NDIS laws started on 27 August 2026. The Act received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026 as Act No. 66 of 2026. Further changes follow in stages through to July 2028.
Can I still ask for a plan reassessment before my plan ends?
Yes, you can. However, from 27 August 2026 you need a significant and ongoing change to your functional capacity and support needs, or to your living, education, work or informal support arrangements. The NDIA then has 90 days to decide whether to reassess.
Who can request an early plan reassessment?
Specifically, only the participant, a plan nominee, or a child representative.
What if I need a small change quickly?
Fortunately, that is exactly what a plan variation is for. Short term and urgent changes still go through the variation pathway rather than a full reassessment.
Will my unspent NDIS funding roll over?
No, not from February 2027 onwards. When plan renewals replace plan continuations, unspent funds from the previous plan will not be carried over.
How long do I need to keep my NDIS records?
In short, participants keep records for three years, nominees for five years and providers for seven years. If you cannot show that you used the funding correctly, the NDIA may ask you to repay it.
Is there a deadline for submitting claims?
From December 2026, you must submit claims within 90 days of delivering a support.
Can the NDIA suspend my plan?
From October 2026 the NDIA will be able to suspend a plan where a participant does not respond to requests for information. This would only happen after reasonable attempts to make contact, which the NDIA defines as at least five attempts over an extended period to reach you, your nominee or your authorised representative. The same October 2026 stage brings the NDIS budget resets, which change how two kinds of support budget are set.
Are NDIS prices going up or down because of this?
Neither, at least at this stage. The Act gives the Minister the power to set price limits by determination, advised by the NDIA through the Annual Pricing Review. The NDIA states there are no immediate changes to pricing.
Do these changes affect who can get into the NDIS?
Yes, although not until January 2028. Access changes then begin for new applicants, with existing participants reassessed over three years, using a standardised assessment of functional capacity, plus a more consistent approach to permanence.
How Centre of Hope can help
Meanwhile, Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider in New South Wales. We provide Support Coordination, Specialist Support Coordination, Psychosocial Recovery Coaching, Employment Coaching, and Justice and Re-Entry Support. Every one of our services is coordination or coaching, and we do not provide Core Supports, SIL or SDA, so we have nothing to gain by steering you toward services we own.
Furthermore, if the new NDIS laws have left you unsure where you stand, a support coordinator can help you work out which stages actually apply to you, prepare properly for your next reassessment or renewal, and get your record keeping in order before it matters.
Related reading
- NDIS Plan Reassessment 2026
- NDIS Reforms 2026
- NDIS Planning Changes 2026
- NDIS Funding Periods Explained
- NDIS Access Changes for Children Under 8
- SIL Mandatory Registration 2026
- NDIS Price Guide
Disclaimer: This article is general information only. It does not replace advice about your own situation, and it is not legal, clinical or financial advice. The information is current as at 25 August 2026 and reflects the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 (Act No. 66 of 2026, Royal Assent 20 August 2026) as recorded on the Parliament of Australia Bills and Legislation page, and the NDIA’s Securing the NDIS for future generations page, current as at 21 August 2026, together with the Participant Service Guarantee, current as at 14 August 2026. Start dates after 27 August 2026 are the dates the NDIA has published and may move. Several NDIA guidance pages still describe the process as it worked before 27 August 2026; where they conflict with this article, the Act and the Securing the NDIS page are the later source. How any change applies to you depends on your circumstances and is decided by the NDIA. Rules change, so confirm anything that matters at the source, or call the NDIA on 1800 800 110. The Act itself is on the Parliament of Australia website.
